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Hi Everyone at Myss.com!
Thank you so much for your feedback on my last newsletter. I am glad it spoke to many of you so much! I am back with another installment regarding a current archetypal cycle we all experience: Mercury Retrograde in the signs of Libra and Virgo!
So let’s get on down to it! But before we do, I realize that many of you may be scratching your heads saying ‘Mercury what??’ So let’s review what Mercury Retrograde is as a generic cycle to get us all on the same page and then I’ll bring in the themes and timing for the current one. If you’ve been finding things are a bit funky lately in your life, keep reading!
Mercury Retrograde Refresher
Essentially astrology is the art and science of intuiting and interpreting the energetic and archetypal cycles of life and your soul’s schedule of unfolding into the world via those cycles. All those planets out there in the heavens are mirrors for what’s happening in us……as above, so below. So any planetary cycle that we observe in the sky/Zodiac is also occurring within, because (as all mystics have said for ages) the ultimate reality is that there is no separation from what’s out there and what’s within. The gift of astrology is born out of learning to work with the cosmic/archetypal cycles of life consciously, as a co-creative act if you will. So if you can learn to understand the inherent function of a planetary astrological cycle, you can use that energy in a more consciously empowered manner, and bring your timing/efforts more in line with Universal Will; which means more in line with your soul. Onto Mercury Retrograde!
What is ‘Mercury Retrograde’ anyway? When Mercury is direct, which it is 80% of the year, we can look to the sky and see the planet’s motion going forward against the backdrop of the Zodiac in the heavens. However, about every 3 ½ months the planet appears to start going backward for about three weeks. I say “appears” because in reality it’s the orbit of the earth in tandem with the planetary orbit of Mercury that makes the planet appear to move backwards, though it is not really moving backwards. Nevertheless, this period of time is called Mercury Retrograde.
That being said, what does Mercury Retrograde symbolize as a process within each of us? How does it point our ego toward our soul’s timing? As a function of consciousness, Mercury represents our thinking and communicative processes, the ways we access and use information, make decisions, pay attention to details, and express ourselves. Perhaps most importantly, Mercury also symbolizes the way we perceive reality via the mind.
Much of this gets reexamined during a Mercury Retrograde cycle via the astrological sign’s themes it’s retrograde in (Libra and Virgo this time!). We are asked to retreat within and reevaluate what serves our life with regards to this Mercurial function of consciousness, and what needs to be upgraded, reworked, rethought, refined, and/or let go of in the ways that we think about and experience things. If we resist this, then we invoke the “Trickster” side of Mercury contained in Mercury’s function. You all know this too well: miscommunications, missed flights, accidents, computer and other tech breakdowns…need I go on?! All of these are designed to help you realize you’re not in control and that a deeper design is trying to emerge into your consciousness by putting your ego-mind in the back seat for a time.
When Mercury is moving direct, our minds tend to work on a more functional/forward level. Our energy is invested in more assertive decision-making and action with less retrospection and reflection. However, we are unconsciously picking up on intuitive information, which will come to call during the retrograde cycle for further integration. There needs to be a time of rest and assimilation of all the information that we perceive consciously and unconsciously – much like our need for sleep every day. And a time for our inner wisdom to come forth and guide us to re-organize, rethink, reevaluate, redo, and reboot. This is part of the organic, natural flow of life. Our culture, however, made up of schedules and deadlines, doesn’t often accommodate a cycle of introspective reflection and re-evaluation. This is why this cycle can be so brutal for some of us……especially those of us, like me, with a thousand deadlines and agendas!
Even though Mercury is moving direct, it will eventually enter into its retrograde zone (the degrees of the astrological sign it will retrograde over) about two weeks before it goes retrograde. This set up phase began back on August 17th for this current cycle. Around that time signals from the environment would have begun alerting you towards inner and outer situations that are in need of some reflection and reevaluation – which for this retrograde will be connected to themes of Libra and Virgo. Take a moment and reflect on what was happening in your life in late August and how the themes have been shifting since then in your experience.
Mercury Retrograde in Libra/Virgo
September 6thth-September 29st, 2009
This Mercury Retrograde (MR) that officially began on September 6th and ends on the 29th marks a slow transition that will echo throughout 2010 with the MR’s moving from the Air Signs of astrology (Gemini, Aquarius, Libra) slowly back into the Earth Signs (Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo). Symbolically this means that this/next year we each will have to assess our ideas (Air) and weigh them against what is practically realizable (Earth) relative to the fate and destiny of our times.
In other words we must rethink what our destiny (call to service) is and what we can innovatively do to survive in a world that is currently going through a profound transformation. From what I can tell from this current cycle, the focus for now centers around a personal need to ‘clean house’ which began in earnest on September 6th – the day Mercury stationed Retrograde in the sky! Let’s investigate this more deeply.
Libra and Virgo
Libra is an archetypal pattern that has within it many various archetypes which show different sides of its energy. Here’s a short list of some of them: The Lover, The Advocate, The Diplomat, The Companion, The Judge, The Counselor, The Co-dependent, The Mediator, The Unrequited Lover, The Victim, and The Politician just to name a few!
Most important at its core, Libra has everything to do with how we relate to others as a result of our self-esteem. Libra also shares a deep affinity with another archetype which the Greeks called the Goddess Aphrodite. In a patriarchal culture that has lost touch for thousands of years with the Divine Feminine, this MR is bound to unearth some deep material from not only our personal shadow, but the cultural one as well.
Libra is about balance and equality, yet with the extreme imbalance found in the Gods we collectively honor as being primarily masculine these days we currently are most bereft of an authentic spiritual connection to an instinctual, sensual, earthly, fertile, feminine, and passionate representation of the Divine in our lives. Let’s face it, we don’t build temples to Goddesses and worship them anymore as a culture do we? And this has cut us off from fundamental aspects of our divine nature which are coming to call during this MR.
Sink down into your heart and ask your inner Aphrodite how she’s doing?! This Goddess in you wants you to feel affirmed in relationships with others and valued. Furthermore, She wants you to know what your values even are! Most of us think we know what we value but the truth is that often our values are nothing more than socially and familial conditioned responses to life that run on autopilot and make choices for us with little connection to our authentic self. And we must always be aware that even our authentic values are meant to shift and change as we mature!
It is not natural to botox values into place. What you value when you are 60 years young shouldn’t be what you value when you are 30! Thus this MR is definitely asking each of us, relative to our soul’s contract and destiny, to re-evaluate what we value most and bring our choices into alignment with that in various energized areas of our lives. But that’s not all! Let’s look at Virgo too, which Mercury has just slipped back into this past Sunday, September 20th during the mid-point of this cycle.
Virgo as a pattern has includes the various ways we discern our needs, take care of ourselves, analyze and organize our lives, the rituals (habits) we do daily, and the way we refine ourselves. Its archetypes include: The Critic, The Healer, The Fixer, The Perfectionist, The Analyst, The Sacred Prostitute, The Servant, The Organizer, The Hermit, and The Naturalist.
Merging both the Libra and Virgo themes together as activated during this MR, the archetypes I’ve seen energized with this cycle have everything to do with how we respect ourselves in relationships with others and self-care. I also find it interesting that we are attempting to ‘redo’ a defunct health care system (Virgo) so that it honors the equal rights of all (Libra) to receive coverage!
The Quest for Love...
But going even deeper and getting more personal, this MR asks us to consider if we chase our value co-dependently via relationships with others and call it love? I know I do, ha! And it also ask if you really have it in your core not to personalize another’s issues as a statement of your worth because you are impervious to shadow dancing with them? Additionally, are you being responsible for others in ways that put you into servitude to them and take you out of being of true service?
Undoubtedly these are core questions that define the ways we love others and ourselves – and this has everything to do with Libra and Virgo. Our relationships are only ever as healthy as we are, tough to take but true. And the reality is that as we grow in esteem for ourselves, our relationship needs change as do our relationships. Yet, how many of us have been taught that it was wrong to even have needs at all?? This MR reminds us that whatever we need from someone is OK!! Of course it doesn’t mean that we’ll get that need met but there is certainly no need to feel ashamed as we are asked now to affirm our right to have needs.
Speaking of needs, I’ve seen many folks during this cycle beginning to come to terms with their profound sense of loneliness. We’re human beings and need each other! I’ve noticed that we’ve put such shame around being lonely that many of us feel that it’s wrong to need someone – like if we were really spiritually evolved we should be able to forever exist in a state of solitude and not feel we need others…come on now! Though this cycle may ask us to evaluate and discern the need for healthy and empowering fellowship with others, it also asks us to confront our loneliness, own it, embrace it, and open up to healthy reciprocal connections with others to get our needs to connect met.
That said, I’ve seen some of my clients confronting their “Unrequited Lover” archetype during this MR. How many of us constantly choose people to love that aren’t available. Whether it’s that they’re addicts, live in another location, are married, or are narcissists – this cycle asks us to get real with this pattern of being ‘Unrequited Lovers” which is fed by low self-worth and fears of intimacy. Additionally, this MR cycle asks us to investigate what motivates us to love at all and asks to be honest as to whether we truly allow ourselves to receive love in our relationships!
How many of us look for relationships out of a survival template of security? In other words, do you evaluate your relationships based on whether someone can help you survive by asking questions like, will this guy every cheat on me? Abandon me? Give me what ‘I’ want? Marry me? Divorce Me? Take care of me financially? Etc… The sad thing about this orientation to relating is that it can shut down our heart, causing us to mistake security for intimacy with another’s soul.
Few among us are fearless enough to say, “I am going to enter this relationship and take care of myself at the same time. And I am opening myself up to explore intimacy with this person because I know that we have a soul contract to do so, and no matter what happens between us I know I will learn something valuable about who I am and my purpose. All of which will affirm me as I ultimately cannot be diminished no matter what this person does or doesn’t’ do in relationship to me because at the end of the day – whatever they do or don’t do isn’t about me, it’s about their relationship with themselves and their capacity to love fearlessly.”
Now doesn’t that level of inner esteem sound good? That’s what I’m talking about! And this way of relating, near as I can tell, is at the root of true intimacy and unconditional love with another human being. It’s a way of loving that allows others to show you their shadow and you to show them yours while standing in full vulnerability in front of them. Now that’s true intimacy, whew!! That said, I sense that this MR brings up these ideas as a core theme which asks us to redefine what balance, safety, and intimacy are about in relationships while seeing our relationships as mirrors of ourselves.
Additionally, now that the Virgo aspect has been activated as of Sunday, I’ve seen another theme beginning to emerge: how critical and perfectionist we can be with ourselves in ways that keep us from relating to each other. If I judge or criticize myself before you do, then I’ve just moved myself out of relationship with you because I’ve taken away the vulnerability that’s required to truly be open to you and relate. How often do you criticize and judge yourself before someone else can as a defense against intimacy with them? Hell, I just did it 5 minutes ago! But aren’t we tired of these harsh acts of self-violence?? Aren’t we tired of our own self-created loneliness? I know I am…it’s time to get down with some lovin’ y’all!
Wouldn’t it be great to feel nourished by creating new space in ourselves to connect with others through non-judgment and to know we can take care of ourselves no matter what in relationships? Take a deep breath and just think about how it would feel to not judge and criticize yourself, whilst feeling safe enough to let your guard down to risk intimacy with another person.
So here we all are, smack in the middle of this MR cycle and all its challenges which began September 6th and end on September 29th. To use this time wisely I would counsel a reorganization of your interior orientation to these aforementioned themes. If you can, download the podcasts of my last two radio shows which covered this MR in depth for more guidance.
Ultimately this retrograde brings a deep surrender and review of our authentic needs and values. We are asked by Mercury to receive a new message from our soul regarding our ways of taking care of ourselves and getting self-esteem so that we come into a new integrity and balance with who we are as individuals. This will open the door to become fearless lovers of life and each other, while helping us to become more connected to our highest potential and true purpose on this planet.
This MR asks you to discern your needs, own them, and then allow them to be met. Let go of relationships you’ve outgrown – most notably the old relationship to yourself. Up your game with new gentle yet disciplined self-care. You’ll be glad you did and in time will no doubt see how this cycle was preparing you for the new energy that’s coming next!
I hope that the newsletter serves as a guide for you during this time of MR. I’ll leave you now with a quote that I wrote on my Facebook page last week that I feel really encapsulates the lessons of this cycle. (oh yeah, feel free to find me on Facebook to keep up to date with what I’m up to!) Let this quote serve as your mantra in the days ahead until September 29th when Mercury once again goes direct and we begin to move forward with new founded self-love.
“None of us are defined by the mistakes of our past unless we believe we are. What defines us is what we've learned from them. Don't let shame keep you hostage to what you've done. Love yourself -- give up your old story lines and breathe in the present moment freedom of claiming your highest potential. You are worthy of being renewed.” tory lines and breathe in the present moment freedom of claiming your highest potential. You are worthy of being renewed"
Please keep in mind I’ll be doing a ground breaking New Year workshop through Caroline’s CMED institute in Chicago on January 14th -17th in which we’ll investigate and map all the important upcoming archetypal cycles of 2010, while helping you identify your archetypes of Destiny. If you can’t wait until then (I know for some if you that’s just too long wait for me – LOL!) you can catch both me and Caroline presenting in Tampa, FL this coming November 19th-22nd at the Hay House I Can Do It conference. Hope to see you there!
I love hearing from all of you. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me on Facebook or email me at Robert@ohotto.com! You can also call in live on my Hay House Radio show ‘Dialogue with Destiny’ every Thursday, 9am PST/12pm EST. Until next time…
Namaste,
Robert Ohotto
Intuitive Life Strategist
This extraordinary weekend intensive will leave you with intuitive insights, practical tools, and sensible strategies on how to listen to and navigate your calling during our current challenging time of collective and personal transformation. This is a workshop not to be missed.
http://www.myss.com/CMED/workshops/Souls_Schedule/registration.asp
Watch or listen to Caroline speak live at her workshops, plus many other audio titles. Available as downloads to your PC or as CDs/DVDs.
Hours of video and audio highlights from CMED workshops and events. All content is high quality production.
Personal Nutrition Provider and Checklist of Health Issues and Illness are online interactive tests that allow you to quickly build a personal profile and get on the road to better health.
An on-going resource for personal growth, the purpose in creating this on-line program is to share with you thoughts, ideas, feedback from you to others, inspiration, and direction to help enrich your life.
The Calendar of Archetypal Influences, written by popular CMED Teacher/ faculty: Richard Tarnas, author of the acclaimed Cosmos and Psyche, offers a beautifully designed personal calendar to facilitate even greater insight into your archetypal cycles.
The Cosmic Window, written and designed by Philip Levine, and the Calendar of Archetypal Influences, co-created by Richard Tarnas and Philip Levine, are each made for you personally, based on your own time and place of birth.
October 2009
October 2009
You Can Heal Your Life Conference ~ Seattle.»
Date: October 11, 2009
Sponsored by: Hay House
Location: Washington State Convention & Trade Center ~ Ballroom 6ABC, Seattle, WA
October 2009
Book Tour - Defy Gravity.»
Defy Gravity - Chicago
Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason
Date: October 13, 2009, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
October 2009
Book Tour - Defy Gravity.»
Defy Gravity - New York
Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason
Date: October 18, 2009, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
November 2009
November 2009
Book Tour - Defy Gravity.»
Defy Gravity - Philadelphia
Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason
Date: November 5, 2009, 7:00 pm - 10:00
November 2009
Book Tour - Defy Gravity.»
Defy Gravity - Washington DC
Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason
Date: November 7, 2009, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
November 2009
Book Tour -Defy Gravity.»
Defy Gravity - Los Angeles
Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason
Date: November 9, 2009, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
November 2009
Beyond Reason, Simple Truths That Can Heal Your Life.»
Findhorn Foundation
Scotland
Nov.14-16, 2009
November 2009
I Can Do It! 2009 - Tampa .»
Date: November 20, 2009 - November 22, 2009
Sponsored by: Hay House
Location: Tampa Convention Center
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