Welcome to the final Mercury Retrograde of 2022, (29 Dec to 18 Jan). This is a powerful transitionary energy shifting us into 2023. Its Cosmic Gift is the offer of a second chance in life along with the potential to achieve our goals, and to come out ahead. And not just for a heady minute, rather for the long term.
Is there some area of life you’ve been plugging away at with seemingly no results, particularly involving work, career or long-term plans?
The next 3 weeks will provide the information needed to decide if the goal is worth pursuing for the long-term. Part of this decision making process involves whether the goal aligns with personal truth and vision. [For a brief 4-question exercise on how to discover your personal truth, click here for my recent new moon post.]
It will be easier to gauge answers and to begin planning ahead and strategizing accordingly after 7 January, when the confusion of this Mercury retrograde cycle will be purified as Mercury conjoins the Sun.
The early phase of retrograde will likely see us experiencing the expected issues with miscommunications, typos and travel snafus, especially if Mercury is strong in our natal charts or by Dasha (planetary karmic cycle).
Let me share a brief personal example of the type of issues that might come up: I’m fortunate to be traveling in Central Vietnam this week. Earlier today, I was waiting to be picked up by my driver whom I assumed was running late. Well, he thought I was running late because he was waiting for me in my destination city, an hour away. I had to laugh given the starscape – Mercury is stationing now. But still, thanks Mercury! If you’re scheduled to fly in the US this week, enough said.
Back to the forecast …
We could notice ourselves changing gears several times throughout the retrograde cycle. Retrograde Mercury periods are times when we notice what’s inefficient or just doesn’t work in communication, especially in our business and work life.
Mercury in this mode is like a Cosmic Hacker, finding the weak spots in our communication, travel & technological programming. In its bid to make us more effective on the material plane, Mercury challenges and expands our skills and resources as we respond to real world issues.
It’s useful to remember that Mercury also rules the discriminating part of our consciousness. When running retrograde, our minds or the minds of those around us could be, for lack of a better term, misfiring.
Mars is also throwing a spiky, frustrated aspect onto the entire retrograde cycle which intensifies into potential aggression around the days of its direct station 12 January.
Patience and asking the right questions will go a long way in calming volatile situations or soothing ruffled egos. Plus it’s a great strategy to elicit the best information about the situation, to then decide what steps to take.
As mentioned, the good news is that after 7 January it will be easier to see through the cosmic static and/or to discern useful patterns in it. We begin to process information with more clarity and can start planning for the year ahead. It might be best to hold off on major implementation until after 18 January after Saturn moves into Aquarius. Timings always depend largely on your personal horoscope.
If you have something important to launch or want to plan key events in your life in alignment with Divine Timing, ‘Your 2023 Year Ahead’ readings are available now, for a limited time. Book a Vedic Astrology Reading and let me know in your Questionnaire that you would like a ‘2023 Year Ahead’ reading.
I would be honored to guide you through the opportunities and potential challenges of your year ahead.
Love,
Ayana
