April 1 at 18:15 to April 25, 2024 at 8:54am eastern time: Mercury Retrograde and Gandanta from sidereal Aries to Pisces: Grace in the Unraveling
General Mercury retrograde info:
Mercury retrograde offers us a chance to rest, reflect, reassess, and redirect. It’s a time to take two steps back and get a bird’s-eye view of where we are/where we’re going. Look at the current path and revisit old ones that can reemerge during this time. It’s ok to begin to shift gears – just don’t launch until after the eclipse! As always with Merc R, be mindful as miscommunication and misunderstandings can occur during this time. Review travel and prepare for delays or disruptions. Look over important documents multiple times, and hold off until after the Apr 8 eclipse to sign contracts or make major decisions. But mostly slow down, be patient with yourself and others, and bring an attitude of grace to your day. It’s amazing how that alone can shift our “inter”actions.
From Ashwini to Revati:
As this Mercury R is moving from the sign of Aries/Ashwini into Pisces/Revati, we get to look at the actions we’ve been taking and reconsider where we’ve been using our “prana” – our breath, our energy, our attention, our vital life force (see prompts below). These 2 signs genuinely want to be supportive, and so we are being asked with this retrograde and the solar eclipse to look at how we are engaging. We don’t have to be active on the global stage for the actions we take to be helpful. Every micro thing we do affects the macro, and these current planetary configurations – starting with this Merc R – are asking us to look at the roles we play in our lives and in the lives of those we touch.
Where have you been putting your energy and attention lately?
Does it feel helpful? Productive?
It is healing for you? For your community?
Is it in alignment? Meaning, does it help you stay in your authenticity while serving the greater good? And does it feel right – right now?
Or are you spinning your wheels and feeling exhausted?
Are you needing more rest and recovery time? Sometimes we are processing these transitions in quiet and invisible ways, so take the space you need.
Ashwini is governed by the Ashwin Twins, the celestial healers who directly connect to Ayurveda. Revati is governed by Pushan, the great nurturer who protects and guides all beings, big and small, on their journeys. Revati is the final sign and Ashwini is the first sign, so this Mercury Retrograde acts as the bridge we are crossing, and magnifies the ideas around endings and beginnings the April 8 eclipse in Revati will also drive home. Remember: these planetary events that highlight transitions can be exhausting. Even if it’s not your thing, make sure to slow down, rest, nap, and prioritize sleep!
Extra Intensity with Gandanta:
This particular retrograde time is extra intense as it occurs during the eclipse and is in gandanta “tied spiritual knot” degrees, which occur when a planet moves from the end degrees of a water sign into the early degrees of a fire sign (26°40 water - 3°20 fire). Think of gandanta like tightly tied knot that is hard to unravel, like one in a delicate necklace that feels like a tangled up mess. You can’t yank at it or simply cut it to bypass the work needed to unravel it. It requires care, patience and a persistent yet gentle touch when working it – just like when we face our deeper issues and embrace healing them. Since gandanta degrees link water and fire signs, we get to look at our feelings (water) usually around an old issue we keep bumping up against, and begin to take action (fire) towards change and growth. This requires unraveling old ways.
These gandanta days (April 1-14) can be emotionally intense as bridging water and fire can be volatile, intimidating and even feel scary. Frustrations may be high during these days so be mindful of responses/reactions. This doesn’t have to be external frustrations; we can take gandanta times out on ourselves, esp when we are working with retrograde and eclipse energy (like we are) that ask us to go inward and look at aspects of ourselves that are ready to shift. Since gandanta times are opportunities for us to shift our ways and break old habits, instead of defaulting to a traditional or “knee jerk” reaction, take a moment to look at what your typical response has been and consider dissecting it.
Historically, when do you respond this way?
What are the circumstances or energetics of the interactions surrounding this reaction?
Is there pain and upset in your past regarding being seen, heard, acknowledged?
How does it feel when you respond this way?
Are you easily irked lately? At others? At yourself?
What is asking to shift?
What wants to be lovingly picked apart within you, so aspects that no longer serve you can be released, creating space for a new path?
FYI: From May 6-13, we will revisit these Pisces to Aries gandanta degrees and can go deeper into the ideas that come up now during this retrograde time.
I will sometimes post reels/video commentary or stories on my social media pages, explaining what's going on in the sky at the moment. These 3 recent posts/stories received a lot of feedback from people saying how helpful they were. Feel free to click and watch:
Video Reel: explanation on what is going on in the sky lately:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5V8my8LJ5H/
Post with pics of the chart and planets showing the intense cluster of planets in the sky right now:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5bhYcER2dH/?img_index=1
Unsupported Moon Energy and Info:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4tS1ulxVa2/
*Apologies for the delay in getting this out! Merc Retro got me this time!
:::PEACE:::
