What Is Your Commitment and What Are You Leaving Behind?

Today we take a look at important Sabian Symbols, aspects, and other important factors in play the next three weeks as Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius.

This Mercury retrograde begins at 7:52 am PST, 3:52 pm GMT on January 30. The retrograde moves from 27 Aquarius back to 12 Aquarius, with the Inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun occurring at 21 Aquarius on February 8. As this retrograde begins in the third decan of Aquarius it deals with the mental and spiritual levels of life, and has a sub-influence of Libra with an added dose of the Moon.

In Aquarius, we’ll get a look back at how we dealt with seeing the bigger picture of a greater good in the past, or how aspiration got us to where we are. It could mark the return of friends, or co-workers we haven’t heard from in a while. Many will get a new understanding of adding to or committing to something, or see spiritual values linking us to others and a higher plane of managing our energies within a larger project. This is a good time insights from a different angle of view in the life area(s) where we have the second and third decans of Aquarius.

Mercury retrograde in Aquarius is very aware of interrelated group energies, as well as “the big picture” so be as clear as you can about the greater vision or broader intention you’re receiving or sending. Be alert to what it will take to complete a vision, while remembering that Mercury RX in any Air sign is extraordinarily associative, so you may be picking up on others’ willingness to commit or not commit to something rather than your own.

The Sabian Symbol for Mercury’s Stationary Retrograde Degree

The Sabian Symbol for the 27th degree of Aquarius is “An ancient pottery bowl filled with violets.” In the original notes from the Marc Jones class on the symbols Dane Rudhyar published in The Astrology of Personality, he states this degree is about “Reality of spiritual or esthetic values, linking generations to seekers for the highest” and “addition or commitment to value.”

In The Astrological Mandala he states this degree refers to “the importance of traditional skills and artistic values deeply rooted in man’s instinctive feelings as frames of reference for man’s most authentic emotions.” He states this degree is one of “personal reticence and a simple love of natural beauty,” as well as “modesty and humility,” and concludes that here “we see pictured the dependence of the purest feelings of natural living upon the traditions within which they find their most adequate and effective setting,” demonstrating “delicacy of feeling.” He says this degree falls in the Span of Perspective, and is the counterpoint degree in the Scene of Management on the individual-mental level of the Act of Capitalization.

Dr. Marc E Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of “the permanence or changelessness of the real as an ultimate assurance to the human heart,” where no matter how much things shift in our lives, we can always find objects symbolizing “an enduring stability on which the ephemeral and the superficial are unable to make any impact.”

He continues that “where there is replacement of substance and variety of structure there is also an overall continuance of meaning and identity in which self may anchor itself.” He offers us the keyword TRADITION. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is “a high realization of values and a real gift for using them.”

So the focus of this retrograde requires us to take a new look at “a delicacy of feeling that adds to something, or commits to something of greater value, and learning to honor those “tokens” of meaning that show us enduring values that inspire deeper and more refined feelings to achieve a greater management of our individuality. Follow the greater perspective, the larger vision of who you are within the collective field, and find those eternal values within that are impervious to “the ephemeral and superficial.”

Behind the Scenes in this Aquarius Retrograde

While in Aquarius, Mercury is ruled by Saturn, which pretty much dominates the stage of life since it ultimately rules all the other planetary energies. As Saturn is in Aquarius, it might be expressed that Mercury is “introducing Saturn” to the last half of Aquarius, giving Saturn a look at part of the span it will traverse between late March and late July, and again between late December 2021 and early February 2023.

Saturn is at 6 Aquarius, showing a retrograde of increasing pressure due to us all having to “preside over a Mystery ritual,” whether in our life or the lives of a greater group work. While at times this may yield conflicting energies, it opens to doors to our higher purpose, and a “compelling urge in every soul to express the unknown and the more-than-physical. This has a theme of accepting a “transpersonal responsibility” on the social-emotional level of “Contribution,” so don’t be surprised if you find yourself lifted to a new level of effective function in your world!

As we go deeper into our review of old ways of managing our individual spiritual energies within a group context which shaped our vision of what we aspired toward, allow yourself to be friendly, detached, and future oriented so you may know a greater truth and become clear in your focus. You may see how some energies need to be redirected in major ways to accomplish your greater vision in the future.

Aspects and the Sun and Moon

As this retrograde station occurs a very short time after the recent Full Moon in Aquarius/Leo, please refer to the recent article The January 2021 Full Moon at 10 Aquarius-Leo Pt. 3 – Aspects, Configurations, and More to learn more about the aspects in play right now, as well as evolutionary configurations which may impact your chart.

Short Term Future Triggers

During this Mercury retrograde period, pay attention to the roundabout signs and signals you’re receiving about past and present times you need(ed) to turn your focus to larger things. These lessons will be illuminated when the Sun crosses this degree around February 14/15. The themes of 27 Aquarius will remain in focus through the time Mercury re-crosses this degree on March 12/13, when it finishes its 2nd forward motion shadow transit.

This year Jupiter will transit this degree three times, opening opportunities, adventures, doors to the future, or greater truths. The first expansion will occur April 15-22, the second will be when Jupiter is retrograde from August 21 to 29, and the third will be when Jupiter is again direct, occurring December 5 to 11. Pay close attention to the signs and signals coming the next 3 weeks, since they could portent major openings by the end of the year!

It should be a great time to see things we didn’t understand before, or perhaps reclaim something from the past. Here we take a look back and reconsider or renew how our greater vision could take shape if “right management” of group energies can be attained. Some will remember how they contributed to a greater good in the past, or unusual ways of contributing to a greater good in the present and future.. We can look back at how we had to learn to manage our individuality or spiritual expression to contribute to the health of a group or a friend.

As with all Mercury retrogrades, we can use this time to take a look back at whatever in the past has recently begun. This one in Aquarius will slow things down so we can take a new look at recent developments and find new approaches to recent issues related to Aquarian experiences.

As with all Mercury retrogrades, some projects may have to be postponed, or a new way found to make something be more relevant to our current life. This can give us insights into why we need to get a new angle of seeing things, going inward rather than keep going in unfulfilling directions. All of us will get glimpses of how our past experiences and choices since the last Mercury retrograde have led us to a new view of Libra and Scorpio things in our past and present.

This period gives us yet another look at or understanding of universal values “linking seekers for the highest,” as well as our need to adjust our views from time to time, allowing ourselves to grow into a greater ability to make a contribution to the world culture. Just remember that because of the RX quality, it may a) take a roundabout way to get there, b) require a delay before we understand what these things are about, or c) we’ll see how we’ve begun parts of our Aquarius training and preparation, and now have to connect the dots or renew something we neglected.

In general, these are excellent periods to find a new angle of perspective on what we need to coordinate our lives to express our Soul, and revise and/or renew some things from the past. I gave you a lot about the themes of this retrograde period in prior articles in this series, so please check them out when you’re done here. Links at the bottom of this post. I’ll be doing a post on how it affects all signs and birthdays soon.

In the next article in the series, I’ll give you how this retrograde will impact every sign and birthday. For now, please review what I’ve written so far, since it’s rich with material which can help you navigate the next three weeks and come out more aware of how you can contribute to a greater good in the world.

A New Look At Mercury Retrograde

If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Aquarius, as well as all the other signs and houses, if you haven't already gotten your copy, please consider getting my award-winning 2nd edition of A New Look At Mercury Retrograde.

The first major work on Mercury retrograde ever written, it offers in-depth information about Mercury retrograde people, Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses, and what the entire Mercury Retrograde phenomenon is about. If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in any sign or house position, it’s all in there.

Here's the Amazon link to the page where you can purchase a paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. You can also get a Kindle ebook at that site, or go to Barnes and Noble for a copy on Nook.

Previous articles in this series:

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius in January 2021 - An Overview

It’s Mercury Retrograde in February 2021 – Time for A New Look at the Guide of Souls

The Guide of Souls in January 2021 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 27 Aquarius

Mercury Is Entering its Shadow Zone at 12 Aquarius – Signs and Signals About Our Evolution, Our Soul, and Divorcing the Past