- Shaping Our Expression In Forms of Power -

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 Gemini.

This Mercury retrograde begins at 3:34 pm PDT on May 29. The retrograde moves from 25 Gemini back to 17 Gemini, with the Inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun occurring at 21 Gemini on June 10. As this retrograde begins in the third decan of Gemini it deals with the mental and spiritual levels of life, and has a sub-influence of Aquarius with an added dose of the Sun.

In Gemini, we’ll get a look back at how we processed and communicated ideas in the past, or how our curiosity has led us to a place where we need to “prune and shape” our ideas or expression so we can communicate what we’re seeing or thinking. It could mark the return of friends, spiritual Sisters and Brothers, or ideas and perceptions we haven’t thought of for a while. Many will get a new understanding of how there’s too much going on, with a need for order and centrality in our feelings and social life if we are to express who we really are and what we really think. 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 Gemini.

Mercury retrograde in Gemini is very aware of interrelated ideas, as well as “the ten thousand things” to be explored and externalized in any moment. This is a time to re-evaluate some things related to the group energies, as well as “the big picture” and greater vision or broader intentions we explored in February’s retrograde. Be alert to what it will take to adapt a vision, while remembering that Mercury RX in any Air sign is extraordinarily associative, so you may be picking up on others’ need to shape or reshape their expression rather than your own.

The Sabian Symbol for Mercury’s Stationary Retrograde Degree

The Sabian Symbol for the 25th degree of Gemini is “A man trimming palms." 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 our capacity "to control (our) environment and the impulses of (our) most intense nature," where we show "active care for possessions."

In The Astrological Mandala he states this degree is about “bringing under control nature's power of expansion," where we shape outreaching forces by "pruning." This is where we take what we have discovered and shape it so that others can see something of our inner vision and symbols.

So this threshold of review involves what and how we trim back and how we can shape or reshape the natural outward expression of our view and understanding. He says this degree falls in the Span of Restlessness, and is the final degree of the social and cultural level of the Scene of Exteriorization in the Act of Differentiation.

Dr. Marc E Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of "pride in effort" where we seek to leave our "immortal stamp on the world" and bend natural resources to our will. Here we enlist "every beauty and capacity of nature" to reveal our aesthetic sense.

He goes on to say that "the harmony between the workman and his materials becomes gratifying evidence of the soul's powers" justifying the effort. He offers the keyword ENHANCEMENT, and states that when operating positively, the degree is "an exceptional gift for bringing all things to an effective service in some special aspect of overall achievement."

So the focus of this retrograde requires us to take a new look at how we “control our impulses,” show “active care” for what we have or value, and “bend natural resources to our will” to reveal something of the “harmony” between us and the life materials at our disposal. This implies we’re being led back to a previous experience of these, or will be rehearsing these, as preparation for moving forward freed of excess “trimmings” in the future. Of course these can be personal or interpersonal, and work out on any of the four levels of our existence.

Behind the Scenes in this Gemini Retrograde

While in Gemini, Mercury is in its home sign and rules itself. That dominates the retrograde, since the Sun is also in Gemini and ruled by Mercury. This is a very powerful “standalone” position, leaving Mercury free to explore as per its natural quality of roaming the fields of mind and perception to gather all the information it can. So at this time, Mercury’s holding its own with Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune as one of the final dispositors of all the other planetary energies.

Because this retrograde span is almost exactly trine the Jan-Feb retrograde span, it will bring strong associations with whatever we were reviewing or rehearsing at that time. During that retrograde we took a new look at what we were dedicated to, saw the way to a higher level as well as those we needed to mentor in some way, and since the last SD station we’ve been leaving elements of our past behind. This brings a new understanding, harmony, and/or expression of that larger vision or understanding in its multiplicity of forms and how to view them.

As we go deeper into our review of old ways of expressing what we care about which shaped how we express ourselves now, allow yourself to open to other views, other ways of saying things, and other interpretations of what you just heard or saw. This can bring us to a different understanding of how and what to communicate in the future. You may see how some ideas 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 just 3 days after the Total Eclipse Full Moon World Teacher Fest in Gemini/Sagittarius, please refer to the recent article

The May 2021 World Teacher Total Eclipse Full Moon of 6 Sagittarius-Gemini 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 Past and 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 other angles of understanding. These lessons will be illuminated when the Sun crosses this degree around June 14/15. The themes of 25 Gemini will remain in focus through the time Mercury re-crosses this degree on July 6/7, when it finishes its 2nd forward motion shadow transit.

Here I’ll note that 25 Gemini was the degree of the Lunar Eclipse Christfest Full Moon of June 2011, so in some way this coming retrograde period will bring echoes of the global Wisdom of 2011. And 25 Gemini was also where Mercury went stationary direct in July 2014, so in some way our “look back via the 25 Gemini lens” will give us insights into how we developed in the last half of 2014.

Looking Forward

A retrograde is always 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 we can find the right action which transmutes vitality into the power to build concepts. Some will remember how they “pruned and shaped” their expression in the past which led to mind power, or find a new way to view the “pruning and shaping” process to affect how they express themselves in the future. This is about learning various ways to externalize information, knowledge, and understanding through looking back at how we did it before, and adapting it to current circumstances.

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 Gemini will slow things down so we can take a new look at recent developments and find new approaches to recent issues related to Gemini 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 Aquarius things in our past and present.

This period gives us yet another look at or understanding of how to shape our world so it externalizes something we value. See different ways of using “natural resources” to bring forth a greater refinement and expression of your aesthetic values. 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 Gemini training 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 Gemini, 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 Gemini in May 2021 - An Overview

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

The Guide of Souls in May 2021 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 25 Gemini

Mercury Is Entering its Shadow Zone at 17 Gemini – Signs and Signals About New Discoveries of Mind Power