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Exploring the Sun/Mercury Cycle – Both Sides Now

Sep 3

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Today, Long-term Planning, Retrograde Motion | No Comments

Apollo, the Sun. (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Good Day!

Today the Sun and Mercury meet, one of the two times they meet during one complete cycle.  I’d like to examine the whole Sun/Mercury cycle, first to make sure we understand where we are in the cycle and second, to see how we can optimize these repeated cycles in our immediate business lives.

First, a review

First, let’s review what the Sun and Mercury symbolize.  In astrological thought, the Sun is the essential Self, the individual spark of life that provides energy, purpose and meaning to all of our endeavors.  In business, the Sun represents you, the leader, in your role as the one who sets the goals and standards, the values of the company, the direction and flavor.  The Sun is the center around which all other facets of the business revolve, including the employees, the customers, the systems, the controls, the profits, and the outcomes.

Mercury represents the mind, speech and communication faculties; all of the conversations, messages, and memos it takes to keep things moving.  This faculty of the rational, reasoning mind is inseparable from the essential Self, just as in the Solar System the planet Mercury never gets too far from the Sun.  The Sun has a creative impulse and, in a sense, hands it off to Mercury to bring into manifestation through speech, planning, and enlisting others.

Mercury has two faces.  One we experience 80% of the time, the outward facing mental processes which apply attention toward the tasks at hand.  This is the busy Mercury, the mind that is constantly transmitting, processing, and analyzing information and making literal, reasoned responses.

Mercury’s other face is its retrograde motion, periodic times of looking inward toward inner sources of wisdom. At these times the mind is not so reactive to outer directives, but delves deep into stores of experience and unconscious knowledge to bring back a perspective that only those realms can give.  This is an extremely valuable aspect to Mercury, as important to our mental health and acuity as sleeping is to waking.

Both sides of Mercury are important to expressing our essential selves:  the directly relational Mercury and the inner-tuned awareness of Mercury retrograde.

The Cycle

The Sun/Mercury cycle is always the same, with the same number of days in each phase of the cycle.  Our present cycle began in June and looks like this:

  1. Mercury and the Sun were both moving forward and met at the exact same point in the zodiac.    This was on June 28 at 6 degrees of Cancer.
  2. Mercury zoomed ahead of the Sun, all the way to 19 degrees of Virgo.  The Sun was 21 degrees behind Mercury at 28 degrees of Leo.
  3. Mercury turned retrograde and started moving back while the Sun was still moving forward.  This happened on August 20.
  4. Mercury and the Sun again meet at the exact same point in the zodiac, the Sun having moved forward to 10 degrees of Virgo and Mercury in retrograde motion having moved back to 10 degrees of Virgo.  This is where we are in the cycle today.
  5. The Sun will continue to move forward and Mercury will continue to move back for about 10 days, making them even farther apart.
  6. Mercury will turn direct, this time on September 12 at 5 degrees of Virgo.  The Sun will be at 20 degrees of Virgo.
  7. Now both the Sun and Mercury will be in forward motion, but the Sun will be quite a way in front of Mercury.  Mercury will finally catch up with the Sun on October 16 at 23 degrees of Libra.  This is the same stage of the cycle as step 1 above, but now the Sun and Mercury will have both moved forward in the zodiac to Libra rather than Cancer.  And then the whole cycle will begin again.

The Meaning

Mercury (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

So if the Sun is our essential Self and its purposes and Mercury represents our thinking, speaking, and communicating faculties, what does this cycle tell us about the interaction of these parts of ourselves, and how can we use these cycles in our businesses?

  • In step 1 above, the Sun and Mercury briefly join together on the exact same degree of the zodiac.  This is the best time for a meeting of the minds, an excellent day for communication and planning.  It’s like our purpose and our ability to represent that purpose in speech and interaction are hand in hand.  It is also a good day to hand out assignments, sending people on fact-finding missions, exploring future possibilities, with a requirement to report back in on what they find.
  • In step 2 above, Mercury zooms ahead of the Sun, moving into the Sun’s future.  In other words it travels farther into the zodiac than the Sun.  It is ahead of the Sun, like a sentinel or a trail-blazer, getting the first look at the lay of the land.  This is the time when your team may be able to see the world more clearly than you, as they fulfill the assignments you gave them hands-on.  It is important to listen carefully during this time and continue to support them as they discover new territory.
  • In step 3, Mercury reaches its farthest point ahead of the Sun, stops, and proceeds into retrograde motion.  An interesting thing happens when Mercury starts retrogressing.  It actually covers the same ground it has just been over, in effect, getting a second look but from a different direction.  So it not only has new information for its next meeting with the Sun, but it’s actually seen it from two different points of view.

This is the time to pull in those reports, to begin to examine the findings, and to course- correct based on the new information.  It is also a time to gather the troops back into the fold if they’ve been out on their own too long.  This is the time for reconnection and to re-familiarize yourself with your people and their stories.

  • In step 4, Mercury meets the Sun again, this time in retrograde motion.  It has information for the Sun about the future, it has seen the path the Sun is about to walk.  Another great day for a formal meeting, but this time Mercury, in retrograde motion, is still in listening mode, looking for synchronicities and making connections that aren’t apparent on the surface.  This meeting may need to account for this.  It may be that your best lieutenant has something very important to share but may have a hard time putting it in words.   Or you may have an inspiration that will express itself easily through non-linear means, such as color, or music, or movement, rather than the usual white boards, power point, or outlined memos.

(An aside:  I mapped this whole Sun/Mercury cycle out in my yard today and walked it again and again from the point of view of the Sun and Mercury.  When I met the Sun in retrograde motion, I imagined myself telling him that I’ve seen both sides now, which of course reminded me of the song, Both Sides Now, by Joni Mitchell.  On a hunch I came inside and looked up her chart.  Sure enough, she has the Sun and Mercury almost exactly conjunct in her natal chart.)

  • Step 5 is a really interesting part of the cycle.  The Sun and Mercury have met and exchanged energy and information, but Mercury keeps moving back in retrograde motion for about 10 more days, while the Sun moves forward.  This is the point in the cycle when the Sun gets ahead of Mercury.  It’s almost like the Sun says, good work, I’ll take it from here for a while, you get some rest.

And maybe this is a hint we should take for ourselves and our staff.  Maybe these ten days should be about rest, with the leader taking on the mantle directly for bringing the business forward.  The scouts and emissaries have earned a few days of lowered expectations, and it’s always good for the leader to interact directly with the business environment.

  • In step 6, Mercury resumes direct motion.  During our present cycle this will happen on September 12.  Whenever Mercury changes direction it slows down for a few days, so this is probably not the time to expect everybody to be 100% back on course.  Give it a few days before you start expecting people to be fully back into the rational, linear mode.
  • In step 7, both Mercury and the Sun are moving forward, yet Mercury is quite a bit behind the Sun.  This is the time when the Leader is in their full power, has stepped into their role completely, setting expectations and demanding accountability.  It’s also the time when you can start handing off projects to people; you’re in front, you see the future, you know your ultimate direction.  This is a time of maximum clarity and your troops are awake and alert – even if your only troops are your own faculties.
  • And back to step 1.

In a Nutshell

So here are the dates for the next cycle of Mercury, starting with today’s Sun/Mercury conjunction:

September 3 – Sun meets Mercury in retrograde motion.  Action: Meet with your people, collect assignments, listen, and disseminate information.

September 4 – 12 – Mercury in retrograde motion, Sun moves ahead of Mercury.  Action:  Let your people rest, take the lead, plan your next steps based on new information.

September 12 – October 16 – Mercury in direct motion, Sun ahead of Mercury.  Leader implements new plans, moves forward; everyone involved in current projects.

October 16 – Sun meets Mercury in direct motion.  Meeting of the minds.  Spell out your vision, hand out new project assignments, and create exploratory teams for future innovation.

October 16 – December 10 – Mercury in direct motion moves ahead of Sun.  Teams work on innovation, exploration, future possibilities. Leader manages, coordinates, and provides resources.

December 10 – Mercury turns retrograde, still ahead of Sun.  Teams finish assignments, begin to report in.  Leader reviews.

December 19 – Sun meets Mercury in retrograde motion.  Action:  Meet with your people, collect assignments, listen, and disseminate information.

And here we’re back to step 1 in the cycle.  Can you see the natural rhythm that comes with the Sun/Mercury cycle?  Shall we give it a try?

Do you have a question for Ellen? See the “Work with Ellen” tab at the top of this site for my Straight to the Point Response service.

For an overview of the week, see the Weekly Forecast – August 30 – September 5

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – September 2010

For tips on how to use Mercury Retrograde to your advantage, see

10 Best Practices for Mercury Retrograde

Mercury Retrograde – 10 Ways to Engage

For more info on the business descriptions of the planets mentioned today, see

The Sun

Mercury

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A4B Today – August 26, Like Alice?

Aug 25

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Today, Retrograde Motion | 2 Comments

The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo...

Good Day!

How are you faring with the Full Moon lunar phase and Mercury Retrograde?  Are you experiencing the push/pull between these two astrological events?

The Full Moon is the time to drive our project or idea over the top, to exert ourselves to bring some matter to fulfillment.  This is part of a monthly cycle in which we initiate something new after the New Moon, focus our will to grow our idea into manifestation over the next 10 days of the waxing Moon, and then at Full Moon we take our project public, we present it to our customers, we invite feedback, we expose ourselves!

And then over the next two weeks the Moon leaves its fullness and we start the process that eventually hands the project off to others and we prepare ourselves for the next cycle of inspiration and hard work.

Simple right?  This is a cycle we repeat more than 1000 times in an average lifespan so even if we’re not consciously aware of it we’re most definitely unconsciously responding to its rhythms.

However, during this particular lunar cycle we are also experiencing Mercury retrograde, a time for pulling back, letting projects simmer, and giving ourselves time and space to let solutions bubble up from our inner storehouse of wisdom.  We experience the three-week Mercury retrograde period about 250 times in an average lifespan, so we’re not unfamiliar with this either.  In fact, one of the intentions of this blog is to make us all more familiar with both of these cycles so we can use them to advantage in our business lives.

So the Full Moon phase is telling us to produce NOW!  And Mercury retrograde is telling us to withdraw, review, and bide our time.  One way we could parse this out normally is to look at the different areas of life each is affecting as reflected in our horoscopes or that of our businesses.  Then we could say, well I’m going for it in this area, but I’m holding back and reviewing in that area.  Not this time.  Retrograde Mercury is in Virgo, the same sign as the Sun.  Therefore the areas of our business affected by the Full Moon and retrograde Mercury are the same.

This could feel a bit like an alternating current.  A burst of energy and intention may come, followed by a sense that the timing isn’t right to act.  A solution may come only to fall apart when you try to implement.  Conversely, you may decide to stay at your desk and try to make incremental progress but your employees or customers call on you to be more active.  You may feel totally stuck but with an inner urge to produce.

What is the solution?  Time.  Soon the Moon will be in a phase, waning to darkness, that will be easier to coordinate with Mercury retrograde.  And before we know it Mercury will resume direct motion.  So if you’re feeling like you’ve fallen through the looking glass, just hang in there a couple more days. The phase of the Moon will be more in sync with Mercury retrograde and at least we’ll feel like both feet are in the same boat – a welcome relief if you ask me!

Do you have a question for Ellen? See the “Work with Ellen” tab at the top of this site for my Straight to the Point Response service.

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – Aug 23 – 29

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – August 2010

For tips on how working with Mercury Retrograde, see

10 Best Practices for Mercury Retrograde

Mercury Retrograde – 10 Ways to Engage

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Mercury Retrograde – 10 Ways to Engage

Aug 18

Posted by Ellen in Retrograde Motion, What to do now | No Comments

Mercury the Trickster stops to fasten his sandal.(Wikimedia Commons)

Hello, everyone.

On August 20 Mercury enters its retrograde phase for three weeks.  Mercury retrograde is an opportunity to turn our attention from our normal “pedal to the metal” style of thinking to a more reflective and inwardly-tuned focus.

This may sound inefficient but it’s actually an important part of our mental cycles to pause and review whether there are red flags that we’ve been moving too fast to notice.  The trepidation people often feel when they hear that Mercury is moving into retrograde motion stems from ignoring the cues to take a break from direct action and forward motion.  One of Mercury’s guises is the Trickster and he does have a way of getting our attention if we won’t occasionally slow down.

Retrograde Mercury signals a time when information from our unconscious mind can rise to the surface and come into conscious awareness.  While we’ve been moving full-speed ahead, our deeper self has been grappling with the issues and challenges that we don’t have time to address in our busy business lives.  With retrograde Mercury, solutions born of connections, synchronicities, and impressions that we may have missed along the way have an opportunity to present themselves.  New information will emerge if we stop trying to figure it all out with our logical, left-brained minds.

So if you don’t take direct action during this time, what do you do?  We obviously don’t want to just drop the ball and say, oh, Mercury is retrograde so I’m going to the beach for three weeks.  (Or do we?)  While we put our current plans on the back burner, this is an excellent time to examine past actions and correct any loose ends that may be sapping our energy day to day.

The RE words are an excellent place to start.  Here are 10 actions you can take while you let your creative thoughts simmer for a while:

  1. Rebuild – Yes, I mean that computer system that you almost implemented but is still hanging everyone up with bugs every day.
  2. Recall – If you’ve got your own company “sticky accelerator” this is the time to ‘fess up to your customers and have them let you fix it.
  3. Recap – This is an excellent time to look back at your financial, marketing, or production efforts and see where the gains and losses have been to date.  Charts, graphs, and spreadsheets can tell the story of the past.
  4. Receive – I’m thinking about Accounts Receivable.  Do you know where your receivables stand, how many days past due, which customers are behind?  This is the time to get clear about what is owed to you and to have the frank discussions with your customers to a committed repayment plan.  Don’t worry – it’s good for them with Mercury retrograde to clean up their debts too.
  5. Reciprocate – Do you owe somebody a favor, a dinner, a hand?  Have you been meaning to show someone how much you appreciated their recent help?  Now’s the time to express your gratitude in a tangible way.
  6. Recommit – What are the half-done projects that are sitting in file folders waiting for your attention?  Now is the time to review them and either recommit to them or put them away for good.
  7. Reconcile – Is there someone in your business or local environment that you’ve been at odds with, someone whose support you need?  This is the time to make the move to right the misunderstandings from the past and begin again.
  8. Reconsider – Look over the past few weeks.  Is there something you categorically rejected but keeps coming up in one form or another?  Get the facts in front of you again and see if there’s something you missed or new information that makes a difference to your decision.
  9. Refine – A great time to look at your systems and processes and refine your approach.  What can be done better, more efficiently?  What can be automated?  Can you reduce the scope while making it even better?
  10. Rejoin – Clubs, associations, charities. Have you let yourself become too busy or disheartened to attend to this aspect of your work? Are you still attending but your attention has wandered? This may be the time to rejoin, to give and receive, and to support your colleagues through this challenging year.

To read more about Mercury retrograde and retrograde motion, see these posts:

10 Best Practices for Mercury Retrograde

Astro4Business Basics – Mercury

Elegant Stillness

Retracing Your Steps – Retrograde Motion

What did you miss?

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – Aug 16 – 22

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – August 2010

Do you have a question for Ellen? See the “Work with Ellen” tab at the top of this site for my Straight to the Point Response service.

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A4B Today – July 23, Jupiter Retrograde

Jul 22

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Today, Retrograde Motion | 4 Comments

Source:Wikimedia Commons


Good Day!

Today Jupiter, the planet of opportunity and expansion, begins its annual period of retrograde motion.  This could usher in a few days of mixed messages and confusion, and you may have the feeling that the brass ring is retreating from sight just when you were about to reach it.

With Jupiter, most of us like the planet straight up, in direct motion.  When Jupiter is direct we feel optimistic and altruistic; we feel that life is grand, a game to be played, and we’re on the lookout for the next good thing.  That’s why it can be depressing around the time Jupiter enters retrograde motion:  our enthusiasm can flag, we feel like retreating from our normal range of activity, and our strategies that seemed so perceptive a few weeks ago look overblown and overconfident.

People who were born when Jupiter was retrograde may have a different experience of the retrograde period.  You may feel like you found your good judgment again and are happy to settle into a more calm and inner-directed mode of being.  Jupiter retrograde brings opportunities to spend time alone and to connect with our own sources of wisdom.  Especially if we’ve been influenced too heavily by the desires and especially the morals of others, Jupiter retrograde brings a welcome return to our own standards and values.

Often when Jupiter turns retrograde some source of external support is withdrawn, and that could shake us up for a few days.  However next week, when the Sun forms a harmonious trine with retrograde Jupiter, we can receive deeper insight into why this was necessary.  Perhaps we’ve become over-dependent on others’ resources or we’ve let others establish goals for our business that are unsustainable.  Perhaps we’ve been masking feelings of trepidation about a project because we were enjoying the prestige that accompanied it.  Perhaps we’ve seen the writing on the wall about an idea we’ve invested time and money into, but we were unwilling to throw in the towel and admit that we took it too far.  Or maybe overconfidence has brought about a state in which we’re spread too thin, either energetically or financially.

Extreme Retrograde Motion! (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Whatever the trigger, when Jupiter goes retrograde we have the opportunity to slow down.  Often there is an edict from a powerful stakeholder:  your spouse, your partner, your banker, your board, and for a time you feel that you could be successful if others would just give you free rein.  But actually this isn’t the case.  In order to maintain integrity and balance, there needs to be a deceleration and withdrawal.  To regroup.  To retreat.  To examine the ethics of the situation.  To set new goals, goals that are more realistic and fulfilling.

Jupiter will be in retrograde motion until November 19.  This is an excellent time to vacation, to do inner work to define your goals, to take classes to hone a skill, and to mentor others.  It’s not a good time for risk-taking or aggressive expansion, although we shouldn’t resist the natural growth that may unfold during this time.  In fact, because we’re more tuned in and reliant on our own resources, an excellent foundation for the future can be laid.

This year, with all of the conflicting energies of this summer, Jupiter turning retrograde should have a calming effect.  With a retrograde Jupiter, almost all of the planets involved in our summer of transformation are retrograde, with the exception of Saturn.  This should simmer down the energy and help us to let matters unfold rather than pushing our agendas.  And with retrograde motion that’s what we need – time to withdraw, recuperate, and re-vision.

Have a great weekend, and be sure to look for that Full Moon on Sunday – a blessing for sure!

Here are a few posts to help you understand Retrograde Motion:

Elegant Stillness

Retracing Your Steps – Retrograde Motion

What did you miss?

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – July 19-25

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – July 2010

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10 Best Practices for Mercury Retrograde

Apr 20

Posted by Ellen in Current Events, Retrograde Motion, What to do now | 10 Comments

Hello, everyone.

Mercury Fastening his Sandal by Francois Rude. (Wikimedia Commons)

Mercury resumed retrograde motion on Sunday and already I’m seeing posts in Social Media sites along the line of, oh, no, not retrograde Mercury again!  First I want to remind everyone that Mercury is in retrograde motion fully 20% of every year.  That’s an average of one day out of five, although it goes more like 3 weeks out of every four months.  I’d say it’s time we learned to put it to work for us.

Mercury rules our thought processes, and as the messenger of the gods, Mercury was able to traverse freely everywhere, from Jupiter’s realm on Mount Olympus to Pluto’s realm in the underworld.  When Mercury is in retrograde motion, it’s like there is an uncoupling of time and space:  time still moves forward day by day but the planet appears to move backward in space.  This uncoupling symbolizes a three week period of magnificent potential – it’s like we can look through the normal barriers and see our world in surprising new ways.

So here are 10 Best Practices for Mercury retrograde.

      1.   Remember MBWA – Management by Walking Around?  Mercury retrograde is a great time to ask your employees and customers what they think, and then really listen.  Everyone has the potential to speak and listen from a more thoughtful space at this time.

      2.   Have you been racing ahead and leaving your team in the dust?  Mercury retrograde is a good time to pause and allow others to catch up.

      3.   Do you have a nagging feeling that you missed something or forgot something important?  Go back and retrace your steps on a key project and don’t continue until you’ve found what you’re looking for.

      4.   If you’ve been on a fast track, handling one thing after another without a breath, use the next three weeks for assimilation.  Let all the new information really land.  Make it your own.

      5.   If you’ve been wrestling with a seemingly unsolvable dilemma, put it on the back burner for the next three weeks.  Even money worries.  Constant attention siphons energy away from creativity.  Give your intuitive self time to work on the problem.

      6.   Speaking of creativity, give yourself some space to zone out.  Three weeks every four months should be declared mental sabbatical time.  Every couple of days, sit at your desk and do nothing.  Makes you too nervous?  OK, play an online game.

      7.   All the “re” words:  rewrite, rework, return, resubmit, research.

      8.   Mercury retrograde is perfect for performance reviews and giving feedback.  Use this time to reflect on how far your employees have come and honestly discussing mistakes.  Then leave it behind. 

      9.   There’s an ongoing debate in the business blogs about whether or not to consider the past when planning for the future.  “Only if you expect the future to be like the past” is how the nay argument goes.  Whatever you do the rest of the year, Mercury retrograde is the time to analyze past data.  You will see the information in new ways that will inform the future when the time comes.

      10.  Have you been meaning to get back in touch with clients or colleagues?  Rather than making new contacts, reconnect with people from the past.  If they’re on your mind, get in touch.  Something important can develop with Mercury retrograde.

All the normal cautions still apply for the Mercury retrograde period:  avoid signing contracts, initiating new business, and making major purchases until after May 11.  As the mind turns reflective, it’s not as incisive in outer situations.  But for three weeks, that’s OK.  There’s another kind of progress to be made now.

To explore Mercury and retrograde motion, check out these posts:

Astro4Business Basics – Mercury

Elegant Stillness

Retracing Your Steps – Retrograde Motion

What did you miss?

Welcome Back, Mercury!

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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Letter to Mars – Welcome Back

Mar 10

Posted by Ellen in Introduction to Astrology for Business, Mars in Leo, Retrograde Motion, The Planets | 6 Comments

Dear Mars, 

I sat down 10 minutes ago to write you this letter and was interrupted once again!  I’ve been trying to write this post all morning.   You are turning direct in exactly three minutes, and I’m waiting, counting down the seconds. 

Fireworks 4Everything is on hold!  I can’t even write my blog post welcoming you back because there is no activity:  no brain wave activity, no ideas, no momentum.  This isn’t like me.  I miss your razzmatazz.  Are you sleeping, like my friend who said they slept all night last night and then continued to sleep all day today? 

I wanted to let people know you are moving into direct motion a couple of hours before you turned so they could be prepared.  I wanted to help them be ready.  And although I awoke this morning with a great idea about comparing the moment to just before a race flag is lowered, it fizzled out when I couldn’t find any good photos to go with the post. 

I thought it was a good analogy:  engines revved, the flag comes down, the initiating force of acceleration and gear-shifting, the gathering of momentum until we reach full speed in the next few weeks.  Good, right?  Then full-stop.  There I was, wheels spinning, rubber burning, but no traction. 

Fireworks 2So I thought, I’ll check the Harvard Business Review Management Tips and find one related to Mars to clarify this moment with a good case study.  But there were no Mars related entries, only “Retaining Talent” and “Enduring the Trials of Entrepreneurship”.  Good for a Venus day, or maybe a Saturn day, but not for you, Mars. 

I successfully ran a project meeting this morning, your province, but that’s not to say things are moving along in the project.  Yes, it was a lovely meeting, but outcomes? 

And it’s not only me.  My clients have reported stalled real estate deals, job offers going nowhere, tax information blocked, project plans averted, publishers dragging their feet, and general feelings of overwhelm and overload, with no energy to make any progress.  We need you back! 

Okay, it’s 12:20 PM EST.  You resumed direct motion 11 minutes ago.  Welcome back.  These fireworks are for you.  I’ll try to be patient while you come up to speed, but sooner rather than later would work for me.  I’ve got a lot to get done! 

Yours always,

Ellen

For other posts on the current Mars in Leo cycle, see these links:

Mars in Leo

Let Your Light Shine

The Creativity of Business

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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It’s Time to Find the Jewel

Mar 3

Posted by Ellen in Introduction to Astrology for Business, Mars in Leo, Retrograde Motion, What to do now | No Comments

Hello, everyone.

Next week, on March 10, Mars resumes direct motion.  Let’s review where we are so we can take full advantage of these last few days of retrograde motion.  Many people feel they are standing still right now, and it’s true.  When a planet is coming close to changing direction it does move very, very slowly through the zodiac in the days just before its reversal.

Was that gold?

Gold on Quartz “The Dragon” (Wikimedia Commons)

Gold on Quartz “The Dragon” (Wikimedia Commons)

We’ve conceptualized retrograde motion as a hiker who has covered a certain portion of a trail, but then stops, turns around, and walks back to a certain point.  Then she stops again, turns around, and moves forward again.  Why did she stop and turn around in the first place?  What was it she missed the first time that made her want to retrace her steps? 

Perhaps she saw something shiny and intriguing but then dismissed the thought:  oh, it was probably just some Fool’s Gold.  But as she walks on it starts to bother her.  What if it was real gold, or a diamond shining in the soil? So she goes back for a closer inspection.

Right now, a few days before Mars turns direct, is like our hiker just reaching the point she headed back to.  She is slowing down because she is nearing her destination.  She’s looking for that shiny object.  Can she find it again?  If she does, what will she discover?

A Second Chance

In the days before a planet turns direct, it’s important to ask these questions.  Mars has returned to the very beginning of the sign of Leo.  It’s like we’re being given a second chance, a chance to start over on some creative project we had in mind last October.  This project may have been stalled since December, but soon the energy will move.  Have we learned what we needed to learn?  Have we uncovered the missing clue?  Have we gained wisdom?  Are we more ready to face the challenges of self-expression that are the mission of Mars in Leo?

In these last few days of stillness, look around, listen, observe your instinctual responses and what is drawing your interest naturally.  These few days are loaded with opportunities for insight.  They are packed with possibilities if we can uncover them.  Whether you notice something bright and shiny or something more subtle, we have come back here to this point for a reason.  Now is the time of discovery.  Now is the fertile opening, the pause filled with potential.

When Mars resumes direct motion, our business lives will gradually become more and more busy and we will forget the stillness of this time.  So in these last few days, let’s find the jewel, the gift of this waiting period so it’s in our backpack when we move forward again.

Here are some earlier posts about Mars in Leo.  Reading them may reveal what you are looking for, or where you should be looking.  As you find the gems, share them in the comments with all of us.

Mars in Leo

Let Your Light Shine

The Creativity of Business

4 Ways to Benefit from Mars Retrograde

Life doesn’t stand still – how to work with Retrograde Mars

Retracing Your Steps – Retrograde Motion

Are You Stalled?

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Are you stalled?

Feb 18

Posted by Ellen in Retrograde Motion, The Planets, What to do now | 1 Comment

Hello, everyone.

There are several astrology blogs I follow all the time.  I was reading a post by Frederick Woodruff yesterday and it reminded me of something I wanted to remind you about:  retrograde motion.

Retrograde Motion, revisited

Both Saturn and Mars are in retrograde motion now.  Not only that, but they are forming a very supportive aspect to each other, each reinforcing the other’s retreat.  It’s like Mars, our competitive spirit, and Saturn, representing our ambitions in the world, are on vacation together.  Here’s an excerpt of what Frederick has to say about this:

 

Stopped by Time. Le Temps, Charles Van der Stappen (Source:Wikipedia)

Stopped by Time. Le Temps, Charles Van der Stappen (Source:Wikipedia)

“With both Saturn (the prime mover) and Mars (the feisty shaker) in retrograde motion, our direction, our sense of time, our desire (Mars) for a forward momentum (Saturn) — all of our leaning toward and lunging for is, well, suspended — left dangling. So when someone asks you, “What are you up to?” You can say, in all honesty, “Just hanging around.” Or if you’re a more melodramatic type: “Man, I’m going down.” 

Mars and Saturn move backwards and there’s a universal stall. To have both timekeepers in retrograde disrupts the mechanical/animal routine of our lives. The dynamism of time takes on a different sense. The impersonal glide of time (Saturn), as we experience it within the collective, feels enclosing and stock still. And personal time (Mars) — as we experience it within the rhythm and robustness of our instincts — feels thwarted; forced to lean towards introspection, reevaluation and psychic excavation.

Cosmic stalling hints at a kind of mystical cessation, and … we notice a different quality of attention available to us, an opportunity to use this new ‘down time’ to reassess our place within time.”

The Cosmic Stall

Have you noticed this sense of time being stalled?  Several of my clients have.  One woman bought new clothes and went to a promising interview, only to have the key players absent due to illness.  Another client is anxious to file her tax returns so she can submit her daughter’s financial aid application for college, but cannot get the information she needs.  One client is hampered in her work by pain in her shoulder cuff, but can’t find the right practitioner to address it.  I could go on and on, but you get the picture – they are all experiencing a cosmic stall.

Reassessing our place within time

When I see people struggling to make progress in their business lives I tend to think in terms of sidestepping or waiting out the trend so they can move forward again.  That’s why I was so interested in Frederick’s post.  He points out that there may be a mystical reason behind our lack of forward motion – that we can take the opportunity to “reassess our place within time”.

Do you have too much ‘down time’?  Can you redefine it as a precious space with something to learn – something that you cannot perceive when you are continually busy accomplishing something?  It takes a lot of faith to be within the cycles of time, to rest and to trust that once again the time for forward motion will come.  If we take the opportunity to gather energy and resources when Mars and Saturn are retrograde, we will be fully rejuvenated and ready to apply what we’ve learned.  Then when Mars resumes direct motion on March 10, the vacation will be over and it will be full speed ahead!

Are you experiencing a cosmic stall in your business life?  Let us know in the comments section.

 For more discussion on retrograde motion, see the category “Retrograde Motion” under Astro4Business Basics to the right.

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started! 

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Your questions – client presentations with retrograde Mars

Jan 22

Posted by Ellen in Retrograde Motion, The Planets, Your Questions | No Comments

Anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Hello, everyone.

This is a question from a reader in Texas.  Concerning the current Mars retrograde period until March 10, she asks:

I have several clients where we are presenting our 2010 plans. They are existing clients and in one way it is a continuation of what we’ve been doing, but it is also a new year and new plans. Any suggestions on how to handle?

Her question stems from our advice in a couple of recent posts that during a Mars retrograde period it is best not to commence anything new.  Mars rules beginnings of activities and projects, and when it is in retrograde motion, its energy is diminished and not actively supporting new endeavors.  Mars also rules new ideas, productivity, and will power.  It’s hard to move forward when these are missing.

When Mars is retrograde our drive is backtracking, stepping into the shadows.  We continue to stay alert but our will to move forward is arrested.  Our inclination is to silently watch as matters unfold, without our reaction or participation. 

Of course, there is no standing still.  As I said in a recent post, the other planets continue to move forward; life goes on!  And in business you have to strike while the iron’s hot, or even lukewarm.  Especially now, it is important to offer existing clients the consistent service they have come to expect.

In light of this, I have several suggestions:

  1. Especially with existing clients, revisit projects or campaigns you conducted from October 15 to December 20, when Mars was covering this ground the first time.  See if there is something to finish, something you were perhaps too busy to complete last fall.  Mine that period for ideas to bring into this year. 
  2. Know what you’re bringing to the table and what you’re not.  There are other planets, energies, available.  Just because Mars is retrograde doesn’t mean your other faculties aren’t working.   Venus, for example, is very useful in client presentations.  In Aquarius, she brings sociability, innovation, and inclusion.  Perhaps an innovative setting or unique use of technology can support your work.   Jupiter in Pisces makes us all more open to images, music, color, and sensation.  Perhaps working in highly creative or artistic content will fuel your imagination and gain the client’s appreciation. 
  3. Take the support of the Moon.  The Moon in Aries and the other Fire signs can help mitigate the missing spark.  Upcoming Fire sign Moons are January 29-31, February 7-9, February 17-19, February 26-27, March 6-8. 
  4. Pitch projects with shorter timelines and wait until Mars turns direct to begin longer-term projects. 
  5. Put a lot of space into your timelines.  Projects may take longer than you expect until Mars resumes direct motion. 
  6. Remember that the clients, too, are experiencing the retrograde motion.  Expect delays in decision-making and approvals. 

Do any readers have additional suggestions?  Please post them in the comments section.

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Got a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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Your questions – should I let this employee go?

Jan 21

Posted by Ellen in Retrograde Motion, The Planets, Your Questions | 1 Comment

Anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Hello, everyone.

I’m so excited!  I let you all know in this blog that I’d love to receive your questions to answer in these posts, and the questions are coming in!  Fantastic!  I think this can be an excellent forum for all of us interested in the astrology of business.

In my commitment to answer your questions anonymously, I will paraphrase this inquiry.  It is from a business owner about an employee, and who knows, maybe the employee is a reader too. 

The question is regarding Mars retrograde, and whether this is a good time to end or re-arrange the employment of a key person in her business.  She wonders whether she should address these issues now, expecting that when she does, the employee will either leave or there will be a major change in her role.  She says, “Either way, it will change, marking a new beginning in its own way.”

Thorny Cycles

I really like this question because it points out a thorny issue with cycles:  every ending is the first day of something new.  It’s like the commencement ceremonies at the end of high school.  Commencement means beginning, but it certainly felt like an ending, didn’t it?  Now we know, it was both.

Let’s take another look at the quote from Karen Hamaker-Zondag that we noted in our last post:

If we wish to undertake a really important activity, then a retrograde Mars should be seen as an unmistakable warning of difficulties, certainly when the chart is for the commencement itself.  What retrograde Mars is saying is, “Finish what you are already doing, and begin nothing new until I turn direct.”

As this quote makes clear, if we are commencing an activity, then it’s best to wait.  If we are finishing something we have been doing, then a retrograde Mars is the right timing.  In this case, our questioner will have to decide whether she has been having ongoing discussions about the issue with this person and this meeting is simply finishing what has been started.  Or is it a new conversation? 

Did I miss something?

But let’s look a little deeper.  We’ve discussed how retrograde motion is like a hiker who covers a certain portion of the trail, then turns around and retraces her steps, then reaches a certain point and heads forward again.  We said possibly she missed something, that she had to backtrack to discover something about the situation she didn’t take proper note of the first time.

In my post, Fours Ways to Benefit from Mars retrograde, I noted,

In the chart of a business, Mars represents operations, productivity, and the skills of the second tier of leadership.  These may falter over the next couple of months.  The line managers and supervisors you’ve come to rely upon may experience a setback and productivity may fall.  This is in the natural order and serves the same purpose as above:  are you on the right track with your staff?  Are your expectations for productivity reasonable?  Are people working on the right projects, tackling the important assignments?

Mars indicates the second tier in a business.  Since this question concerns her second-in-command, I’d like to see her let the Mars retrograde period complete before she takes this step. She’s retracing her steps now, and so is her employee.  There might be something more that needs to come to light.

All in all, I’d suggest that she wait if she can.  As she astutely pointed out, letting someone go or revamping their job description is a new beginning, for her, for her business, and for the employee.  So I’d say to give it more time, to let the retrograde motion do its work to reveal all the facets of the situation.  When Mars turns direct, she can take the action she needs to take, with the confidence that all of the factors are clear.

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Got a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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