Mercury went retrograde a week ago, and while many of us didn’t experience any effects right away, now that he’s gaining momentum on his reverse course, a few springs are starting to pop.

We can start with the bizarre airplane accident in New York on Thursday, which apparently was the result of a collision with a flock of birds right after take-off. Air travel is ruled by Aquarius, the sign in which Mercury currently is retrograde. It was interesting that the jet went down in water. Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, currently is in Pisces. Jupiter, meanwhile, is also in Aquarius, with Mercury only a few degrees away. Jupiter typically is a lucky influence, and it was nothing short of a miracle that there were no fatal injuries.

Yesterday, my ferry was 15 minutes late leaving the dock because the captain missed the boat! He had to catch the next one, which wasn’t scheduled to dock at Vashon and had to make an emergency stop to deliver him. Of course, that meant all the boats on our route were behind schedule for the rest of the day.

U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama is making his way to Washington for his inauguration on Tuesday, and while I haven’t read about any delays or incidents on his historic train trip, his first days in office will be spent cleaning up big messes left by the previous administration. For that matter, retrograde Mercury in the inauguration chart suggests that he may spend his entire term in office that way. Mercury retrograde actually should help him in this regard, as retrograde periods are great for research, review, and revision.

Mercury is retrograde in my first house and will cross back over my Ascendant twice. The events I’m experiencing are a bit too personal to recount here, but one of them involves a grievance before a labor union, and unions are ruled by Aquarius. A couple of old friends also resurfaced after months of silence. Aquarius is the sign of friendship.

On Tuesday, right after the inauguration, Mercury retrogrades back into Capricorn. This may temporarily tip the balance back in the favor of authoritarian rule, or it could frustrate those forces even more, as Saturn, Capricorn’s ruling planet, also is retrograde. By this time, the Sun will have entered Aquarius, and we’ll be only days away from a solar eclipse. I think it’s safe to say that many unpredictable events and surprises are in the works.

I’ll have more on the eclipse in my weekly forecast on Monday. Until then, much love and many blessings…
Pat

Image: Mercury Appearing to Aeneas, by Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1696-1770.