Whew, I definitely felt that eclipse. What about you? It was overcast and foggy here, so I didn’t get to see anything, but around 3:30, I essentially passed out and was in a deep sleep for two hours.

It was a good thing I got some extra rest, because this week promises to be insanely busy. We’ll be in the wake of the eclipse through Tuesday, while Mercury straps on his winged sandals and gets ready to fly into his home sign of Gemini on Thursday. Fortunately, our brains will be quick enough to keep up when life shifts into high gear.

Indeed, this week is all about Mercury. As of Friday, all the planets will deposit to him until June 7, except Neptune and, for a few days, the Moon. This means that all areas of life ruled by Mercury will command our attention and take on additional urgency – the most important among them being all forms of communication. With Venus retrograde in Gemini, we may notice an upswing in contact from people we haven’t heard from in some time. I’ve already had one of those experiences and am waiting for the second, as they typically come in pairs. Gemini is, after all, the Twins.

Mercury himself is not just the speedy messenger, associated with rational thinking and a quick wit. Remember, in mythology, he was the only one of the gods who could move freely between the world of the living and the world of the dead. That’s why, when Ceres demanded that Pluto return her kidnapped daughter or else, she had to send Mercury as the intermediary.

The phenomenon symbolized by Mercury is at work when thoughts bubble up from our subconscious, or when images flash into our mind in the space between sleeping and waking. If you’re a creative-minded person, you may get many of your ideas in that space. If so, then you’ve experienced the essence of Mercury. If effect, you’ve received a “message from the gods” via the Messenger.

The reason I bring this up is that we normally think of Mercury as the planet of communications and quick thinking, and while this is true, there’s more to the Little Guy. And we’re going to experience his dual role this week as he aspects Jupiter (the Big Guy) on Tuesday, Neptune on Friday, and the Sun and Uranus on Sunday. Keep a notebook handy and write down your ideas. They may come and go so fast that if you don’t record them, you’ll forget … which would be a shame, because truly, we’re receiving major “downloads” right now, some of them as fleeting ideas and others as major revelations. The synchronicities continue, as well.

One of the things that always has fascinated me as I contemplate Gemini is the concept of communications between the two hemispheres of the brain. Where do these intuitive thoughts come from, how do they enter our conscious awareness, and how do we process them? As a writer, I depend on this process for inspiration. Once I come up with an idea – and who knows, really, where it comes from – I make a note of it and then wait for my subconscious to do the “research.” Invariably, ideas pop to the surface as I’m waking up or while I’m commuting on the ferry, staring at the water and thinking about nothing in particular. Sometimes, something will happen during the day that literally brings the information I need to my fingertips.

Some people are disturbed by these strange ideas out of “nowhere” and quickly suppress them. This is all the more likely to happen to those who are entrenched in belief systems that would collapse with the insurgence of one radical truth. I suspect there’s going to be a lot of that going on in the next few weeks, individually and collectively.

Communicating within relationships is going to be very important this week, too. Venus is now retrograde but moving very slowly, while Saturn also is retrograde. While they never form an exact trine, they’ve been tracking within a degree of each other and will remain within a couple of degrees of a trine all week. Saturn is in Venus-ruled Libra, the sign of relationships, reminding us that commitment comes with responsibilities. The first responsibility is to communicate. In romantic relationships, honesty is paramount. We often tell little lies, thinking that we’re sparing the other person’s feelings, when the real motivation may be elsewhere. If you’re not being truthful with your partner, you might want to have a little discussion with yourself and try to figure out why not. What’s at stake? What is served by hiding the truth? You may have legitimate reasons, but more often than not, information is withheld as a means of control.

On Saturday, Mercury also conjoins the lunar South Node. I’ve been hearing a lot from friends and clients about past-life memories, often triggered by meeting someone from another lifetime. I expect we’re going to get a lot more of this in the next few weeks, too. The Sun crosses the South Node the day before, which also may trigger some synchronicities or events that feel “destined.”

However, it’s Mercury I’m watching this week. Whether the communications come from within or without, they’re likely to come fast and to be worth our attention. Keep those antennae up! And for those of you who are getting slammed, this is just another admonition to keep your eye on the goal and don’t lose your nerve. When you’re surfing a giant wave and driving on a high-speed freeway, you can’t afford to allow your attention to lapse for even a second.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

P.S. For photos of the eclipse as well as good information about solar activity, check out Space Weather.