Weekly Forecast May 25: Mercury Conjunct Mars, Sun Square Neptune

Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

We’re in for another trying week, with an increased risk of arguments, errors on the job, and difficulty staying on task.

Mercury is retrograde until June 11, in his own sign of Gemini. Mercury rules information, communications, small electronics, traffic flow, siblings, and your immediate neighborhood. Challenges in one or more of these areas are typical during Mercury retrograde periods, but the potential for frustration and delay doubles with Mercury in his own sign.

Mars and the Sun also are in Gemini, adding another layer of complication, and this week all three planets are in conjunction, and all in a square to Neptune, the planet of foggy thinking, confusion, and deception. Gemini usually is quick-witted, funny, curious, and chatty; however, this configuration is anything but amusing. Of all the aspects, squares are the most prone to conflict. The conjunction stretches over the entire week, with Mars square Neptune on Monday, Mercury conjunct Mars on Wednesday, Mercury square Neptune on Friday, the Sun conjunct Mercury on Saturday, and the Sun square Neptune on Sunday (May 31).

The social media are an ideal forum for these aspects to play out, so I suggest being more conservative than usual this week. I try to stay out of arguments online but last week got in a stupid exchange with someone over a throw-away comment I made on an inconsequential post. Mr. Superiority blocked me and then sent a message to make sure I knew it. I actually got a good laugh out of that. But it was a reminder that posting comments on the social media just for the sake of being “social” is a waste of time, and there are enough assholes out there to take all the fun out of it.

While driving, do your best to stay alert. How often do we “snap to” while driving along a familiar road and realize that we don’t remember the past few seconds or even minutes? Also, road rage could get out of control. Be extra polite and give people the right of way when appropriate. I’ve taken note this past week of the number of times that someone stopped and let me make a left turn across a long line of oncoming traffic. They didn’t have to, but it wasn’t going to cost them or anyone behind them even half a second. It was a good reminder for me. Sometimes I’m off in my own little world when I’m out running errands and fail to notice opportunities to be courteous.

The squares to Neptune, particularly from Mercury on Friday, could trigger more strange dreams. Pay close attention, because many of these nocturnal wanderings are through the territory of the collective unconscious. Even those that are strictly personal could provide missing pieces of a puzzle in your life.

Also on Monday, Venus squares Uranus. There can be excitement, and romantic sparks can fly. If you’re flirting with someone, just make sure you mean it. Of all the possible misunderstandings between people, misinterpreting sexual intentions has to be near the top.

The first half of the week is even more testy with the Moon in Virgo from early Monday morning to Wednesday evening. Moon in Virgo normally wants to be helpful. However, Mercury is Virgo’s ruler (I say co-ruler, with Ceres), and so this is still more fuel for misunderstandings, particularly when giving or receiving “helpful advice.” Tuesday is potentially the most challenging day.

After the Moon enters conciliatory Libra on Wednesday (5:42 pm EDT), we should feel a shift – small, but any little bit helps. Venus, Libra’s ruler, is in sensitive Cancer, and on Wednesday she trines Chiron in tender Pisces. Words can hurt or heal. Actions obviously can hurt, too, but what many people don’t realize is that doing nothing can qualify as an action. Avoiding confrontation by going silent or disappearing for awhile is rarely the moral high ground. If you value a relationship, then you need to respect the other person enough to be honest and direct. If you need a time out or a few days to gather your thoughts, that’s fine, but you need to say so. This is one of the key elements to successful communications in relationships. It’s also a good tactic for surviving Mercury retrograde, especially during weeks like this one.

Speaking of which, if you follow RealAstrologers on Facebook, you received an alert that I was going to be late with this week’s forecast. I woke up Saturday with a migraine, and although it wasn’t the worst I’ve ever had, I stayed down all morning and afternoon in the hope of feeling well enough to get in the ferry line in time to make dinner at the Northwest Astrology Conference. I didn’t have the stamina to attend all three days of the conference but planned to go for one day. With that option gone, I figured I could at least make it to the banquet to hear Rick Levine speak. Rick’s business partner, Jeff Jawer, was scheduled to make the presentation, but he left us in February just a month after being diagnosed with lung cancer. I wanted to be there to support Rick and honor Jeff, and also to visit with some colleagues.

The headache was mostly gone by 5 p.m., but I just didn’t have it in me to dress up and make a two-to-three-hour roundtrip. So when it was time for bed, I wasn’t tired after lying down for half the day, and yet I wasn’t clear-headed enough to write the forecast or work on reports. Last week’s forecast generated some comments about Medusa and Algol, and that gave me the bright idea to upload the article on Ophiuchus I wrote for The Mountain Astrologer in 2011. I know it sounds crazy, but I can format and post in my sleep, as long as I don’t have to write a coherent sentence. Well, before I knew it, it was 5 a.m. The birdies had started their dawn chorus when I packed it in. I woke up at 11 feeling like I’d been out dancing all night and drinking double G&Ts. I spent the afternoon doing laundry and pulling slugs off the petunias.

I wish a headache and a late forecast were the worst that happened last week. Unfortunately, I spent most of my time at the computer researching feline cardiomyopathy. As I wrote in the February 16 forecast, I took Jinn (a.k.a. Astrology Cat) to the vet for his neuter, which was scheduled the day Mercury turned direct. It was a total nightmare. I wrote a letter to the clinic but didn’t get a response until last week, after some prodding by a third party. Actually, it was no response, because, while the conversation was civil, they just made a bunch of excuses and refused to admit to any deficiencies (e.g., sending him home soaked in his own urine). The following morning, I got a call from the clinic director, who said that Jinn’s severe reaction to a routine procedure was a major symptom of cardiomyopathy, and that I should get it checked out right away, because he could drop dead at any time with no warning. That’s close to an exact quote. Clearly, the message was intended as retribution for daring to complain, and it worked. I was terrified and spent days researching every possible angle, hoping it was just a Mercury retrograde trick. From what I read, however, it’s a strong possibility. Testing for it is expensive and not 100-percent reliable – and for all that, there’s no cure anyway.

Jinn the Magnificent

Jinn the Magnificent

Jinn has become a constant companion, and there is little doubt of a karmic connection. He literally was handed to a friend of mine one day in her office, unannounced and totally unexpected. Even though she didn’t want another cat, she took him. She told me last week how she held him in her palm at eye level and asked him, “Whose cat are you?” She listened intently (she’s a Scorpio), and he told her. A few months before that, I dreamed he was looking for me. And it all happened barely a week after I moved from an apartment where no pets were allowed. So, last week for me was a slow, painful attempt to accept the inevitability of another loss in a life with loss as the major theme. I also had to struggle with gratitude for the message, regardless of the manner in which it was delivered.

Next week is the Full Moon in Sagittarius. It brings all of this week’s challenges to a culmination, with opportunities for growth and renewal for those willing to let go and trust. It can be so hard to trust. And yet, that’s what we have to do.

Wishing much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

© Pat Paquette, RealAstrologers.com, 2015.

20 thoughts on “Weekly Forecast May 25: Mercury Conjunct Mars, Sun Square Neptune”

  1. Mandy Hall

    Oh Pat, :(. I wish the hardness and neverending of it all would stop for us all and we could break out and move on. I don’t mind working hard and puttinglots of effort in but it seems a lot of us are treading water ….

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Pat Post author

    Perfectly stated, Mandy. But at least we know we’re not alone, that it’s not just an individual failing. Something is happening that’s bigger than any of us.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Mandy Hall

    I’m just sat here despairing at the state of politics in this country and how it could have got to such a spot and what to do about it – but can’t see a way forward…

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Gretchen

    Oh Pat… I’m so sorry about baby kitty. But if he found you once he can find you again, if the worst does happen.

    I dear friend of mine lost her momma to cancer last week. All the close friends drove to our hometown to support her. What happened was we all celebrated her life and positive influence on us. We laughed so hard we cried and made a new chapter of memories.

    I hope you have an opportunity to laugh like that this week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pat Post author

      Thanks for the reminder, Gretchen. I do believe that, and I know which people in my life I’ve been “around the block” with before. This is the first time I ever had a connection with a cat, though.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Nancy

    Cardiopathy is not something “you drop dead from instantly.” Even if the little Boy has it, there are meds to control it. People with cardiopathy live for years with it and some w/ few or lesser symptoms. What indication did they have to say he has cardiopathy anyways? They would have had to have done an echo and maybe blood work, too. It sounds like hooey to me. I hope little Jinn is feeling ok and you, too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pat Post author

      Nancy, I wish it was, and I really was hoping that I could find info online to support that conclusion. But in my extensive research – reliable veterinary sites, not somebody’s blog – all of them gave sudden death as a possibility. If you want more, let me know and I’ll e-mail you. The explanation is quite involved, and I don’t want to give the specifics here.

      There are drugs available, but from what I read, they are still in what I’d call the experimental phase. In some cases, they were reported to have made the problem worse. For the time being, I’ve put him on reduced-sodium cat food – unbelievable that salt is added to cat food at all, let alone the high amounts in some brands – and I’m giving him a vitamin supplement in the form of a kitty treat.

      Thank you so much for your concern.

      Like

    1. Pat Post author

      Thank you, Shavawn. The root of the word “courage” is heart. Courage is to have heart. “Encourage” is one of my favorite words. It means to “give heart” to someone.

      Liked by 2 people

  7. Amber

    Noooooo… So sorry to hear about your kitty!!! :(
    Was the silly exchange the one you had on my Facebook page perchance? Because that WAS ridiculous.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pat Post author

      Thanks, Amber.

      To answer your question, yes. It probably was a Mercury Rx thing, but it was annoying all the same.

      Like

  8. Sabina

    Best love to you and Jinn. As I’ve said before, I know it’s none of my business but can you find another – more caring – vet? Anyone in your hood you could ask for a rec? I simply cannot believe a reputable vet would send a pet home soaked in its own urine. Not to mention, their brusque uncaring mode of communication. (I’ve used the services of many and I do know for every lulu out there, there are many who truly care about their animal patients.) Good luck!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Karen

    Pat
    so sorry to hear about Jinn. But cats do have ways of living longer even with medical issues. I just had to put down my karmic kitty after 20 years….. but she had auto immune problems, Irrital bowel disease, kidney issues etc. She knew she had issues but was a little fighter. Look for another Vet, preferably a cat vet. They really know the latest in medicine for these precious fur babies.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pat Post author

      Thanks, Sabina and Karen. Yes, you bet I’m looking for another vet! It won’t be easy, though. I live in an isolated community, and this clinic is the one and the only place for emergencies. I think that’s part of their problem. There are a couple of others, but they don’t have the facilities in case of an emergency. So the search is on.

      Like

    2. Pat Post author

      Karen, I’m sorry to hear about your kitty, but thank you for sharing that story. It’s an inspiration to hear about her long life despite the odds.

      I do believe that animals have their own “path” in this incarnation – some more significant than others – and if they have a purpose to serve, they will stick around until it’s done. That’s partly what I meant in my last line about trusting.

      Like

  10. Maya Panika

    I’m SO sorry you’re having such troubles. Everyone seems to be so stressed out and sick and tired. I’m beaming love and the greatest good wishes to Jinn – and to you too. You must be going crazy with worry. Please update us if the diagnosis is – or isn’t (and I truly pray it isn’t) – confirmed. Love to you both XXX

    Liked by 1 person

  12. JJ Diebolt

    Pat, I’ve had five Siberian Huskies, all rescues and 3 of 5 from horrible prior situations. Terran (known prior as “buddy”, was run over by a car and left with a broken leg in a “humane shelter” for six weeks, on top of that, he was not treated for antifreeze poisoning. When adopted, he was a scrawny thing, could not keep food down and had the runs. The vet said he had maybe 2-3 years tops, his kidneys were failing. Later, I spoke with my MD about another topic and the subject of Terran came up. His take was different; the vet was seeing Terran as he was and had no time to observe trends. He thought he had a much better chance and the vet wasn’t seeing the entire scope of his history or his potential for healing. Terran lived to be 13 years old and was the oldest of the 3 original Huskies (Luna and Aurora were the other originals) and also outlived a later adoptee, Anasazi. He passed of old age quietly and as his eyes closed that last time, I kept a steady, loving gaze into his eyes. All this to say that despite the possibility for a bad outcome with Jinn, medicine, veterinarians and experts, don’t know everything. Sometimes, what’s meant to be, the connection in spirit, can transcend and overcome anything.

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  13. anna

    Hi Pat
    what if your cat elimination réaction was up to underlying emotional issues in a stressful environment especially if he s been handed over before and has this connexion with you – you may try a few drops of Bach flower remedy such as Rescue in his water and wipe out of his environment anything triggering this bad memory – works for us too !

    Liked by 1 person

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