Mercury Retrograde in Virgo August 30 – September 22, 2016

Mercury retrograde in Virgo creates Three Triad Sequences of Importance Showing the Importance of Focusing on Accountability

By Misty Kuceris ©2016

On August 30, 2016, Mercury turns stationary retrograde at 29º04’ of Virgo. Many of you may have heard or read discussions on whether the shadow period of a planet as it changes directions is important or not. While there may be some truth to that, what I’ve found more important is when Mercury makes more than one aspect to the same planet surrounding the time period a few weeks before Mercury goes retrograde until a few weeks after Mercury turns direct. Usually this means that Mercury will make an aspect to a planet when in direct motion, a second time when in retrograde motion, and a third time when it is back in direct motion. I call this series of three aspects a triad sequence.

When Mercury entered the sign of Virgo on July 30, 2016, it started a cascade of energies that started on August 10, 2016 and won’t end until October 2, 2016. I call this cascade of energies a triad sequence. The planets involved with Mercury in these energies are Uranus retrograde, Pluto retrograde, and Chiron retrograde. Overall, this means that you need to consider your goals from a different perspective without letting other people or circumstances manipulate you into situations you don’t like. With Mercury in Virgo you need to be accountable for your actions and hold others accountable for their actions. Throughout this retrograde time period of Mercury in Virgo, you’ll be put into positions where you need to clean up past problems while figuring out how to reap rewards from your successes.

This actually started on August 10, 2016 when Mercury formed a trine to Pluto retrograde. You may not remember that date very well if you don’t keep a journal. But, that was a date where you had more energy to move forward with your life. You may have set up a chain of events that could bring you future success.

A little more than a week later, on August 19, 2016, Mercury formed an opposition to Chiron retrograde in the morning hours, EDT, and a quincunx to Uranus retrograde in the afternoon hours, EDT. Now you were faced with situations which challenged your preconceptions. You may have tried to find success in your ventures, but that was difficult because circumstances kept changing.

You started feeling optimistic about your plans on August 22, 2016 when Mercury formed the conjunction to Jupiter. You felt that you could take your long-term plans and put them into small milestones which would ensure your success: A perfect reaction to Mercury in Virgo conjunct Jupiter in Virgo.

Now August 30th is approaching and you realize that Mercury is turning stationary retrograde and you might need to re-evaluate your plans. You may not be able to implement them the way you expected. Impediments are starting to crop up.

Initially you feel excited on September 2nd as Mercury retrograde forms a second conjunction to Jupiter. You think that you have all your bases covered. You feel as if nothing can go wrong with your plans. You are even looking forward to another Mercury conjunction to Jupiter when Mercury goes direct. But in this case, the triad sequence isn’t going to happen. Jupiter enters the sign of Libra on September 9th and you realize suddenly that you’ll need to involve other people in your plan if you want it to succeed. So, what to do? At least with Mercury retrograde in Virgo, you can still mull over the details.

But there seems to be less synergy between your life and the universal flow. When Jupiter enters the sign of Libra on September 9th around 7:19 am EDT, Mercury retrograde forms its second quincunx to Uranus retrograde later that afternoon, EDT. Once again you realize that the plans you made need to be readjusted. More new information is surfacing which could throw you off course. Other people may actually be sabotaging your efforts with their own ideas. You feel this more strongly on September 10th when Mercury retrograde forms its second opposition to Chiron retrograde. While you want to gather new information, you don’t want other people to dictate the various milestones that are important for your success.

You finally start feeling a little better as Mercury retrograde forms a trine to Pluto retrograde on September 20th. You finally are back on track with your goals. You now understand what’s important and what’s not important. You are regaining focus even if this focus is just another way for you to re-evaluate your needs.

The trine that Mercury retrograde makes to Pluto retrograde is more intense than usual. Mercury is at 14º56’ of Virgo on September 20th. Mercury travels back to 14º49’ of Virgo and turns stationary direct on September 22, 2016. The very next day, on September 23rd, Mercury (in direct motion) reaches 14º55’ of Virgo and forms its third trine to Pluto retrograde in this triad sequence.

As strange as it may sound to you, the experiences that you went through when Mercury was retrograde are only now coming to a conclusion. When Mercury forms the third trine to Pluto retrograde on September 23rd, you become intense. You realize that you need to focus on your goals. You need to make plans for the future. You can’t put them off any more. The key is to create a plan with specific milestones that give you a measuring tool and a sense of accountability.

On October 2nd, Mercury forms the third quincunx to Uranus retrograde and you need to make adjustments to your milestones because new information is surfacing. In addition, some of the concepts you considered earlier may not be so good right now. If you make changes with your plans, you’ll find that things could run smoother.

When Mercury makes its third opposition to Chiron retrograde on October 2nd, you realize just how important your plans are. Where you created milestones that enable you to be accountable, you’ll find success. Where your milestones were vague and contained no specific outcomes, you’ll realize that those milestones are really situations which can lead you away from your goals. Even though Mercury is no longer retrograde, you’ll feel that Mercury is finally direct on October 2nd after the opposition to Chiron retrograde and this triad sequence ends. You’ll know what you need to change in your life and how to create success with your milestones and goals.