It’s almost Christmas and, like an unwanted gift, Mercury retrograde in Capricorn has been delivered. Just when you needed everything to go as planned, the celestial grinch appears on the scene. At this time of year, the last thing you need is a postal delay, or your travel plans to be disrupted, or your parcels to be delivered to the wrong address – or worse. Unfortunately, Mercury retrograde in Capricorn has those issues written all over it; let’s hope it’s not the thing that steals Christmas!
Fortunately, it usually takes a great deal more than a retrograde Mercury to ruin your plans for the festive season – and Mercury retrograde in Capricorn may have the effect of focusing your mind on the essential preparations that needs to be done or can no longer wait; it’s amazing how ‘so little time and so much to do’ concentrates your efforts. So, in this post, I’m going to try and ignore the time pressures (thanks, Mercury retrograde…) and look at the true meaning of Mercury retrograde in Capricorn during this festive season.
Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn: The Basics
Mercury turned retrograde in Capricorn on December 13th at 07:09 (UT). Mercury retrograde slows things down – and in Capricorn it really slows things down. Earthy Capricorn is known for discipline and focus. Energy has a slow and steady release, so Mercury retrograde in Capricorn brings an inner focus to your Mercury function. If you’re the kind of person whose mental processes are fast, whose head is in several places at once or who is manically busy juggling several things at the same time, you may experience a sense of frustration at the start of the retrograde period.
Is this a bad thing? Let’s think about this logically. Mercury rules Gemini and we often tend to think of Mercury in that context – scattered, busy, connective, talkative and extroverted – rather more than we consider Mercury to be knowledgeable or have the practical and realistic mindset associated with Mercury’s other sign, Virgo. ‘Air’ Mercury disseminates information, ‘earth’ Mercury thinks things through.
Mercury retrograde (in any sign) takes on the internalised, serious mental processing we associate with it’s earthy Virgo-type expression and in Capricorn, that’s especially so, as there is a natural affinity between the two earth signs. When your mind slows, it enables you to focus on the things that are really important. So what this particular Mercury retrograde does, is allow you to prioritise. That involves making tough choices and difficult decisions – that’s great if your mind is already that way inclined, and more of a challenge if it is not.
Capricorn is concerned with challenge – the challenge of meeting your goals by taking. things one step at a time. No rush, no cut corners, no diversions – and a lot of common sense. However, there is a downside to Mercury retrograde in this sign – and it’s this: you my be overly cautious or pessimistic, limited in your thinking or cynical about the information you receive. Often the challenge with Mercury retrograde in Capricorn is to be prudent and realistic in your assessment of a situation, without allowing an overly downbeat mindset to get in the way of seeing things as they are.
All Mercury retrogrades require you to think again. Review, reassess and restructure. On your journey up life’s mountain, this is a moment to stop, re-examine your circumstances ‘in the moment’ (and that means life as it is, not how you would prefer it to be) and work out where you go from here. But it’s more than simply where you want to go – the even bigger issue is how you get there. This Mercury retrograde is designed to make you focus on particular issues that need resolving if you’re going to continue that journey in a productive manner.
And it’s most likely to be a particular issue. The chart for this Mercury retrograde in Capricorn provides us with an idea of what the issues may be – and (as usual) you’re going to be most affected by this Mercury retrograde if you have important planets or points in Capricorn or any of the other cardinal signs, though the fixed signs (particularly Taurus and Scorpio) need to be alert to its potentials too. The planets in aspect to this Mercury retrograde offer us a guide to what needs to be addressed.
Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn: The Chart
Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn: The Aspects
Many of us are going to notice this Mercury retrogrades effects in a more generalised sense, as it comes hard on the heels of the New Moon in Sagittarius and, though they are not connected by aspect, major celestial events tend to amplify each other’s presence – especially given the influence of Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius. This particular Mercury retrograde makes only two aspects at the time it goes into reverse gear; a sextile and trine to the Venus – Jupiter opposition in Scorpio and Taurus respectively.
Mercury retrograde turns that opposition into an ‘easy opposition’, so in this post, I’m going to look at the aspects to Mercury retrograde in a different way to my usual approach; first, I’m going to look at the issues raised by the Venus – Jupiter opposition, and then I’m going to look at the implications of the ‘easy’ opposition. Every Mercury retrograde you live through has a particular message at its core, and the object of this post is to get to that message. Like festive gift wrap, astrology has many layers, so let’s begin by unwrapping Venus and Jupiter.
Venus in Scorpio Opposite Jupiter in Taurus
They are often considered beneficial or easy planets, but this is a tense aspect between them and it points to the core issue you’re being asked to address – and that’s indulgence. Venus and Jupiter opposed are an indulgent combination. At this time of year, who is surprised? There’s an abundance of parties and festive foods that lead us to over-indulge. We gain weight, we know it’s bad for us, but – what they heck – we go ahead and do it anyway. Self-control is not at the top of the ‘to-do’ list at this time of year.
Venus’s desires and Jupiter’s excesses are at breaking point – and look at the signs involved. Scorpio is extreme and Taurus is greedy, so the message is loud and clear: extremely greedy, indulgent behaviour is red flagged for everyone to see. That’s easy to appreciate in terms of personal consumption. Whether it’s one drink or mince pie too many – or spending money you can’t comfortably afford at this time of year (yes, Venus opposite Jupiter spends to excess too) indulgence is the issue – but is a health warning about festive excess all there is to this Mercury retrograde?
It’s worth digging down into the true meaning of indulgence. Commonly, it’s the behaviour or an attitude that lets you do what you want, without restraint. At this time of year, we tend to allow ourselves some of that. And, as the ‘greater and lesser benefics’, Venus and Jupiter, would suggest, a little indulgence is good for you. You feel happy and relaxed, you’re able to put life in perspective, your mindset becomes more positive and this makes it easier for you to approach life with a more constructive attitude. All of that is worth the extra couple of inches around your waist.
However – and I hate to spoil the party – it may not be temporary indulgence that’s being brought to mind. I’m going to back to something I just said a moment ago, and I’m going to take it a stage further: indulgence is an attitude that allows you to do what you want, without restraint – and without any thought about the consequences of your actions. Digest that for a moment. It contains a few flavours that are less easy to swallow. Indulgence in that form is likely to be a pattern of behaviour that’s problematic. Not that you will perceive it to be so (it’s also an arrogant combination).
Ultimately, any form of indulgence – when taken to extremes – is damaging and Venus and Jupiter also highlight the problem areas. gambling, risk taking, instability, insecurity, lack of self-esteem, devaluing other people’s contribution, taking things for granted (especially in a material sense) and so on. It could be a long list, but I suspect you get the message. We all have parts of our life where we indulge practices that are ultimately detrimental to us – our health, wealth and happiness – in the long term. And Mercury retrograde in Capricorn is about the long term. And its telling you this: have a word with yourself.
The ‘Easy’ Opposition
Have a word with yourself. Apologies to any readers who are not familiar with the phrase – but it does mean what you think it means. Consider those attitudes or behaviours that are having a detrimental impact on you (and others close to you) and reform them. It takes honesty, guts and determination – but that’s what Mercury retrograde in Capricorn is about. It forms an ‘easy’ opposition with the Venus – Jupiter opposition – and, in astrology, that means something.
This festive season, you have the opportunity to reflect on those parts of your life where you are not doing yourself any favours. The easy opposition isn’t going to solve your issues for you, but it gives you the space you need to bring up the issues and start to work on them. It is a process of internal dialogue for many, but that doesn’t stop you from asking for a second opinion. In fact, it may be the expression of an opinion that kick-starts the process. Treat that intervention as a helpful hint or a gently guiding hand. No-one is forcing you to do anything – but the benefits are plain for you to see.
So, when you start preparing your list of New Year’s Resolutions, keep this process at the forefront of your mind. Make your objectives real and achievable – and don’t limit them to losing the weight you put on in December, or replenishing your bank account – somehow. It goes mush deeper than that, because it’s about transforming your situation to build something that’s sustainable and beneficial long term. Remember the planets involved: Venus and Jupiter, and the signs: Scorpio, Taurus and Capricorn. Make sure that your ‘to-do’ list reflects the best principles of all of them. Write it with your ‘earth’ Mercury head on and you won’t be wrong-footed in 2024 – or beyond.
Further Reading
Lunations 2023 | New Moon in Sagittarius
December 2023 Horoscope: The Month Ahead
Sara Shipman | Real Life Astrology: Planets Signs and Houses
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© Sara Shipman 2023
Picture Credit: Image by TaniaRose from Pixabay
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