Monday 11/25/2024: Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide; New Moon in Sagittarius

PLUS: A Sneak Peek at the Week, As Always

Elisabeth Grace

Nov 25, 2024

Highlights this week are:

Mercury goes retrograde on Monday
Sun trines Mars on Wednesday
New Moon in Sagittarius on Sunday

It goes like this:

MONDAY: Moon entered Libra at 6:19 AM ET, seeking fairness, diplomacy, and balance in relationships. Its mission is enabled by easy connections to Pluto, Sun and Mars throughout the day. A trine to Pluto at 6:32 AM ET offers depth; a sextile to the Sun at 2:32 PM ET offers cooperation; a sextile to Mars in Leo at 5:18 PM ET adds drama to the action plan. But while these patterns argue for a forward march, Mercury -- how we need to think and communicate -- is slowing to a virtual standstill. At 9:42 PM ET, it goes retrograde.

A pause, whilst we REview the Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide:

Even if you know nothing else about astrology, you may have heard this term "Mercury retrograde" before. Often it’s accompanied by curses and groans, and that’s a shame. Yes, all of the flights on American Airlines might be grounded because of a computer glitch. Or the entire country of Finland might be offline because there’s a transportation strike (actual Mercury Rx events). But there’s much good that can be accomplished when the Messenger Planet appears to be retracing its steps.
Mercury—which in the language of astrology refers to mindset, travel and communication—will appear to move backward through the sky until December 15th. It’s not really moving backward, but that is how it looks from our perspective here on Spaceship Earth. Mercury goes retrograde 3-4 times each year, for a period of 22 days.
Contrary to popular belief, Mercury retrogrades are no reason to freak out. Mercury retrograde gets a bad rap because we are geared, in this crazy modern age, to always be thinking, doing, moving FORWARD. You know what that gets you? BURN OUT. We need our down times, and Mercury retrograde is a perfect time to give our minds a rest. Why else would your computer, phone and/or car choose THIS time to malfunction? Because you are supposed to be slowing down. And as you slow down, it is vitally important that you FOCUS.
When Mercury is retrograde, be prepared for travel delays, scheduling screw-ups, mechanical breakdowns, computer crashes, having to repeat what you’ve just said, misunderstandings, the past coming back for a second look, surprise reunions and having to repeat what you just said. Use your FOCUS and double check important details, like whether the restaurant you’ve chosen for a meet-up is still in business. Or whether it is booked for a commercial shoot or a private party — all of which have happened to me during Mercury retrogrades.
If you are looking for a job, Mercury retrogrades are a perfect time to reach out to people from your past. Mine your address book and trust that your contacts will be happy to hear from you. However, do not be frustrated if your target is away on vacation or keeps rescheduling meetings. Also, triple check your emails and resumes before you hit “send,” as there is a higher probability of typos and other snafus.
In your business, you’ll need to make sure all communications have been received and are clearly understood. Be mindful of the higher potential for communication equipment to go on the fritz. MAKE SURE YOUR FILES ARE BACKED UP. Also be aware of a higher than average probability for delays in shipping and travel arrangements. For this you will need an extra dose of patience.
You may also find it profitable to REview a project from the past. Maybe you shelved it then, but now is the time to REconsider. However, be advised that a spontaneous, “out-of-the-blue” idea for advancement may not be so sound when Mercury turns direct. This is why the conventional wisdom advises against finalizing and/or signing contracts on deals during Mercury retrograde. An exception might be supported if you are REnegotiating or RElocating. If you absolutely must close a deal, triple check everything. The key is not to RUSH.
This is a good time to schedule a corporate REtreat. Any activity that affords the opportunity to REview past performance is encouraged. REsearch on a new strategy is also favored.
Mercury retrogrades are not favored for launching a new website or a new communications systems. There is a higher than average probability of technical glitches and confusion.
In general, adopt a playful attitude of flexibility to whatever twists you encounter. Avoid making major purchases (especially electronic ones), if you can. Don’t believe everything you hear or read in the papers. Rumors have a higher probability of spreading during Mercury retrogrades. Avoid losing patience — that’s a big one.
When in doubt, be silent!
Do plan on RElaxing, REviewing, REsearching, REorganizing, REgenerating, REconnecting and REcreating….and REviewing your life with your astrologer.

This Mercury retrograde happens at 22 degrees of Sagittarius, suggesting that whatever is up for REview and RElaxation likely involves an expansive quest for vision and truth, as old opinions and beliefs are RE-evaluated. Watch areas involving the judiciary, sports, media, religion and foreign affairs. Mercury does not function at its best in Sagittarius, according to traditional astrology. The Sagittarius pie-in-the-sky approach may be inspiring, but it often lacks essential details. In other words, it's SLOPPY. When Mercury is in Sag, I challenge you to keep track of how many times the word "sloppy" shows up in print, referencing some poorly-thought-out plan. Exhibit A: Rep. Jamie Raskin's remarks on the bill the House just passed that would allow the president to punish non-profit organizations that are deemed to support "terrorism." One would hope that the current president will veto it, upon REview.

…in which Jamie Raskin’s use of the word “sloppy” aptly reflects what we can expect with Mercury in Sagittarius…

Wherever 6 - 22 degrees Sagittarius is in your horoscope is the area in your life that is up for review, likely involving a quest for truth. If you have a planet or angle around 22 degrees of Gemini, Pisces, Sagittarius or Virgo, you are more personally affected by this particular Mercury retrograde. Off the top of my head that includes the United States, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, Stephen K. Bannon, Randy Rainbow and the president-elect.

FUN FACT: this Mercury Rx at 22 Sagittarius is likely to recall things that were hot on January 1st, 2024. Why? Because on that day, Mercury turned direct...at 22 Sagittarius. One thing that took effect on that date was the Corporate Transparency Act, referenced in my post dated December 31, 2023. Hmm.

The Sabian Symbol for this Mercury retrograde is "immigrants entering." I last wrote about this Symbol on the Full Moon in Gemini in 2016 -- and that forecast is worth revisiting, for insights into the prez-e, not to mention this link to Summer Brennan's essay, Notes from the Resistance: A Column on Language and Power.

Orwell wrote that freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four. He wrote that he who controls the past controls the future, and that he who controls the present controls the past. If you can colonize the minds of a population with untruths and confusion, you forcibly re-write reality. This is done with stories. It’s done with language. How we speak about the world is a reflection of how we see it.

As for the Sabian Symbol about the "immigrants entering," astrologer Blain Bovee notes there is tension between a polarity between those who are not quite ready to leave home (but must, eventually), and the immigrants who have already left their homes and are about to arrive in a whole new world (but haven't yet). We are advised to look for themes involving “…a passage to a new life, a new level of maturity, the moment before a new independent life takes off…conflicting emotions about what lies just ahead but is still out of reach…songs of home and nationality…trembling in the face of being received.”

Bovee also notes:

The thing about immigration is that, regardless of how rich or poor the immigrants are, they bring much of their homeland with them.
Food, cooking styles, family ways, cultural flavors, heritage...
No matter how drastic the change, nor under what circumstances precipitate leaving the homeland, immigrants will preserve something of their homeland.

Or, as Buckaroo Banzai wisely observed:

Wherever you go, there you are.

Beth Owl's Daughter's always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week captures this beautifully, if you ask me.

Mercury will turn direct on December 15th at 6 degrees of Sagittarius. It exits its shadow phase on January 2, 2025 (i.e., returns to 22 Sagittarius, where it is now), less than 14 hours before the new Congress begins at 12 noon ET on January 3rd. Coincidence or conspiracy?

Back to the daily forecast:

TUESDAY: Moon in Libra travels without interference, possibly going overboard on its mission of conflict avoidance and pleasantries. It's boosted further by a trine to Jupiter at 6:27 PM ET, and a square to Venus (who, what and how we need to love) at 7:06 PM ET. A bit of self-indulgence can't hurt, can it? If you can complete your shopping for Thanksgiving today, you'll avoid the potential twists and flakes that happen after Moon's sextile to Mercury at 4:14 PM ET on...
WEDNESDAY...which are likely to reflect a 15-hour Moon void. I hope you've taken the day off to CHILL and/or stick to routine concerns, if you can. Combined with Mercury's retrograde, this long Moon void may spark more than the usual crises of communication and transportation, that are likely to be much ado about nothing. At 7:20 PM ET, Moon shift gears into Scorpio, now seeking emotional depths and heights, in an effort to consolidate power and control. This need is pushed to extremes by a square to Pluto at 7:40 PM ET, and that reverberates all through the evening.
THURSDAY: Scorpio Moon squares regal Mars in Leo at 6:49 AM ET, sparking a possible stubborn battle of wills or courageous assertive stance. You get to decide. On the upside, an action plan may come together smoothly, reflecting the trine between the Moon and Saturn at 9:06 PM ET.
FRIDAY: Black Friday sales favor what is practical, as Moon sextiles Venus in Capricorn at 1:50 PM ET. A shock to the system erupts around 8:32 PM ET, as Moon's need for control is opposed by Uranus on Algol, threatening to chop off someone's head. A harmony with Neptune at 1:18 AM ET on...
SATURDAY:...aims to make it all disappear. Chill during the five and a half-hour Moon void. At 6:52 AM ET Moon soars into Sagittarius, free at last -- and seeks to push boundaries, both physical and mental. The get-out-of-that-state-you're-in impulses are supported by Moon's easy contacts with Pluto (at 7:17 AM ET) and Mars (at 6:23 PM ET). Explore new territory; take a walk in the woods; catch a foreign film; engage in a righteously opinionated debate. Be aware that not only are we at the end of November (!!!!), but we are also at the last day of the lunar cycle. With no light from the Moon to illuminate our path, we may feel listless or restless, sensing something new is around the corner -- but what? These dark nights facilitate projects you hope will fly under the radar, and you can be sure there are plenty of clandestine meetings happening on this long holiday weekend.
SUNDAY: The New Moon in Sagittarius begins at 1:21 AM ET. Here is the chart, set in Washington, DC:

Observations:

Wowww...just look at that Neptune on the Descendant, opposing the Ascendant and squaring the Midheaven/IC. Themes of idealism in relationships, rose-colored glasses, victimization, sacrifice...who knows what to believe...we are getting this from all angles.
Wowww...just look at all the angles of the horoscope at the verrry end of their respective signs. Whatever it is, we've done all we can do. The times, they are a-changin'; something new is about to begin. And the way it looks is likely to command attention, with all the angles at the Aries Point.
Chart ruler Mercury also rules the 1oth house (leaders) and opposes Jupiter, ruler of adversaries/partnerships and challengers and/or the end of the matter. They are both retrograde, and are in mutual reception, so somehow they feed off each other. Hmm.
Most of the action is in the 3rd and 9th houses -- information, publishing, foreign affairs and courts are emphasized. Uranus is on the cusp of the 9th -- an upset involving any of the aforementioned themes.
Moon-Sun's next aspect is a square to Saturn. The pie-in-the-sky focus of the New Moon is subject to controls.
The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon is "a golden-haired goddess of opportunity." Wowwwwww -- I wasn't expecting to see that, given the square to Saturn. What could it mean? Astrologer Saijin bluntly asserts that this golden-haired goddess is none other than our own self, creating opportunity for happiness without attachment to what society thinks we should wish to achieve. Blain Bovee suggests we take this Symbol literally and be mindful of things that are golden or related to hair. Regardless, the good fortune expressed by this Symbol is another echo of Beth Owl's Daughter Tarot Card, if you ask me.
You are more personally affected by the seed-planting opportunity of this New Moon if you have planets around 9 degrees of Sagittarius, Virgo, Gemini, and Pisces. Off the top of my head that includes President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden; CNN, Jen Psaki, Senator Rick Scott, NY Mayor Eric Adams and Britney Spears.

So...that is the forecast with the week, with guidance for Mercury's retrograde. Speaking of Mercury, I'm delighted to share that the 2025 Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide Bookmarks arrived yesterday, assembled by my webmaster/designer Avid Reader Mark and printer extraordinaire, Avid Reader Laura (who shipped the bookmarks all the way from Georgia!).

If you are a patron subscriber of Why Now News and I have your mailing address, I will happily send you a few bookmarks as a thank you for supporting Why Now News. I'll need your snail mail address, please.

If you are not a patron subscriber, and you would like to have these really useful bookmarks for yourself -- or to give as gifts (they are fun stocking stuffers), drop $6.99 (for two bookmarks) or $12.99 (for six bookmarks) into my Cosmic Tip Jar -- your Cosmic Tip covers postage and envelopes.

And yes, gift certificates for consultations are available, too. I can send those via email or snail mail (pictured below):

Perfect for the outside of your fridge, books, or stockings of friends and relatives…

Alllrighty then! I'm off to Costco to pick up a new pair of reading glasses. The next forecast will be devoted to the news -- stay tuned.

THANK YOU, dear Avid Readers for liking, sharing, restacking, and commenting on my effort to keep you up-to-date on the astro-logic of these all-too interesting times. Special thanks to Avid Readers who have upgraded their free subscriptions. Your support makes it possible for me to keeping on writing...and oh! — almost forgot. Here’s the 411 on scheduling personal consultations.