image from Unsplash by Karina Vorozheeva. chosen because ferns are fractals, which is a Mercury gesture and glitter is light & emphasis, a Jupiter gesture.
the messages, lessons, & practices of this Mercury retro in sagittarius are directly tied to how we will experience Jupiter in sag for a year. for everyone. this is because the same house (area of life) that Mercury retro is transiting (going through) right now is the same one Jupiter is amping up. there is a direct relationship here between Mercury & Jupiter because they rule opposing signs: gemini & sagittarius. Mercury/gemini has all the questions: what can we learn? what information have we gathered? what more do we need? Jupiter/sagittarius goes about expounding on the questions & finding the answers.
one of the challenges of mercury in sagittarius, especially retrograde, is that we’re more inclined to share what we believe (or don’t) & why…and then stay there, sitting in the answers we believe we’ve already found when actually there is always more to learn. sagittarius, being ruled by Jupiter, is inclined to expand through theology, philosophy, & higher thinking. self-awareness through ethics, religion, political ideology, & spiritual analysis are some examples. Jupiter/sagittarius is a teacher, wanting to share THE TRUTH, enlighten with wisdom, & lead with light. this is beautiful, necessary work and, without embodiment it becomes hollow.
embodiment here means integration. integration happens through praxis: the practical application of theory. sagittarius is a fire sign, so embodiment (earth) is a skill that this sign needs to develop to continue growth. when embodied, what we’re practicing is congruent with our beliefs & ethics because the practice is what creates tangible, sustainable expansion (Jupiter). we can spiritualize/intellectualize (Jupiter) our way through some of the most difficult shit. but what will really carry us through what we can’t control is embodiment. because then beliefs, perspectives, truths, and understanding aren’t just talk, they’re the step-by-step walk. commonly known as wisdom. it’s like “moving at the speed of trust”, as adrienne maree brown says.
Jupiter (which Mercury will exactly pass over this Tuesday) inflates, enhances, & amplifies whatever it touches. when there isn’t any meat (earth/embodiment), it’s like a balloon. it’s totally there, you can touch it but it’s also empty & very susceptible to being popped by sharp objects, such as clarity or reality checks. when a balloon POPS, it’s LOUD. perhaps even painfully so. Mercury retro in sagittarius is like the pin, pointing towards what is fragile & must POP. perhaps you’re feeling the loudness of this in yourself or witnessing it in others. signs an issue/person is inflated & about to pop: self-pity, lots of vague talk, gaslighting or bypassing, avoidance, lack of response-ability, feeling attacked, self-righteousness, scarcity. if you’re familiar with astrology, you’ll notice these are also often listed as signs of unhealthy sagittarius behavior.
with this energy, it’s easy to look at the big picture & become overwhelmed or seduced by it without tending to any of the micro moving parts. Mercury retro is kinda putting a wrench in those gears, a pin in the balloon, inviting us to bring our attention to the small scale of things- to the thoughts, patterns, & energies that might actually be in the way of or the way towards our future.
it is important to name that embodiment takes time, and time is nonlinear here. it is comprised of learning curves, of overlapping cycles, of mistakes & readjustment, of going back to begin again. it’s not a point of arrival. however, embodiment is an energetic climate that we all feel the presence or absence of, even when we don’t know how to name it. embodiment is a spiritual ethic. it is a practice of integrity. not leading in what we are not being, not claiming awareness where there is no commitment, not using our own experiences or contexts as the only measure of reality. preaching what we don’t practice makes it hard for us to trust ourselves & to be trusted.
we recognize the need for this kind of movement when leaders disappoint us. when people turn out not to be what their talk indicated they were. when we have all these glorious ideas but end up over-extending ourselves. when symptoms are treated rather than causes. when gaps in integrity, alignment, & truth-telling become clear. when shit goes wrong or gets confusing & there is a regression to a way of being that is counter-productive to what we claim our visions or beliefs are. in other words: embodiment is the medicine for hypocrisy.
how do we hold any kind of measure or accountability within this? fortunately, the stars highlight the dynamics & give the support. on an individual (gemini/Mercury) level, our spiritual/emotional praxis is where we can hold ourselves accountable, measure our own integration. however, Jupiter/sagittarius is self-awareness in a universal context. we must return to relationship, to communion. knowing that others may identify what we cannot, will not, or don’t want to. trusting that vulnerability & transparency will take us deeper, make us realer. there is no real accountability outside of relationship because it is only arrogance that would have us think that the only insight & understanding we need is our own.
as the Sun directly passes over Jupiter this monday, carve out space & time to be receptive to the messages that are surrounding you at this time. they matter so, so much regardless of your sign or chart placements. your upcoming expansion won’t resonate, align, or be sustainable if you’re not practicing embodiment of your fundamental guiding principles. use tarot, use oracles, use journaling, use conversations with those you can trust, use silence, use ritual, use movement, use prayer. use your tools. the messages are always there. sometimes we’re really just not listening. mercury retro wants to help us change that.
oxo
saltwater & stars
p.s: thank you to Priestess of Liberation for recently reminding me of the term & importance of spiritual ethic.