Mercury & Jupiter’s dance
I am a recovering people-pleaser. For the last few years, I have been working to rid myself of the shame and pressure that was taught to me in regard to taking up space. Throughout my life, I witnessed first hand that people will ‘like me more’ if I make myself smaller and silence my voice in tense moments. I learned to read the energy and show up as people needed, even against my own truth and needs. It was a toxic cycle that I carry from generations before me, that stems out of necessity and survival. However, I realized that I was in the place where this technique was no longer helpful or healthy for me or my relationships.
This month, the cosmos offer support to the people-pleasers in the group (and many others)! If that’s you, know that you aren’t alone. And you can learn to stand in your truth and take up space… and you deserve to! Thats not all this transit is about, but it’s what has been on my mind most recently.
So let’s unpack the astrology a little together—
*disclaimer: there are many ways to interpret and work with each cosmic energy- this is just one of many ways that the energy can come through and will all depend on your personal natal chart and your lived experience. To get a personalized reading, message me on any platform or email me directly*
Mercury, the planet of communication and the mind, is currently retrograde in Libra sitting opposite to Jupiter, the planet of beliefs and expansion, which is retrograde in Aries. Because it is happening while the planets are retrograde, they will link up three times this year over a month and a half, instead to their regular day-long opposition.
The dates that Mercury and Jupiter form an opposition this year are:
September 02/03, September 18/19, October 11/12
Their most recent conjunction happened in March 2022, which is often seen as the beginning of a new cycle and may indicate what is being illuminated again here at the opposition (Full Moon phase of the cycle).
The sister signs Libra and Aries, where Mercury and Jupiter are currently transiting, provide the axis of the self and the other, connection and independence, war and love, compromise and assertion.
Mercury in Libra provides us the ability to communicate (Mercury) in ways that hold balance— the shadow is that we may give too much in order to keep harmony. Jupiter in Aries provides us the ability to speak our truth and stand strong for what we believe in— the shadow is that we can become very hyper-focused and determined, unaware of any ripples or harm we may provoke “for the cause”.
This opposition, which is normally only one day out of the year, will hold through all of September and the beginning of October in 2022. This means that we get a longer opportunity to use and learn from these energies.
One of the ways that I am thinking of this meet-up between two of our cosmic lords is through the lens of people-pleasing, but you can also see this through your own journey of speaking your truth, recognizing your fight for justice, or leaning into building more harmonious relations in your life. Maybe you have a tendency to hold a strong hard line and you yearn to soften that line to gain more balance in one of your relationships, maybe you struggle to connect to your anger and you want to use this energy to work with welding it in a healthy way that aligns with your beliefs and truth, or maybe you are in the midst of a break-up and you need the courage to stand on your own and know that you deserve better. A retrograde cycle can provide a story that is trackable in each of our lives in one way or another, whether it is one of these examples or something totally different. You can find more information on this in your own life by going deeper into your own chart and where these energies fall within it, or by doing the retrograde work of turning inward to look at your patterns and opportunities to grow, heal, and evolve.
This transit can provide us the ability to lean into our truth and stand and fight for what we believe in, while also recognizing where we may need to compromise or bend in order to find balance and get justice. Where you feel the urge to get small, Jupiter in Aries allows you the space to speak— to scream— the dance— to fight— to preach— to march. Where you feel the urge to please others to keep the peace, Jupiter in Aries provides you the selfishness (which is needed and natural) to check in with your own needs and be selfish where necessary. When you feel ‘too angry’ (if that’s a thing? Idk, but I trust you get my drift here), Mercury in Libra provides you the breath to pause and recognize another perspective.
You can work with the dates above to track what may be coming up for you with this cycle. Look back to March of this year and the beginning of this month (September 3rd-4th) to get clues around themes that may be at play in your world.
I hope you find some piece of resonance here. I’m grateful to have you in my space.
Please share/ask anything that comes up for you in the comments, if you feel pulled.
XOXO
