The Eyes of Heaven
~ Introspection: Looking Within ~

by Eliza Bassett

(This article was written in 2000.)

The new year. The new decade. The new century. The new millennium. So much has been made of this event we passed through about eight weeks ago. There?s been a slight shift felt by some: more peace in their internal selves; optimism; an ability to feel with a strong knowing that this is going to be a great year in their lives.

Yet what happened during the past week (21 Feb to 27 Feb)? What is this strange energy all about right now? For many the flow is one of incredible Spiritual highs, followed by crashing emotional lows with rock bottom depressions. Traffic jams, disputes, and frustrations are at a high level and then the shift goes back to the positive.

Since I enjoy astrology, let me share these thoughts with you. First some basics!

Mercury, the ruling planet of Gemini, is presently in the sign of Pisces. Mercury is not an emotional planet. It is of the mind: thoughts and communications thereof. Commerce, transactions, contracts and deals are part of its realm. Quicksilver is another word for the element Mercury, and that has bearing on how we work with the planet?s vibration. It is speedy in its work.

Pisces is a marvelous sign. The water element allows it to be emotional. Mutable, its quality, means changeable. Changeable emotions. Always fluctuating. It is the 12th sign of the zodiac. It carries the sum total of all 11 prior signs; all those life experiences through the elements and qualities. The short symbol is a pair of crescents facing away from each other, and yet tied together with a cross bar: )-(. The illustration of this sign is that of two fish, one facing upstream, the other downstream, yet there is a cord between them. One cannot swim too far away without the other being impacted. They keep themselves in an ever moving, flowing, balance. There is a strong Spiritual connection with this sign, as it is ruled by Neptune.

So let us blend these two together. Mind flowing down one emotional stream for a while, and then going in another direction in another stream for another period of time. Business trades have to do with emotional satisfaction, yet balanced on a practical side. Spiritual guidance showing two sides or more of every deal.

Why was this last week so difficult with Mercury in Pisces? We get it every year. Mercury went into the sign of Pisces on the 4th of February 2000. Mercury 'stationed' on the 20th/21st (depends upon your time zone). This means that Mercury stopped its forward motion to our eyes. It is called a ?retrograde? time.

Retrograde is the change in the movement of the planet in our sky. When we look at a planet, from our moving platform called Earth, the other planet looks to us to be tracing a pattern that is opposite to what we consider direct motion - going from east to west in the sky. A retrograde planet in a natal chart is considered to be one where we process that planet?s energies internally before we express it externally.

In our daily experience introspections at this time, especially where Mercury is concerned, we do not want to sign contracts or do the usual business transactions. Communications may be unclear between all parties, and sometimes, important facts are hidden from view or are overlooked. When Mercury goes direct, the hidden facts or overlooked information suddenly become visible when someone reviews what is occurring on the project. There are folks who are exempt from this caveat -- all those born with Mercury retrograde. Yet sometimes, they too feel out of the usual flow during a retrograde Mercury time.

Right now we are in the second week of a three week Mercury retrograde, the ?first? of this millennium. And what does this bring us? Events will show us our old emotional patterns that cannot continue further into this year, much less into the millennium. A whack on the side of the head showing us that we must continue to clean up our old emotional baggage. If you saw some patterns return last year -- ones that you thought you?d handled before -- and you didn?t begin to work on them at that time... sorry, you need to dig around in those areas now and truly do your healing and cleaning up emotional work.

There are phases where this ?pointing out? of lessons takes us down, deep down, and shows us our oldest pains. The pattern is there if we can get a new perspective on it. One way is to speak to a friend who is honest with you about your ?stuff? when you are ready to hear it. Another way is to seek a counseling practitioner.

To help you along during this Mercury in Pisces time, Bach Flower Remedies (also known as flower essences), homeopathics for stress, or aromatherapy are all good aids. Consult a experienced practitioner of these healing arts.

Make notes right now of what you?re feeling, or perhaps struggling with. Review them after Mercury goes direct. There may be days where nothing seems to go ?right?, and all is frustrating. Be truly focused on being ?here now? especially when you are driving. Be gentle with yourself. Keep your mind on your long term goals, yet don?t be angry with yourself if you don?t accomplish everything on your daily task list during this time.

Mercury will go direct on the 14th of March. The next retrograde of Mercury is in June. Between now and then you have your work right on the plate in front of you. Don?t miss this opportunity to take care of this old stuff perhaps presented in a different way. There is no need to carry these issues further into your life in the new millennium. Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Fully release it. Be your Divine Empowered Free Self.

May you all walk in beauty. 
Malama pono (take care). NamastT.

PREVIOUS COLUMNS by Eliza Bassett: (2000)

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