Mercury’s move into Libra on Monday, under a Gemini Moon, will temporarily bring the number of planets in air signs to five, and give us a quick glimpse into the character of the next two months. Air signs correlate to the mental plane, and similarly, Mercury represents the intellect. The Moon will shift the planetary balance back to four when it enters watery Cancer on Tuesday night. But the start of this week is offering a sample of coherence that may prove highly valuable during Mercury’s long transit. In the near term, Mercury will benefit from the co-presence of Venus in diplomatic Libra. At home in the cardinal air sign until September 10th, courteous Venus encourages consideration, reciprocity and cooperation. Throughout Mercury’s Libra visit, from August 30th through November 5th, Saturn and Jupiter will remain in the fellow air sign of Aquarius. Saturday’s Mercury Saturn trine will demonstrate what’s possible when the collaborative influence of Libra is combined with Aquarian vision and ingenuity. Judicious Libra weights the arguments and all of its options, and lofty Aquarius sees the big picture. This combo provides a golden opportunity to make decisions with respect to their impact on the wider scheme of things. We will likely want to access this tool, particularly once Mercury goes retrograde. The next one begins on September 27th and lasts through October 18th. Next week Mercury will cross into the retrograde’s shadow zone, and it will not exit until November 2nd. Technology, commerce and communication are under Mercury’s sphere. Given the current condition of global conflicts, the impending threat of spreading coronavirus variants and consequent restrictions and lockdowns, and the prevalence of cyber attacks and international supply chain disruptions, not to mention political unrest, this retrograde is already shaping up to be a doozy. Perhaps giving us an unpleasant indication of things to come, Venus will square Pluto on Sunday night. On that famous other Libra hand, this may be a warning signal and a chance to test run backup systems and emergency preparedness. In this context, Venus is foreshadowing Mercury. There are three upcoming Mercury Pluto squares, on September 22nd, October 1st and November 2nd, and they will heavily color the character of the retrograde. Paying attention now, while Venus is asking nicely, is advised. This week’s other challenging aspect will peak on Thursday.
That’s when the Mars Neptune opposition will be exact. Neptune’s involvement unfolds slowly and is typically discrete. Direct Mars in clear-minded Virgo may demand clarification.
But Neptune at home in mutable Pisces is likely to evade the probing planet’s dictates entirely. Issues that weren’t resolved under last week’s Pisces Moon may resurface midweek. If answers are still unclear, further instruction will come from Saturday’s trine between clever Mercury and discerning Saturn. They’re bringing in a lucidity that will prove invaluable while tricky Mercury undertakes Libra’s oh so delicate balancing act.