Planets in Motion

The planets along with the Moon are constantly traveling through the zodiac at various speeds, interacting or forming aspects.

As an example of planetary motion and cycles, each year on or around your birthday, the Sun completes a full cycle or transit of the zodiac and returns to the position where it was on the day that you were born. You should think of this as your own personal New Year. It would be the ideal time to stop and reevaluate your last year, rate your progress, make plans and set new goals. On the other end of the spectrum you will find Pluto, the planet that takes 248 years to travel around the zodiac. Unless you plan to live a very long time you will never experience a full Pluto cycle, but the areas or points that it does contact in your birth chart are extremely important. Please note that Pluto's influence can also be very strong on a generational level.

Approximately three times a year, for a period of about 3 weeks, the planet Mercury appears to travel backwards or to “go retrograde” in the sky. Since Mercury represents communication, travel and perception, these are the areas that are mostly affected during these retrograde phases. Pay special attention, take extra steps to verify important information, look for clarity in all matters and be patient during travel delays. There is the possibility that decisions made or projects completed during Mercury retrograde may need to be revisited or redone after it has resumed direct motion. I invite you to observe and record your experiences during periods of Mercury retrograde.

Mercury Retrograde Periods 03/30/11 through 04/23/11 08/02/11 through 08/26/11 11/24/11 through 12/13/11