As we begin a new calendar year, we are both reflective and creative. We look back at the year past, and assess what worked and what didn’t; what we enjoyed and what we didn’t; what we achieved, and what we didn’t. Then we usually begin creating our new year out of our old.

This time around, creating the new year can be a very different experience than it has been before. This time around, we get to create something completely new and different than we’ve ever experienced before. We get to be courageous and bold in our creative process.

As you set our intentions for the New Year, it’s crucial that you speak what’s truly on your mind and to what you truly want to create or contribute with and for others. That’s how you find your true tribe. That’s how you find where you belong.

That’s what this 2016 Mercury in Aquarius is all about. This transit began on the first day of the new year at 6:20p PST on 1st January 2016 – an 11 universal day in a 1 universal month in 9 universal year, encouraging us to make finding or creating the communities we align with a top priority in the 366 days ahead.

The people you want to be associated with will align with will appear or come to you. All you have to do is be yourself in every way. You’ll know those you are meant to connect with because you will align with each other’s thoughts and words. You won’t need to pretend to be someone you’re not in order to fit in. You won’t have to try so hard to belong.

That’s how many of us got into our currently challenging social predicaments I the first place – we’ve tried to fit it where we didn’t belong. We pretended to be people we weren’t in order to make nice or keep the peace, to be socially acceptable or meet social or societal expectations, etc.

Now we’re hearing the call to be our weird, wild selves. Mercury in Aquarius is calling upon us to let our freak flags fly boldly and proudly for all to see, and it starts with sharing our internal truths for all to hear and know. If our thoughts and words create our reality (which they do), then this is our chance to step outside our boxes and use our varied methods of communications to make known or possible and actual contributions to our communities and the world which are true to who we really are. The 11 energy of the day Mercury enters Aquarius and the 1 energy of the month will support the forming of these connections.

Yet we only get a taste of this freedom as 2016 begins. Mercury in Aquarius turns retrograde at 5:05a PST on 5th January – only four days after entering the sign! – and when it does, it brings you your first taste of feedback from others about your bold self-expression. This feedback may give you a newfound sense of acceptance and community. You may be noticing that there are people who actually like you when are being our authentic and unpretentious selves. You may also begin to find communities in which you have something of intellectual or social value to contribute to their greater whole.

But when Mercury Retrograde re-enters Capricorn on 8th January for about 3 weeks, you’ll quickly find out how established and/or traditional society feels about your individual self-expression and your unique contributions to community and humanity. You may encounter people who aren’t accepting of your eccentricities. They may not understand why you aren’t eager to align with their way of thinking or speaking. They may not be able to wrap their heads around the fact that the old ways were not good ways for you to live. Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn will reveal all of the people and institutions which are trying to keep you from moving into the fullest, most individual and independent expression of yourself in the world.

Other than the 5th and 8th January when Mercury goes retrograde and re-enters Capricorn respectively, the three big days for Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn in the next few weeks are…

5th January – Capricorn Mercury Retrograde (& Direct) square Scorpio Mars, most exact at 3:59a PST. This could be a rather combustible transit. Those who want to alter or challenge the societal status quo may find themselves hearing and/or experiencing some harsh opposition. Anything communicated which is not in alignment with what is being done will be a catalyst for Scorpio Mars’ all-or-nothing actions as people will express their mistrust or distrust of changes and/or challenges to authority OR their mistrust and distrust of authority itself. Also, anyone who makes efforts to confront the institutions which have long been in power or held influence may find themselves having to revisit an aspect of their strategy or perform the entire act for a second time at some point in the future. This transit will be felt from 24th December-5th January with Mercury Direct in Capricorn, and will be felt 5th-8th January with Mercury in retrograde (3° orb).

14th January – Capricorn Mercury Retrograde both conjuncts the Capricorn 1 Sun and trines Jupiter in Virgo conjunct Virgo North Node, most exact at 6:16p PST. This conjuncted trine reveals the people and societal institutions which are trying to keep you attached to the old societal structures and systems, tempting you with opportunities for mundane growth and expansion. You may find yourself with offers of work or others services which could help you expand on your ability to attend to your everyday life responsibilities. Yet, those offers may keep you from expanding in ways which allow you to move into your authentic expression more fully once Mercury turns around. The key is to make the choices which truly work for YOU, which aligns with others in your communities and societies. Many individuals are reassessing the effectiveness of the systems and programs which support their everyday lives. The influence of this transit will be felt from 12th-15th January with the Sun’s involvement, and into the 16th with the trine with Virgo Jupiter and North Node. (3° orb).

20th January – Capricorn Mercury Retrograde (& Direct) squares Aries Uranus, most exact at 10:27a PST. This transit creates tension as you begin to feel the pressure to conform to the old ways of thinking and speaking about certain aspects of your life. You may begin to notice which people and associations and affiliations are no longer in your best interests. The more pressured or bullied you feel, the more it becomes clear which people or groups you need to minimize or sever your connections with the people who cannot accept your independence of thought and speech. On a larger scale, this could be a time when institutions and establishments which do not serve the people well (individuals, communities, or the whole of humanity) are challenged by the people. We may see the toppling and clearing of old institutions which do not serve our collective best interests. This transit’s influence will be felt from 17th January-4th February as Mercury returns to direct motion on 25th January, extending the presence of this transit.

Once Mercury in Capricorn is direct again at 1:50p PST on 25th January, if you’ve given in to the pressure, you’ll likely feel the oppression of the past again. If you didn’t succumb to the pressure, you’ll be in a position to establish a new direction for yourself. You may find yourself ending certain associations and affiliations in alignment with the 9 year energy of endings and completions – the connections are no longer healthy for you and/or they no longer serve you well. Clearing out the old clears the slate for new and true.
And when Mercury re-enters Aquarius on 13th/14th February, if you gave in, you may feel like you’ve trapped yourself by choosing tradition over unique expression. If you triumphed over the pressure, you’ll have a clear road ahead to leave your past (or certain significant aspects of it) behind you once and for all. Again, 9 completes and clears; 1 creates and initiates.

These next 5 weeks are a great opportunity for you to figure out what you think and what you have to say…for yourself. Think about what you have to share and how you want to contribute to others. Then think how you can best get yourself in to a position for that to happen knowing that sometimes, the way to make the opportunity is to be yourself and watch the opportunities come to you.

And one more thing…Remember, retrogrades bring feedback and opportunities to do things over, especially Mercury Retrograde. Don’t panic. Instead, stop, look, & listen for your chances to change course or do something you missed the chance to do before.

Thanks for reading and sharing Signs and Numbers. Until next post…

~ Light, Love, and Blessings,

Grace