The solar eclipse New Moon in 29° Aries shading into 0° Taurus occurred April 19-20. Now, only one day later, at 4:34 AM today, 4/21/23, one of three annual three-week retrograde cycles of Mercury begins. Here’s the chart, set for Washington, D.C.

Note especially where Mercury sits, at 15°37 Taurus as it turns to go retrograde, exactly conjunct the relatively swiftly moving Moon’s position at that early morning hour, and both bodies only two degrees from eruptive Uranus. I’d say that this particular Mercury retrograde cycle is going to involve rethinking all issues having to do with (Taurean) security, with what is of value: especially financial security, i.e., money (keep it in a bank? hide it under a mattress?) or its replacements (gold, silver, bitcoin?), other material assets, large and small. Plus of course, debt: mortgages, credit cards, and so on. Because the shit’ is hitting the fan, so to speak, and we are going to be personally and collectively gnashing our teeth. Especially because, though we need to think and rethink our own material security, it would be wise not to make any decisions, sign any contracts, etc., until Mercury turns to go direct again on May 15 at 5°51 Taurus. And even then, Mercury will be operating in the shadow of its ten degree retrograde period (Taurus backing from 15° to 5° and back up again) until June 2. And all this occurring during an extraordinarily volatile period (Uranus in Taurus 2018-2026)) for anything having to do with the material world, and especially since this Mercury turning time coincides with the degree positions of not just eruptive Uranus but the emotional Moon, I repeat, all three of them within 2 degrees of one another! —  and that that includes our own bodies as well as the earth herself. Yes, it’s difficult not to feel anxious.

Meanwhile, it looks to me like more and more formerly hidden information (Mercury) is going to be disgorged, all of it emotionally (Moon) shocking (Uranus), and making us rethink everything we thought we knew, and have been taught. Which makes the sabian symbol for that degree (always use the next whole degree, i.e., 16° in this case), all too appropriate.

Of course there’s always more to say, like the fact that the three-way conjunction in Taurus also happens to be only two degrees from exact sextile with (energetic, furious?) Mars, at 13° (family, home, tribe) Cancer. As Mercury travels over this position of Mars, and Mars moves up to the degree where it exactly sextiles the current position of Mercury, over the next week or so, expect fireworks.

Advice to Ann: get and remain centered, feet in the ground, hands in the soil. Identify with the miracle of spring, as nature pushes her beautiful, strong, knowing plants up through the soil and into the sunlight. Each one unique, and yet of a kind with others, all together growing, just like we humans, once we get past this tumultuous global collapse of old systems that kept us enslaved for thousands of years, will begin to realize that we too, have been all together growing, all along.