Children of Mercury know just how to get ’er done. It’s a trait that Virgos share with other earth signs, but the difference is they accomplish the impossible rather “handily,” and with minimal fanfare, after sifting through complex minutiae and scenarios. Content to pull off miracles behind the scenes, these mutable perfectionists like nothing more than helping others avert catastrophes and close calls.
So how did someone of your buttoned-down persuasion become so enamored of recluses, dreamers and ne’er-do-wells hellbent on escaping reality?
It hasn’t been easy doing all the “adulting” while others close to you have come to rely on your practical magic and organizational skills for them to show up in the world. You are one who makes sure they eat a healthy meal, get to their doctor’s appointments and wear clean (and matching) socks. Co-dependent much? Nah, it’s just that you find it impossible to leave these poor souls in their hour of need. But somehow that hour of need has gone on for seven years!
That’s when the planet Neptune entered Pisces (the sign opposite yours that signifies partnerships). This slow-moving planet is only about halfway through its journey in the underdog-loving water sign of Pisces. Neptune was joined by the asteroid Chiron, aka “the wounded healer,” which might account for the chronic health challenges and pain management needed by those closest to you.
Are you happy about what they have come to expect from you? In a word: absolutely, utterly, hell no! You might be the most enlightened soul on the planet, oozing with rational, insightful words for those seeking your practical wisdom. But in private conversations with yourself, you can’t help but ask yourself: Why are you taking care of such ingrates?
The story of Virgo is that it’s often difficult to be in a relationship. You’re exacting, fussy and a stickler. And, despite your modesty, you do hope to be appreciated (or at least acknowledged) for what you do. Those high standards might have many a partner heading for the hills.
But the needy, long-suffering Pisces types, especially those with messy lives, get to you. And, more to the point, they “get” you. As the saying (attributed to the late British astrologer Patric Walker) goes: “Scratch a Pisces and you’ll find a Virgo under their skin.” And vice versa. They are two sides of the same coin.
For how can a Virgo serve without first finding someone who needs serving? You’re both living out your star-stamped design. The key challenge for Virgos is finding the joy in service, rather than the servitude.
That’s not the easiest thing to do as 2019 dawns and your Ruling Planet Mercury is in Sagittarius, the sign of its detriment. By that, we mean Mercury isn’t able to do what the “Messenger of the Gods” does best, which, for you, is to nimbly analyze all applicable details. The “big picture” mindset of Sagittarius, with its tsunami of possibilities, may have swamped your rowboat in late 2018, especially as it relates to your home, parents and roots. It’s likely that home-front emotional entanglements have left you drained.
But the good news, for a Virgo anyway, is you’ll have a chance to regain your mental strength and clarity when Mercury enters the complementary earth sign of Capricorn on Jan. 5. You’ll be back in the saddle, focused on “gettin’ ‘er done.” It also speaks to your creativity (should that have been put to the side lately) as well as your children. The fact that the planet of tests and challenges, Saturn, is also in the sign of Capricorn suggests that your children might be going through their own hard times right now. So, your role could be to offer solutions and practical work-arounds—and to not expect much from them during this time.
Added to Saturn’s school of hard knocks is a series of eclipses in 2019 that may throw your children (and creative projects) a few curve balls, along with presenting them blind spots that make it difficult for them to get their bearings.
The first solar eclipse in 2019 takes place on Jan. 5, just as your ruling planet, Mercury, enters Capricorn. Perhaps an offspring has been offered a work opportunity or position of prestige that may require a lot more work than they think it will. Whether they take the job or not, they won’t know if they made the right decision for up to a year, during which time they may be riddled with endless “shouldas, couldas and wouldas.” If you could take their burden, you would. But sometimes, the best thing you can do for your kids is let them figure things out on their own.
A few weeks later, on Jan. 20, a lunar eclipse gives you an inkling of your own blind spots as they relate to creative output. Changes in your workplace or daily routine have been disrupting your creative process for almost a year. It may be possible to track a major block that you’ve been dealing to an event that occurred six months prior (around July 20, 2018). It might be a good time to cultivate a new and healthier lifestyle that would allow you to be more receptive to your muses. Practices such as yoga, meditation and daily walks can enhance your well-being and creativity.
In addition to eclipses, Children of Mercury experience three or so retrogrades each year when their Ruling Planet shifts into reverse and backs up into the sign it’s traveling through (at least it looks that way from Earth’s perspective). All three retrogrades in 2019 involve water signs, which is saying that 2019 will ping your emotions in a big way.
The first retrograde of the year occurs on March 6, when Mercury reverses into Pisces. Up until now, you may have been bestowing your impeccable service on those who often take it for granted. But during this retrograde, you are more inclined to put certain partners on notice there are limits to what you can and will put up with before you pull back on the relationship. And woe be unto those who do not need this warning.
It may also dawn on you that for your relationships to improve, your overall belief system needs to change. Your need for wisdom may have surpassed what your current belief system can provide. You can thank Uranus for your restless urge to seek truth and meaning in life. In 2018, the planet famous for overturning the applecart made a brief foray into your solar ninth house of higher purpose—until a retrograde slowed its progress at the end of 2018. As of March 7, Uranus will return to your ninth house, in the sign of Taurus, where it will stay until July 2025. This electrifying transit will have you questioning your creed and dogmas. It may mean that it’s time to try out new customs, philosophies and even cultures. This can sometimes be best achieved by literally traveling to other countries and adopting new lifestyles.
Should a long-distance move prove too daunting, there are always “mind journeys” you can undertake through education and university programs. In any case, your core tenets will be “lit up” during this transit. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself attracted to radical philosophies or a First Amendment law practice where freedom of expression and the free flow of ideas will be rigorously defended.
The summer brings another Mercury retrograde on July 8 in the sign of Leo that backs up into Cancer, this one involving friends, clubs, fraternal orders and charitable organizations. Your social life may be going through an emotional time while dealing with sensitive topics from the past. These connections are a reflection of who you are and what you value, so it concerns you if there is discord in this arena.
Just prior to the retrograde, on July 2, and then during the retrograde, on July 16, two eclipses (the first, solar; the second, lunar) suggest that friends (as well as children) who mean well have to renege on plans due to unforeseen developments. Or perhaps it is you who is reneging or making an abrupt change concerning a summer gathering or reunion. Your children, especially, may need assistance during this time should the bottom fall out of their best-laid plans.
All of this leads up to your prime time of year, that being from Aug. 24 to Sept. 22 when the Sun is in the sign of Virgo. After a year of catering to the needs of partners, children and friends, you’ve come home to yourself. In doing so, you are able to enjoy the planetary support not only of Mercury but Venus and Mars – all planets that happen to be traveling through Virgo close to this time. When combined with the Sun, the grouping of planets create a powerful focal point known as a stellium in your sign, which serves to amp up your prowess and ability to accomplish your tasks virtually unimpeded.
Meanwhile, major planetary support from Uranus in Taurus as well as Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, both complementary earth signs, are also available to you. If ever there was a time to build and create something for posterity, to give birth to your purpose and leave a mark on the world, it is now.
The third Mercury retrograde of the year takes place Nov. 1 through Nov. 21 in the sign of Scorpio. This is a time when words and gossip have consequences. Perhaps something has happened in your close community (including not only neighbors but siblings and extended family) that needs to be hashed out. Possibly a secret has slipped out and it requires someone to be accountable. Even though it’s a difficult thing to talk about, it cannot stay hidden. It will take skill and dexterity to keep things calm and civil. It sounds like the perfect situation for a Virgo to navigate.
The year ends with your planet, Mercury, having made another trip around the Sun and returned to Capricorn, landing back in your solar fifth house of children and creativity. It comes just a week after a Christmas Day solar eclipse in the same house. Your kids may not know what to make of the shifting sands in their lives, but as a mutable earth sign, you can offer them perspective and assist them in seizing opportunities that come with disruption, change and new beginnings. Pay it forward – not because you have to, but because it is simply satisfying to be of service. Bask in that realization and come back next year for what awaits in 2020.
By Jerre Wroble
