Mercury is flying through Taurus, and will enter Gemini next Wednesday. Before he does though, he must keep an important meeting with wise old Saturn.
Thus, the weekend starts with Mercury in opposition to Saturn (currently in Scorpio).
I’ve spent the past couple of days (as the aspect was building), editing and proofing, both my own work and the work of others. The editing process is essential to writing, but it lacks the glamour and energy of creating.
Rather, editing is like the checks and balances part of the process, where what’s been expressed is assessed and refined. The end result is ALWAYS better, but the process often feels like word wrangling.
I write for a variety of editors, people and publications, each with differing styles and preferences. Recently, some of my work came back heavily edited, and I’ve had to really pick up my game. At first I was taken aback, but as I’ve had time to absorb the feedback, I’ve realised how helpful it was.
I know how time consuming providing specific feedback can be, but I also know how useful it is to the writer. Needless to say I’ve had to work harder (Saturn) about putting my words together (Mercury). It’s required effort, but I have to say I’ve surprised myself with how much I’ve enjoyed the process.
In fact, that process inspired this post. These standards, like standards in all walks of life, have forced me to work harder and do better. In the instance mentioned above, my writing has radically improved over the course of the project.
I usually describe Mercury/Saturn aspects as being about mental mastery. This can mean many things, based on context.
For some clients, it symbolises the willingness to commit to tertiary study, like the choice to undertake a masters degree. For others, it describes a time of heightened focus on verbal expression, perhaps through counselling or communication skills, or through an increase in the volume of writing work they must manage. For others still it represents the heaviness that goes with making decisions that have long term consequences.
The idea with any Mercury/Saturn combination is to do your due diligence. To be detailed in your approach, even if the extra effort required seems difficult. It will be worth it.
Anytime I think of Mercury/Saturn, an image of my Dad comes to mind.
I remember, as a young adult, watching Dad sit down to read the Saturday paper. He’d have a red pen in hand, and would edit the paper as he read. After, the paper would look like a badly written English essay, as Dad would correct grammar and punctuation as he went.
For my Dad, there are rules to be followed with language.
Dad’s Mercury/Saturn conjunction falls in Leo, a fixed sign, which can be rigid. As kids, when we were asked ‘How are you?’ we weren’t allowed to answer ‘Good thanks!’. Not because we weren’t good, but because the more correct response to this question is ‘I’m well thanks!’ Even our friends knew this, as for Dad, the standards of language were to be shared, perhaps so we could all improve. My siblings and I all laugh about Dad’s standards now, but they’ve helped shape my love of words and my passion for language.
So while standards may seem limiting, they have an upside, which can be explored through working with them. Here’s to standards and all the ways in which they encourage improvement.
Penny for your thoughts?