Chiron turns direct today for the first time since May 21. Over the past 18 months, Chiron has retrograded back and forth over the same nine degrees or so which has had a significant effect on those of us with planets in the middle degrees of the fixed signs: Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio and Taurus.

Between August and December Chiron will have only moved two degrees as it stationed in preparation to change direction, and its influence is more powerful than ever. Chiron, the Wounded Healer, urges us to face areas in our life and psyche where we still have unhealed wounds. By bringing these wounds into the open air of daylight we are able to find healing and greater wisdom.

Yesterday I consulted with Robert P. Blaschke who visited our local NCGR Chapter. I’ll post more on that later and his amazing research into the progression cycles. I met with him to get his take on some cycles that I am experiencing now where energies are shifting, and he is world-renowned as the expert on the progressed chart. At any rate, he told me something that I had not noticed, that my progressed Mercury, which has been retrograde since 1990, will turn direct in 2010, which means its stationing now in preparation (the planets slow down to a crawl before they appear to change direction).

Robert said that when Mercury is retrograde by progression there is an accumulation of learning and understanding that takes place which is then ready to be released when the progressed Mercury turns direct. This was very interesting to me and it is also relevant to Mercury retrograde by transit as it is currently. So we can think about the Mercury retrograde period as a time when we are collecting data to be used later, but acting on it at the moment is more difficult.

This is likely the underlying reason for Mercury retrograde periods to be such good times for going back and re-doing projects that are not complete. I tell my clients, anything with a “re-” at the front of the word is well-suited for a retrograde Mercury. Review for a test, revision of your website, reinstalling software that isn’t working. Reconnecting with old friends is another good one.

Writing is also favored under retrograde Mercury, just as it is for those with Mercury retrograde in their natal charts. Because our thoughts and ideas are more internalized now during this collection process, writing helps us to organize information in a way that is more complete.

The combination of Chiron’s direct turn and Mercury passing retrograde points to a tendency now to look back and heal that which is broken. As the Sun begins its descent into the darkness of Scorpio on the 23rd, this is a good time for greater introspection and release of past hurts and conflicts.