What would you do if someone you trusted implicitly, who’d been your angel for many years, suddenly became your devil? That’s what astrologer and TV personality Walter Mercado had to deal with, when his long-time manager stole his name, likeness and ability to earn a living – sparking a six year court battle in which Mercado lost millions and suffered a near-fatal heart attack from the stress.
As depicted in a fascinating documentary on his life, Mucho, Mucho Amor (on Netflix), the beloved Puerto Rican entertainer neglected to read a new contract his trusted manager had given him before signing it on August 4, 1995.
Mercado possessed a super-strong Saturn in its own sign of Capricorn conjunct the Midheaven–or career point–of his chart. It’s what helped him build such a lasting legacy. But Neptune was transiting his Saturn at that time, casting a fog around things. The result was great loss (Neptune) through misplaced trust in an authority figure (Saturn). Also, transiting Saturn was near Mercado’s idealistic Venus in Pisces, ruler of his Taurus Sun and Ascendant, issuing a major wake-up call. (Astro.com reports that Mercado was born on April 25, 1931 at 6 a.m. in Ponce, Puerto Rico).
Whatever you may think of the flamboyant entertainer, he was definitely a trailblazer. With Moon conjunct Mars in Leo, he was a child at heart who adored his fans and being worshiped by them. Suddenly being unable to reach them was a bitter lesson for him. “I had to face facts,” he admitted.
Although Neptune is not in adverse aspect to Saturn at the upcoming Cancer New Moon (July 20, 10:32 a.m. PDT) , the Sun and Moon’s exact opposition to Saturn still demands that we face reality. The second Cancer New Moon in a row (the first was June 20 at zero degrees), this one at 28 Cancer intensifies the need to deal with matters related to family, home, safety, rules and doing the right thing. With no-nonsense Saturn in Capricorn so prominent in the New Moon chart, just as it was in Mercado’s, it’s possible to build or shore up a lasting legacy if we let maturity and patience be our guide as well as temper optimism with good judgment.
This New Moon favors making commitments and setting hard boundaries. Some of us may need to cut our losses and choose a different path. What do you do when you’re struggling to stay afloat and your business gets shut down once again? Or, you have to decide whether or not it’s safe to send your kids back to school?
Saturn can be a tough taskmaster. And with that old devil retrograde right now, we’re apt to be dealing with backward officials, policies and attitudes that have been in place for a long time. Rather than tackling such things head-on and risking a collision, it might be wiser to think things through, seek workarounds and measure our actions carefully. Saturn is hanging with Jupiter and Pluto all year, so those two planets will also oppose the New Moon. When in Saturn’s sign, Jupiter teaches that growth and wisdom can come from restraint and caution. And Pluto’s presence in Capricorn says that old systems are dying to make way for new ones – and we have little control over the process.
If you’re planning to initiate something new at this New Moon, make sure it’s solid and a wise use of your energy, and you’re prepared to see it through. Be as patient as possible with the inevitable shifts, re-dos and delays you’re likely to face through the end of the year. By late August, action hero Mars stations to turn retrograde (from Sept. 9 to Nov. 13) in its home sign of Aries. This is liable to be a frustrating and cantankerous time. But if you are turned on by a challenge or are itching for a fight, it may be just what you’ve been waiting for! More on this transit as it unfolds.
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