A querent contacted me to ask whether he would close a business deal with a potential partner. At the moment I cast the chart, the 1st house was in Virgo. The querent is signified by Mercury in Pisces, in fall and detriment. Mercury is also retrograde and combust, applying to the Sun. Being placed in the 7th house, this implies a near total submission of the querent to the Other, the potential business partner, since the 7th house represents precisely that Other. Mercury in Pisces loses analytical clarity and rational judgement, becoming overly emotional, qualities only worsened by the applying combustion with the Sun and by retrogradation, which prevents the querent from moving forward in other directions. He cannot see things clearly when the Sun is burning him like this.
He is also signified by the Moon, which is in Libra in the 2nd house, almost in the Via Combusta, though not quite yet. This also speaks of the querent’s financial concerns, since the Moon is placed in the house that symbolises money and personal resources.
As for the business partner, he is represented by the 7th house in Pisces, so signified by Jupiter. Jupiter is retrograde in the 11th house, respecting the five-degree rule, exalted in Cancer but still retrograde. Mercury, being in Pisces, receives Jupiter by domicile and greatly esteems him. The querent places considerable hopes in this potential business. Jupiter, however, being in Cancer, does not receive Mercury. There is not much fondness from the Other towards the querent. But Jupiter does receive the Moon by domicile, which suggests that the financial side of the matter may still be of interest to him, even if he does not particularly appreciate the querent. Being exalted in Cancer, he appears confident and in a strong negotiating position.
But the real question is whether the deal would actually take place. We do not need to know whether the parties like one another. What we need are applications. First, Mercury retrograde applies to Jupiter retrograde by trine, the most benefic of aspects, the jovial and fluid aspect. But, because Mercury is extremely slow due to retrogradation, the Sun reaches Jupiter first and also makes a trine with it. This is an impediment, so the Mercury Rx-Jupiter Rx application is discarded.
Let’s check the Moon. The Moon also makes an aspect to Jupiter, this time by square. Although the square is a martial aspect, it is an aspect that perfects, and it does so within only two degrees of application. So the querent applies to the quesited through the Moon. This would be sufficient for a positive judgement in favour of the question. I answered affirmatively, but with a caution: the retrogradation of Jupiter. Retrograde planets promise more than they fulfil and, particularly in business matters, it is not auspicious to see the significator of the other party retrograde. It is literally turning back and withdrawing instead of moving forward.
The parties did speak and negotiate, but at the very last moment they failed to reach an agreement. The business partner decided to withdraw precisely at the final stage. This is one of the hard lessons of traditional and medieval astrology regarding retrograde planets. They do not just delay matters or represent som “karmic” whatnot. Quite often they promise more than they ultimately deliver. And, when exaltation is combined with retrogradation, the probability of such an outcome becomes even greater.
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