“As above, so below.”

The planet speaking now is Mercury — on vacation — having slowed into retrograde motion. It follows its usual thrice-a-year pattern: three weeks of reversal, retreat and reflection. It is the time of the “re-”: rethinking, reviewing, revisiting, remembering, renewing. But Mercury is not alone. Saturn, the planet of karma and form, is also on pause. Neptune, ruler of dreams and illusions, joins in the stillness. Recently, Jupiter — the planet of expansion and spirituality — followed suit, as if the cosmos itself decided to take a collective breath.

When so many celestial forces slow down, it’s as if the heavens are asking us to do the same — to stop pushing forward and instead turn within. To reflect on what we are creating, on what needs to be dismantled, on what illusions must dissolve.

The Western astrological reading of cosmic energies is not merely a set of metaphors but a map of living forces that influence our material world. And then I am reminded that we are in the final phase of the Chinese Astrology Year of the Snake, 2025 — the year known in ancient cycles as the “great shedding.” The snake sheds its skin not once but continuously, symbolizing transformation and rebirth. This year has already shown us that alchemy — the transformation of chaos into wisdom — is a lived necessity.

Fear. Did we not meet fear head-on these past months? We witnessed Mother Nature’s wrath through two powerful typhoons — winds raging, rivers overflowing, mountains sliding down in waves of mud and debris. The devastation echoed through the cries of desperate people who lost everything: homes, livelihoods, even loved ones swept away. Scientists will cite climate change, deforestation and poor urban planning as causes, but we all know the deeper truth: these are the consequences of human corruption and neglect. Forests denuded, rivers clogged, flood-control projects turned into profit schemes. When the rain came, it carried not only water but the weight of our collective irresponsibility. Fear was palpable. And with it came the thought that no matter what we do, it is never enough.