As I'm sure you've heard by now Mercury, the planet of communications, is in retrograde. What does the mean? Here's a lil info courtesy of Dr Z.'s planetarium. Whether you believe in it or not, consider it a celestial FYI...
How To Deal With Mercury Retrograde
Yep! It would seem that during the past few decades, the term "Mercury Retro" has been slowly seeping into popular consciousness and has even begun to take on an honored role in "pop astrology" consciousness. In fact, unless they've been hiding under a rock, the average person now knows that in astrology there are 12 Zodiac signs and has heard somewhere or another that there's something called "Mercury Retrograde."
Communication, Commerce, and Everyday Routines
The planet Mercury, named for the wing-footed Roman god of "communications, commerce, and everyday routines," seldom gets much attention in astrology. That is... he seldom gets much attention until those times each year (3 to 4 times) that he briefly turns "retrograde" in the transiting (moving) sky.
Yep! When Mercury turns "retrograde," the archetypal planet of communications, Mercury suddenly gets blamed for just about anything (and everything) that does or might go "wrong."
Retrograde Planets in General
For the "uninitiated," a retrograde planet is a planet that (when viewed from the perspective of the earth) appears to have stopped and then temporarily reverses its regular movement through the sky. The planet then goes "retrograde" (backwards). After a certain length of time (depending upon the planet involved), the planet then appears to once again stop and reverse its movement through the sky. The planet then goes "direct" and is back on it's normal cyclic path through the sky.
Mercury Retro
The traditional astrological meaning assigned to Mercury going "retrograde" in the sky is that one should prepare for and gird themselves for unexpected delays, frustrations, and surprises in everyday life. This includes everyday routines in commerce, commuting back and forth to work, and in one's communications.
During the (very) approximate 24 day periods when Mercury turns "retrograde" in the sky, in the area of commerce, astrologers generally recommend delaying of the signing contracts and other important life decisions. It is a period of time thought to be better spent in reflection and in the rethinking of things.
However, since Mercury Retrograde generally occurs 3 to 4 times a year, one cannot rationally put everything "on hold" every time Mercury goes "retro." That's why I stated "one should prepare for and gird themselves for unexpected delays, frustrations, and surprises."
The Lighter Side of Mercury Retro
There is an ancient Roman saying: “Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.” Called or not called, the god will be there.
Since the god Mercury or Hermes (the Greek equivalent) in retrograde is inevitably going to come a calling, regardless of our best-laid plans, we might as well look further into how to make better use of his regular visits.
"Hermes is the god of the unexpected, of luck, of coincidence, of 'synchronicity.' The ancient Greeks would say: 'Hermes has entered our midst,' whenever a sudden silence had entered the room, descended on conversation and introduced into the meeting another dimension.
Whenever things seem fixed, rigid, 'stuck,' Hermes introduces fluidity, motion, new beginnings - as well as the confusion which inevitably precedes new beginnings." Arianna Stassinopoulos, The Gods of Greece
New Beginnings
Where are you stuck? Where do you need a new beginning? Mercury (Hermes) in retrograde will be glad to help "unstuck" you and provide you with that new beginning.
After all... Mercury (Hermes) is the archetypal deal-maker and broker within the horoscopic chart, and as such he'll be more than glad to strike a mutually beneficial deal with you!
Too Rigid, Too Stuck
Yep! It's often when we're too rigid and too stuck in our ways that Mercury (Hermes) springs out from behind a bush and reveals himself to us in the guise of a malicious bogey-man.
“… in Hermes we have a figure who signifies a union between an innate tendency on the part of the psyche to create boundaries and define spaces… He signifies the creative instinct at work in the psyche in a particular way.
A specific type of creator god, he is the creator of new spaces. It is in the creation of new spaces, novel spaces, inventive spaces, especially psychologically subtle spaces that Hermes shows his special nature and genius.” From the 1999 article “Hermes and the Creation of Space” by Murray Stein
And again:
“ Without Hermes, there are no transitions, only endless repetitions, a psychopathology without a God.” In Midlife: A Jungian Perspective, Murray Stein
So... believe it or not, Mercury in retrograde by virtue of getting us "unstuck" can be a deep healer of soul...
Spiritual Gold
In her book, The Gods in Everyman, archetypal author Jean Bolen points out that the physical substance of Mercury only adheres to precious metals... thus - metaphorically speaking - the archetypal substance of Hermes can show us the way to spiritual gold...
The Rule of Thumb
When Mercury is in retrograde the rule of thumb is that whatever you do in the area of everyday routines in commerce, commuting back and forth to work, and in one's communications - it's not typically going to go as smoothly as you thought it would.
Remain flexible. If necessary, be prepared to "punt the ball." Have a backup plan. In fact, have two backup plans! Breath deeply. This, too, will pass...
Mercury Retro Time Table
October 28 - November 18, 2006
February 13 - March 7, 2007
June 15 - July 9, 2007
October 11 - November 1, 2007
January 27 - February 18, 2008
May 26 - June 19, 2008
September 23 - October 15, 2008
January 11-31, 2009
May 6-30, 2009
September 6-29, 2009
December 26, 2009 - January 15, 2010
April 17, 2010 - May 11, 2010
August 20, 2010 - September 12, 2010
December 10-29, 2010
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