Some Thoughts on this “Mercury Retrograde” Thing
By Victoria Bryant, B.A., M.A.
What does retrograde mean, and why should we care about what the planet Mercury is doing some 48 million miles away? I like Antero Ali’s approach in his book, Astrologik, how he refers to planets as forces. Retrograde is when a planet appears to be moving backwards along its path. Mercury is considered a “personal force” because it is so physically close to earth compared to the other planets. Which means we tend to be more consciously aware of its effect on us, and our daily life. Retrograde activity typically implies that it is time to take care of old business; catch up on things; review; regroup; reconnect in the areas of life that are mirrored through the force and sign involved. How this feels and what we experience is different than when it is not retrograde. In retrograde, it seems like things are going wrong; crazy; falling apart; going to hell, etc. It can be perceived as Murphy’s Law taking over and becoming the norm, but I like to think of it as a restorative period. Retrograde-ness has a way of making us slow down, and pay attention to things. The mantra to adopt when managing, traveling, or trying to organize, and function during a retrograde period is: Things will not go as expected. These times help us focus and prioritize.
Mercury (Roman) or Hermes (Greek) was the god Zeus’ messenger. He was graceful and swift of motion. He is recognizable by his winged helmet and sandals. The word “mercurial” in English means one who is eloquent, shrewd and swift; also it is one who is changeable. It represents the mind and all forms of communication. Mercury is neither masculine nor feminine, but takes on the qualities of its situation and style. Mercury represents the act of carrying ideas not the ideas themselves, and hosts the intellect by how it functions. Mercury is representative of all forms of communication in the world, from speech to jungle drums to satellite relays.
Mercury’s retrograde activity occurs around three time per year, and generally lasts about three weeks. This phase of activity began happening March 5th, and goes through the 28th while it is in Pisces. So, in addition to things listed above it may highlight or affect things such as: being vulnerable to impressions; finding it harder than normal to focus; to define things/situations; innate body-wisdom might be hard to read during this time; differences and boundaries dissolve. Along with this general lack of clarity resentments may soften, and get washed away. If we let it, retrograde rhythms can be healing, or at least eye opening.
MERCURY in Cancer: Mercury figures out how to think, speak, write and plan - in Cancer it wants to communicate feelings and emotions as they relate to the home and family - or how one nurtures oneself. Personal integration within a well-defined area of operation; concrete selfhood and a concrete basis for the expression of selfhood. Concerned with the establishment of a firm center of integration; likely to feel insecure when forced to relate on unfamiliar ground; need for focalized consciousness and assumption of responsibility toward others for conscious participation in a social whole
Human Anatomy: Chest, breast, and stomach
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