I don’t know what it is about the summer and when mercury goes retrograde but I always look forward to my life being thrown up in the air and smashed fabulously to the ground. In case any of you don’t know, in western astrological thinking; when Mercury (the planet of communication and travel) goes retrograde; spins backwards, it can really turn your life upside down. This usually happens for about 3 weeks, 3 or sometimes 4 times per year. My partner and I both have Mercury ruling our ascendants (how you interact with the world) and mid-heaven (one’s vocation in life). So for us we usually get into heated arguments and misunderstandings, and always seem to plan a trip right smack dab in the middle of one (being the seducers of fate that we are!) ha ha!
Everyone I know who is informed regarding this phenomena dreads the mercury retrograde! Oh no! I see fists shaking to the air, blaming poor little Mercury, the winged-footed messenger.
It seems whatever comes up and makes itself known during Mercury’s retrograde periods are things I have been putting off and that I know I need to deal with. I even find under closer scrutiny that certain themes come up that become important further on down the line, or a course correction happens that allows space for something new to develop in my next steps.
The themes of Mercury retrograde are redo, revisit and rethink. This summer our well unexpectedly went dry, work opportunities turned up and disappeared, traffic jams and internet communication failed. All making me look at the importance and preciousness of water, the destruction and renewal of fire (traffic diverted due to wild fire), I have been feeling lately I need to create my own work opportunities and my dependency on the internet; so time to disconnect, go inward, leave the electronics behind. Alot can be learned from what life gives us, these times are good for fact finding; what to take action on in life.
Lorraine Hughes © 2012
