If there’s any time to take a fresh look at traditional interpretations for a planet’s retrograde character, it’s during a retrograde; after all, one of the dictates of Mercury retrograde is to re-examine our thought processes, our presumed knowledge, our methods and assumptions. We are instructed to take a look at the mental constructs we employ in our everyday lives, and examine them for accuracy and validity. At the same time, we are told that to make decisions, agreements, contracts, or to make major purchases or ‘moves’ is verboten. We accept this in a manner that borders on superstition; but do we ever ask why avoiding these activities is necessary? There are several good reasons, and the more aware we are of the circumstances behind these prohibitions, the better we’ll be able to negotiate the Mercury retrograde period, and know when it’s actually safe to go forward, and when to hold off, and why.
The first thing we need to keep in mind is that Mercury retrograde requires a fundamental shift in the faculties we use everyday; when Mercury turns around, to deal with our surroundings, with input, and with any decision-making, we must turn to the senses (Venus) and the feeling nature (the Moon), including the intuition, and, with fine tuning, we can utilize the extra-sensory component of Neptune, as well. Whether it appears practical to apply the feeling nature or not, the real impracticality of forging ahead using the mind will derail any attempts to center progress in reasoning and the concepts of language. These facets of the mind simply don’t work as well as they need to at this time; yes, we can reason, we can form mental concepts, and we can communicate; what we can’t do is gather all the input we actually need to put together those concepts and thoughts. It’s a truism of the Mercury retrograde period that no matter how carefully we examine the facts and gather data, we will either miss something (internal workings of the retrograde, where our actual faculties malfunction) or have something revealed after the direction which, if we’d have known, we wouldn’t have proceeded as we did (external workings of Mercury, where what is or can be known is not known by us). So, one thing we should accept during the retrograde is that we can’t outsmart it–and if we can accept that, then the next thing we must do is give our intuitive and feeling nature a chance to really ’spread its wings.’
We can do this, when confronted with something that would normally be dealt with by reasoning and fact-finding, by simply taking a step back and seeing what we feel: what pops into our minds, what sensations we experience within our bodies, what this current situation, request, or quandry reminds us of from the past. All these are valid (though not foolproof) ways of making that initial connection to the intuitive/ feeling nature. We should take anything that comes up, not as an iron clad dictate, but as a ’soft fact’ that we can roll in to our thought process. The point is to avoid total dependence on the mind in processing what comes before us.
My own experience shows that there are a few things that can be implemented during the retrograde, namely, that we can make a decision to go forward with something IF we have already thoroughly vetted the venture prior to the retrograde’s start. We must be scrupulously honest about this, and must not modify or dandify the already-made decision–we must simply implement, exactly as planned; as this is usually due to an unavoidable ’start date’ chosen by non-astrologers, we can look ahead on the calendar, and when this instance occurs, we can pre-plan and be ready. We can also use Mercury retro as a time devoted to reviewing, recovering, renovating–it’s a time for modest backgound work that involves things already begun, and already well advanced–editing and modifying in these cases can come with a stroke of genius. We must also have the patience to stick to what we can safely do; the latter half of the retrograde is often tense with a desire to get back into action, to go forward with ideas and plans that have surfaced in the consciousness (and this largely because even the most language-oriented of us gets tired, gives up, and allows that feelign material to surface eventually). But, to implement these new ideas safely, we must give Mercury a little time direct, and use those hours or days to examine material for its practicality in our world.
There is also the matter of not making major purchases, which is a reflection of the contract aspect of Mercury retrograde, but we must also avoid purchasing anything of an electronic nature. Mercury can represent conduction, and is often called a ‘lower form’ of Uranus, which rules everything ‘modern,’ including electronic wonders like the internet and cell phones. Mercury and Uranus can represent both the literal side of things (like electricity) or the conceptual (thought, innovation). We see our own ’shorting out’ of the brain during the retrograde as a mimic of the electrical and nerve imagery; all are at risk when Mercury retreats.
When preparing for tax time, here are a few tips: there’s nothing wrong with reviewing records, gathering data, and filling in a practice sheet, but don’t do final calculations or file until you have a chance to look things over after direction. And, whether you file by mail or electronically, submit your taxes during a Void. This is a tip gleaned from March and McEvers excellent ‘The Only Way to . . .’ astrology series, and has served my husband and I well for at least twelve years now. We are never audited, and receive our refund promptly and with no hiccups, so I’ve become a believer!
