When people ask me about Astrology, the first thing they usually want to know about is Sun Sign Romantic compatibility. The second thing they want to know is what the fuck is up with Mercury in Retrograde. And with good reason. In the past ten years or so, the phrase "Mercury is in Retrograde" has entered mainstream vocabulary as a sort of woo-woo shorthand for "shit is bananas". "It can't always be in Retrograde!" shouted a girl I used to wait tables with after she burned her hand on wing sauce for the third time that night. "True," my twenty-four-year-old self answered sagely, "But when it's in Retrograde, it feels like it has been for forever." Interestingly, when a loved one asks me if Mercury is in Retrograde, it usually isn't. They're just having a bad day/week/relationship.Or something. Or the Moon is full. While car accidents and misunderstandings are common during this time, there's more to this influence than unbridled insanity. Hermes/Mercury has always struck me as a witty, charming, elegant sort of fellow, and the chaos of his Retrograde period tends to still bear his idiosyncratic stamp. If a Mercury in Retrograde period doesn't have you laughing at the absurdity of it all at least once, you're doing it wrong! This influence is also capable of bringing bright blessings, though they generally are of the unexpected kind. (More on that later.)
So who is Mercury anyway? Well, IMHO, he's the hardest working deity in the pantheon.While all the other Gods are lounging around on Mount Olympus feeding each other grapes and playing human chess, Mercury is going, going all the time. First and foremost, he rules communication, in all it's forms. He brings messages from the Gods to humans and vice-versa. He assists in communication between mortals, and will even occasionally mediate when his family of immortals disagree. That's why sibling relationships fall under his domain. He's always on the go, so he rules travel as well. Not sure when he finds the time, but he's an epic Trickster, so pranks and mischief are also his territory. His most famous prank involved stealing a herd of cattle from his brother Apollo when he was still a baby. Luckily for him, their dad Zeus thought it was a pretty good joke, so he wasn't punished. That's why in addition to ruling communication, travel, sibling relationships, and tricks, Mercury is also the patron deity of thieves. Stealing information is his territory is well. He rules commerce. (Interesting that our ancestors put the same deity in control of selling and stealing, right?) Mercury also rules electricity which certainly impacts his retrograde periods.
What does retrograde mean? Well from an astronomer's perspective, it's when the Planet Mercury slows down and seems to stop as part of it's orbit. When it recedes, it appears to go backwards.This happens three times a year for approximately three weeks at a time. Our Ancients interpreted this as Mercury/Hermes going on vacation, taking a break from all of his important duties that tend to make all of our lives run more smoothly. And just like every guy I dated before my husband, we don't fully appreciate all the little things Mercury does for us until he's gone. The general understanding is that when Mercury is in Retrograde, things tend to go haywire. All the things Mercury helps us with; communication, travel, sibling relationships, electronics, shopping, may be more difficult than usual. Mercury rules rational thought so a lot of people like to use this time as a break from acting sane, allowing their egos and lower instincts to take over. (Like the dude from Green Mountain Energy who releases a stream of F-bombs on my front porch earlier this week when I told him I didn't want to switch energy plans.) Misunderstandings take place. People fight. Feelings get hurt. Sometimes couples break up and then get back together when Mercury turns direct. Sometimes couples break up and stay broken up because they realize they were incompatible. It's a time to expect the unexpected. The 2000 US Presidential Election was happening as Mercury turned Retrograde. When Mercury was in Retrograde in 2008, The Giants beat the undefeated Patriots in the Superbowl. My theory is that the main beef that people have with Mercury in Retrograde is that no one likes surprises. It's common for electronics to break down as well. Try not to replace them until Mercury turns direct. Shopping online should be avoided when possible. Mercury rules the signs of Gemini and Virgo, so people with a Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in these signs tend to be hit the hardest and experience the most confusion during this time. So, to recap, Mercury in Retrograde feels like everyone is freaking out at the same time, computers are crashing left and right, your boss is an idiot, your kid just dropped your e-reader in the (overflowing) bathtub. Just try to remember this will all be a funny story someday!
"Backwards" is a key word for the Mercury in Retrograde experience. It's just easy to slip up during this time, and end up needing a do-over. The only real way to combat this is to go about your daily routines as slowly and carefully as possible, paying extra attention to details. Otherwise, you might find yourself having to do a lot of things twice. It's generally considered to be a terrible idea to sign a contract under this influence. The conventional wisdom is that anything you do under this influence will very likely have to be re-done or undone down the road, so the less permanent decisions you make during this time the better. Business partnerships that begin under this influence don't always end on the best of terms. Houses purchased while Mercury is in Retrograde tend to end up needing more repairs than previously thought. Marriages... well getting married under the influence of Mercury in Retrograde is considered to be one of the biggest Astrological no-nos out there. I mean, that's one contract you definitely don't want to have to renegotiate!
Is all this starting to sound like the scene at the beginning of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure when his daily fortune reads, "Don't leave the house"? It shouldn't. Mercury in Retrograde can be a confusing stressful time, but it can also be pretty fun and kind of magical. A blessing of this backwards time is that it allows us to view an old conflict with a fresh perspective. This helps us release old hostilities that no longer serve us. (And probably never did) Just avoid as much responsibility as you can without getting fired. And wear your seat belt. And don't text and drive.
Mercury in Retrograde can be an auspicious omen for certain kinds of travel. Especially to places you've enjoyed in the past. The energy of this influence will help you experience a familiar place in a whole new way. It can be very eye opening. It's also very likely you will run into an old friend you haven't seen in forever. Mercury in Retrograde has a fondness for reconnecting us with people from our past.
Yes, a well documented aspect of a Mercury in Retrograde period is all those metaphorical chickens coming home to roost. If Mercury is in Retrograde and you feel a powerful urge to reach out in a loving way to someone you maybe aren't on the best terms with anymore, you have my permission to act on that! Conversely, don't be surprised if someone from your past reaches out to you. Accepting an Amends graciously is one of the most beautiful gifts we can give another person, and Mercury in Retrograde allows a space for that. In my personal experience, receiving a loving message during this time isn't limited to messages from the living. I have received a very powerful and specific message from a deceased friend twice in my waking life, and both times were when Mercury was in Retrograde.
Another thing I love about Mercury in Retrograde is sure it's crazy sometimes, but at least we're all in this together! Commiserating with a stranger about the wonkiness swirling all around us is literally one of my favorite things! Maybe you will make a new friend when you each try to leave the coffee shop with the other's drink! But if this one does hit you particularly hard, just remember, it's only three weeks!
In conclusion, "irrational" is the word most commonly associated with Mercury in Retrograde related chaos. "Irrational" is a pretty emotionally charged word, but all it means is "outside of one's head." That's not so bad. If you're not in your head, where are you? In your heart? In your spirit? I was reading about Sacred Geometry the other day, and I learned that an irrational number is a real number that cannot be written as a simple fraction. The phrase that stuck with me, was that since Pi cannot be solved by whole number ratios or even the square root of rational numbers it is BEYOND irrational and termed TRANSCENDENTAL.So under these circumstances, transcendental is what follows irrational. Applying mathematical terminology to human emotions may not resonate with everyone, but for me if feels really comforting to think that Mercury in Retrograde may bring daily frustrations, but also the power to transcend them. And beyond those daily frustrations, is a beautiful message from the cosmos, just waiting to be discovered.
