Can you feel it? We are still in Mercury retrograde shadow as the planet prepares to station retrograde tomorrow. I am a Virgo sun and I feel it every time — Virgo is ruled by Mercury, which in turn, rules communication, electronics, travel, and mental clarity.
I hate it. I know that’s not the most spiritual thing to say, but I do. But after it is over, I appreciate all the opportunities it offered to redo things in my life.
So far in this shadow period I’ve forgotten numerous passwords, sent off uncharacteristically-confusing emails to my colleagues wondering why, and bought a super-soft watermelon even though I knew it would be rotten. And then promptly lost the receipt so I couldn’t return it. (Then I realized I could use my e-receipt.)
The nerd in me keeps a journal for every Mercury retrograde cycle. Do you do that too? Again for any astrology novices, you can get even more specific with your analysis and look at the signs and houses. So, for this retrograde cycle, Mercury is moving backwards first through Virgo, which rules the 6th house including daily work, pets, health, and fitness. And then it will back into Leo, which rules the 5th house including romance, pleasure, children, and hobbies. Everyone on the planet will have a “redo” in these areas of their lives.
What is the deeper meaning behind Mercury retrograde? We know the phenomenon is due to the different orbital tracks of planets, similar to runners going around a racetrack. In this analogy, runners take turns outlapping each other depending on where they are on the racetrack. In the case of Mercury retrograde, which is on the inner orbit around the Sun, the Earth is about to outlap Mercury. For people on Earth who look at the sky and zodiac, this is when Mercury then pulls away from the Earth from our prespective. And in astrological terms, we people on the ground are subject to Mercury’s energy moving further away from us, backwards in the zodiac over specific degrees of a particular sign.
But why would a creator or the universe or whatever you believe in have a system for humans to give them a redo in their lives, three times every year? Why would it be specific to communications, but also vary according to whichever sign it was retrograding into? Well, that all depends on what you believe or don’t believe.
Now I will pose a few more questions I have asked myself over the years. Why do some people give credence to astrology and others don’t? Why would disparate civilizations over thousands of years all develop the same or similar systems of astrology? Why do extreme events often seem to happen around full moons?
Speaking for myself, I would say I was always open to the possibility of a system of astrology, but it wasn’t until I started charting my own personal data over several decades that I had the evidence I needed to become a believer — it is so personal. And my conversations with the spirits over the years have reinforced this as well. Yellow Feather has a special project in mind for us in the future. Would you be interested in live group readings in the future with an astrological focus?
Have you ever tried charting astrological events in your own life? I notice Mercury retrograde, full moons, and Jupiter and Saturn transits the most. Here’s an example of what I put in my notes app in my phone that you can try too:
- – Bought rotten watermelon then lost receipt so couldn’t return it.
- – Former colleague messaged me out of the blue to say hello.
- – Purchased new web service and had technical snafu with password and had to call to get it unlocked.
At the end of this cycle, I will have a whole list written down and I can see the patterns I experienced according to my natal chart. More on this topic in a future post!
