Mercury in Retrograde: What it Means to You
by R.H. Wodewose
"Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit."
Called or not called, the god will be there.
-Ancient Roman Saying
Astrologically speaking, few occurrences in the stars match the dramatic implications of the planet Mercury going into retrograde. When a planet goes into retrograde what is meant is that from the Earth's perspective, the planet in question stops its movement through the sky and then begins to move in the opposite direction of its original path.
Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially people who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, tricksters and thieves.
When regression is applied to the planet Mercury, named after the wing-footed Roman god of communications, commerce, and everyday routines, there is an increased occurrence of delays, frustrations, and surprises in everyday life. Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray, or awry.
During the approximately 24 day span when Mercury turns retrograde in the sky, in the area of commerce, astrologers normally suggest delaying of the signing contracts and other important life decisions. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde, these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed. It is a period of time thought to be better spent in meditation and in the rethinking of things.
The general rule is that whatever you do in the area of everyday routines in commerce, commuting back and forth to work, and in one's communications - it's not typically going to go as efficiently as you thought it would.
Especially since Mercury goes into retrograde two to three times a year, such delays are not always advisable. It is the author's recommendation to make alternate plans in case your daily routine is disrupted.
"Hermes is the god of the unexpected, of luck, of coincidence, of 'synchronicity.' The ancient Greeks would say: 'Hermes has entered our midst,' whenever a sudden silence had entered the room, descended on conversation and introduced into the meeting another dimension. Whenever things seem fixed, rigid, 'stuck,' Hermes introduces fluidity, motion, new beginnings - as well as the confusion which inevitably precedes new beginnings." Arianna Stassinopoulos, The Gods of Greece
When we are stuck in a routine is often when Mercury regresses and unveils his malevolent face on our world.
" in Hermes we have a figure who signifies a union between an innate tendency on the part of the psyche to create boundaries and define spaces He signifies the creative instinct at work in the psyche in a particular way. A specific type of creator god, he is the creator of new spaces. It is in the creation of new spaces, novel spaces, inventive spaces, especially psychologically subtle spaces that Hermes shows his special nature and genius." "Hermes and the Creation of Space" by Murray Stein 1999
Hermes reveals the path of spiritual gold.
On March 2, 2006, Mercury goes into retrograde in Pisces. With Mercury retrograde in Pisces, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. There is little choice but to reconsider our personal views and opinions about life. There is, however, an opportunity to gain insight into our own ego.
Mercury retro in Pisces, the sign of his fall, creates mental and emotional confusion, with strange dreams and sometimes psychic experiences. Mental processes being entwined with emotions, we find it hard to separate ideas and opinions from passion and idealism. Our mental orientation can be unstable, unrealistic and overly-spiritual, but it also inclines to laziness and increases the urge to consume alcohol. Nervousness and stress, even unfounded fears and paranoia are stimulated, especially from working or living in a hostile environment. Maintain privacy and dignity in the working environment and don't try to read between the lines, when there is really nothing to find.
As Mercury turns in stressful square aspect to Pluto in Sagittarius, people tend to become too intense or place too much importance on relatively innocuous ideas or pieces of information, and the likelihood is that the intelligence will be confused or misleading, especially if concerned with foreigners, faraway places, or religious matters. Don't waste time looking for hidden motives in what others are doing, when their actions may be perfectly innocent. Others take your ideas or actions far more seriously than you had intended. Valuable time can be lost, or you can jeopardize a position of personal power if you manipulate a situation, or the information and ideas you get from others, to your unfair advantage. Maintain a patient, reasonable attitude and absorb rumors with a grain of salt.
All areas of communication are affected, especially in any cultural pursuits, overseas matters or anything to do with travel, religion, academic pursuits, trading partners, adventurers and foreigners in general. This period brings travel snafus and missed appointments of all kinds. Documents can go astray. Be sure to carry a diary and refer to it often.
"Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit."
Called or not called, the god will be there.
-Ancient Roman Saying
Astrologically speaking, few occurrences in the stars match the dramatic implications of the planet Mercury going into retrograde. When a planet goes into retrograde what is meant is that from the Earth's perspective, the planet in question stops its movement through the sky and then begins to move in the opposite direction of its original path.
Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially people who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, tricksters and thieves.
When regression is applied to the planet Mercury, named after the wing-footed Roman god of communications, commerce, and everyday routines, there is an increased occurrence of delays, frustrations, and surprises in everyday life. Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray, or awry.
During the approximately 24 day span when Mercury turns retrograde in the sky, in the area of commerce, astrologers normally suggest delaying of the signing contracts and other important life decisions. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde, these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed. It is a period of time thought to be better spent in meditation and in the rethinking of things.
The general rule is that whatever you do in the area of everyday routines in commerce, commuting back and forth to work, and in one's communications - it's not typically going to go as efficiently as you thought it would.
Especially since Mercury goes into retrograde two to three times a year, such delays are not always advisable. It is the author's recommendation to make alternate plans in case your daily routine is disrupted.
"Hermes is the god of the unexpected, of luck, of coincidence, of 'synchronicity.' The ancient Greeks would say: 'Hermes has entered our midst,' whenever a sudden silence had entered the room, descended on conversation and introduced into the meeting another dimension. Whenever things seem fixed, rigid, 'stuck,' Hermes introduces fluidity, motion, new beginnings - as well as the confusion which inevitably precedes new beginnings." Arianna Stassinopoulos, The Gods of Greece
When we are stuck in a routine is often when Mercury regresses and unveils his malevolent face on our world.
" in Hermes we have a figure who signifies a union between an innate tendency on the part of the psyche to create boundaries and define spaces He signifies the creative instinct at work in the psyche in a particular way. A specific type of creator god, he is the creator of new spaces. It is in the creation of new spaces, novel spaces, inventive spaces, especially psychologically subtle spaces that Hermes shows his special nature and genius." "Hermes and the Creation of Space" by Murray Stein 1999
Hermes reveals the path of spiritual gold.
On March 2, 2006, Mercury goes into retrograde in Pisces. With Mercury retrograde in Pisces, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. There is little choice but to reconsider our personal views and opinions about life. There is, however, an opportunity to gain insight into our own ego.
Mercury retro in Pisces, the sign of his fall, creates mental and emotional confusion, with strange dreams and sometimes psychic experiences. Mental processes being entwined with emotions, we find it hard to separate ideas and opinions from passion and idealism. Our mental orientation can be unstable, unrealistic and overly-spiritual, but it also inclines to laziness and increases the urge to consume alcohol. Nervousness and stress, even unfounded fears and paranoia are stimulated, especially from working or living in a hostile environment. Maintain privacy and dignity in the working environment and don't try to read between the lines, when there is really nothing to find.
As Mercury turns in stressful square aspect to Pluto in Sagittarius, people tend to become too intense or place too much importance on relatively innocuous ideas or pieces of information, and the likelihood is that the intelligence will be confused or misleading, especially if concerned with foreigners, faraway places, or religious matters. Don't waste time looking for hidden motives in what others are doing, when their actions may be perfectly innocent. Others take your ideas or actions far more seriously than you had intended. Valuable time can be lost, or you can jeopardize a position of personal power if you manipulate a situation, or the information and ideas you get from others, to your unfair advantage. Maintain a patient, reasonable attitude and absorb rumors with a grain of salt.
All areas of communication are affected, especially in any cultural pursuits, overseas matters or anything to do with travel, religion, academic pursuits, trading partners, adventurers and foreigners in general. This period brings travel snafus and missed appointments of all kinds. Documents can go astray. Be sure to carry a diary and refer to it often.