In a world…where bosses forget to send emails…where text messages never arrive…where computers crash for no apparant reason…and vacation plans change AT THE LAST MINUTE…it’s happening again. Mercury Retrograde: She’s Baaaack!
Some of you may be already dreading the Merc rx, others rolling your eyes, but how many of you are looking forward to it?
In my opinion: not nearly enough!
Yes, Mercury retrograde can be a pain in the butt. Yes, it can also pass unnoticed (especially if you’re someone who doesn’t sweat the small stuff, or at least is chill about running late, delayed packages, etc).
As a fast-moving inner planet, transiting Mercury’s influence on us is mild, compared to powerful slowpokes, like Saturn and Pluto. But that mild impact can be incredibly helpful if you know how to use it.
Mercury rules thoughts, talk, writing and transportation, as well as the little moving parts of everyday life. When it’s traveling direct (astrologically speaking), life’s gears roll smoothly. We can multitask, remember our sister’s birthday, write down that great idea the instant we think of it and be on autopilot when trading instructions and reminders with our partners and coworkers. We hardly notice what we are doing; we don’t need to.
That sounds nice, but it can be pretty crappy.
While Mercury is direct, we assume too much, notice too little. Small neglects and resentments accumulate. We get by with website problems and car trouble, even though we may be hurting our Hyundai’s engine and losing business without knowing it. We think our way through emotional situations and erode our gut sense by ignoring it.
Thank goodness, then, that Mercury turns retrograde three times a year. From July 25th through August 17th (a bit during the weeks before and after), you can use Mercury retrograde’s mojo to fill your daily life with deeper feeling and greater presence.
- Listening to your intuition and getting in touch with your feelings. Your thoughts may be foggy or scattered but your body knows what’s up. Slow down enough to speak its language. What are those tight neck muscles communicating? Which people make your belly feel warm? When, in your day, do you laugh and when do you forget to breathe? Listen to the messages and when you feel calm, make decisions from them. Under Merc rx, bodily sensations and intuition are your most reliable data.
- Revising, editing and problem-solving. The distractibility we tend to associate with Mercury rx comes from a heightened awareness of problems and flaws. We’re also more tuned in to possible solutions. Maybe your professional bio doesn’t represent your personality. Update it! Watch a youtube video and do that dishwasher fix yourself! Why bang your head in frustration trying to start a new project when the stars are so beautifully aligned for doing draft two on an old one?
- Helping out & connecting. Under Merc rx–which brings out Mercury’s Virgo-like traits–small, productive acts can be deeply satisfying. And more so when others benefit. Strengthen a friendship by helping your bud talk through his break-up. Proofread your niece’s college applications. De-virus-ify your elderly neighbor’s computer. Teach an art workshop where there is nothing to get “right” and the only goal is to be present.
What all these activities have in common is that they rely on slowing down and being present with wherever you’re at. If you let go of some of your most urgent “shoulds”, you might even find you like Mercury better this way.
Dying to get some perspective on your crazy life in a one-on-one Depth reading? This week is your last chance…until September, that is. I’m away from the internet all of August, but I still have a few openings between now and July 31st. Book yours here.