The real work is much more
involved.
When in retrograde, Mercury, like
any planet, only appears to be going
backward from our perspective on
this little rock from which we stand.
In actual fact the planet does more
of a loopty-loo move in the sky.
MERCURY
RETROGRADE:
SHADOWS
SEARCHING FOR
LIGHT
WRITTEN BY: Chani Nicholas
Mercury retrograde is not to be
feared. It’s a rhythm to be rocked.
It’s a song to be sung. It’s an excuse
to get your introspective groove on.
It happens three times a year. Three
times a year people. And if one
considers the shadow phases of
Mercury as well as the retrograde
itself (the time when the planet will
occupy the degrees of its retrograde
motion*) we are looking at two
entire months for each retrograde.
That’s six months. That’s half a
year. That’s half our life.
So, instead of this time being
viewed as one of communicative
curses and technological
condemnation from the gods on
high, we can view it as essential to
our growth and evolution. Yes
things get tricky, testy and tedious.
Yes phones get dropped and call get
lost and emails go awry. No it’s not
a good time to make major plans,
sign big contracts or buy electronic
devices. Big deal. These things are
easy enough to avoid or (maybe a
little harder) easy enough to deal
with if we put life into perspective.
This gives us a good indication of
what we end up mirroring.
Retrogrades tend to bring the issues,
people and opportunities back
around that the planet represents in
the style of the sign it
occupies. Mercury represents
communications, learning, thinking,
reasoning and moving about. This
retrograde begins at two degrees of
Scorpio, just two degrees away
from the October 23rd solar eclipse
in the same sign. Scorpio is not
afraid to penetrate facades and
expose the truth. Scorpio is not
afraid to see the places in life when
it is both the bully and the bullied,
the victim and the perpetrator, the
abuser and the abused. The
co