Homage To Mercury Retrograde

Three to four times every year, the planet Mercury appears to move backwards for a few weeks along its celestial path, at least from our Earthly point of view. Astrologers refer to such periods as 'retrograde transits'.

The current retrograde period is the third (and last) of 2021, and it began on September 27 in the sign of Libra. It will continue to hold sway until it goes 'direct' again on October 18. Murky Mercury seems to be picking on the air signs this year, because as you might recall, it was previously retro in Aquarius between January 30 and February 21. Then it was likewise regressive in Gemini from May 29 to June 22. I'll explain a little about what this means further down.

Since traditionally Mercury was the messenger of the gods in the Roman pantheon (equivalent to the Greek Hermes), it is said that these backward motions tend to have an adverse effect on those aspects of life governed by that deity. These are chiefly: commerce, communication, and transportation.

You may have noticed that this past week alone has been a bit of a doozy in those aforementioned areas. Just to give a few examples from the public sphere:

• On Sunday October 3, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published the Pandora Papers. This treasure trove of nearly 12 million documents exposed the secret offshore accounts of over 30 world leaders as well as upwards of 100 billionaires and celebrities. This is the largest leak of its kind since the Panama Papers (2016).
• Social media giant Facebook went down for an extended period on Monday October 4, affecting literally billions of users on its multiple platforms including Instagram and WhatsApp.
• A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan late on Thursday October 7. The damage wasn't severe, but it did cause some disruptions to Tokyo's otherwise efficient train system.

On a personal level, it's likely that lately you've been hearing from or running into old friends and perhaps flames. Libra rules relationships after all.

Don't be surprised if you feel more frustrated than usual, either with those close to you, or even with your own private thoughts. The air signs signify the mind and its processes, which Mercury muddies.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that these types of things only happen during Mercury retrograde. Neither am I telling you that this tiny distant planet is actually responsible for these terrestrial events. I for one don't believe that's how astrology works. Nevertheless, it's rather uncanny that a higher incidence of such occurrences coincides with Mercury's reversed motion across our sky. Believe me, I'm not the only one who keeps track of this.

Anyway, what's a poor soul to do under these inauspicious circumstances? Well, I've written a poem that summarizes my advice on the matter. So without further ado, I give you:

Homage To Mercury Retrograde

Pay close attention now dear siblings

To that Trickster in purest form

But do not shoot the messenger

Because he brings news of a storm...

Missed calls, mixed messages, misfired e-mails and texts.

Blasts from the past, familiar faces, falling in bed with an ex.

Expect delays, accidents and costly mistakes.

Don't be in too much of a hurry

Or you'll see what a waste your haste makes.

Misunderstandings, communication breakdown, arguments abound.

Device malfunctions, forgetfulness and loss all around!

Grounded flights, transport strikes and commerce grinding to a halt.

Such incidents are far more common

When young Hermes is at fault.

Sign no contracts, hold off projects, don't bother buying phones

Or they will surely bear out marks of retrogressive overtones.

Still there's a silver lining

Underneath this awkward show;

One's subconscious mind is shining

In pregnant silence, lessons GROW

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Originally published July 10 2013 on the author's old Blog.

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