Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius from January 21, 2015 until February 11
Click here to learn about Mercury. Click here to learn about Aquarius.
I recently posted about Uranus turning direct after being retrograde for more than 5 months. Click here to learn about retrograde motion. Mercury turns retrograde 3-4 times a year, more frequently than any other planet. Cool tidbit of information from EarthSky:
On Mercury, for example, the Sun sometimes moves in retrograde! As the planet speeds through its closest approach with the sun, its orbital speed overtakes its rotational speed. An astronaut on the surface would see the sun partially rise, then dip back below the horizon, then rise again before resuming its east-to-west trek across the sky. Once a year, Mercury gets two sunrises on the same day!
To be very clear, planets in retrograde are not actually spinning backwards – it is entirely an optical illusion as seen from Earth. Backwards motion appears to happen when Earth passes slower moving planets in the outer solar system. In astrology, this illusion manifests as a sort of “backwards” functioning of the planets and their roles. Mercury is concerned with communication and mental processes. Mercury aptly typifies the human mind: never static - constantly processing - always moving above and beyond, on to the next stimulus. Areas associated with this planet are travel, transportation, negotiation, bargaining, expression, everyday technology and writing. When Mercury is retrograde, these realms are particularly negatively affected.
I’ll be honest: when Mercury is retrograde, all hell seems to break loose. Significant changes often crop up nearly 10 days before, at the dawn of the “shadow period,” which starts this Sunday (January 11)! We can get a good idea of what we’re in for during this 10-day trial run. I have a feeling this Rx period won’t be as vicious as the last, but it’s too soon to say for sure. On the bright side, this transit encourages us to go back and finish anything that has been forgotten or ignored. I always get lots of great work done during this period.
I am warning you now that this is rarely a fun or easy time. In particular, be on the lookout for: delays, cancellations or sudden changes to travel or social plans; technological failures, especially with cell phones, laptops or anything connected to the Internet; communication breakdowns; objects mysteriously disappearing; items getting lost or stolen; the feeling that nothing is going right no matter how hard you try; anything and everything breaking, quitting, falling apart or malfunctioning for no apparent reason!
This is VERY important: I do not recommend making any major purchases or signing significant (or any) contracts/documents during this time. This is NOT – repeat NOT – a good time to make life-altering commitments or invest in things like houses, cars or expensive vacations. Be extremely careful with both your words and your money during this transit.
Despite all of the confusion and impaired decision-making, I see this transit as a lovely reminder of what’s good in life. Sometimes we need things to go wrong in order to see where we’ve become disorganized. Expect to do a lot of reflecting and perhaps journaling at this time, if that’s your thing - it may be difficult to express to others how and what you’re feeling, so it helps to have another outlet for your thoughts. Be compassionate and gentle with yourself and remember that we don’t have to make sense of everything right now. Keywords are review and adjust.
Meditation is strongly suggested, or at the very least some silent time set aside to look back on old work/plans that need attention. As stated, this is generally a very unfavorable time to start new projects for two reasons: it is quite possible that you will completely change your mind when Mercury turns direct again, even if you feel very strongly about something now; additionally, whatever you say or do now carries more weight than normal, so missteps will cost you greatly. Be aware and take precautions. Having said this, there is no need to suspend work or projects that are already in progress. What I’m speaking to now only applies to new endeavors.
One more silver lining, from CafeAstrology:
Minor breaks in the mechanical aspects of communication can actually re-connect us to other means of communication, such as when there is an unexpected power outage and we’re forced off the computer and television, finding different and often satisfying ways to entertain ourselves.
To find your Mercury sign and whether he was direct or retrograde at the time of your birth, click here. It is interesting to note that, if you were indeed born with Mercury Rx, you may not notice the effects above as strongly, if at all. More to come on natal Mercury Rx!
If you are curious about how this transit affects you personally, please contact me for more insight.
Mantra: change is good