Mercury Stations Retrograde... encore !
What it means and how to navigate it.
“Mercury retrograde”, “Your ex is coming back”, “Do not travel”… Are we not tired of recycling the same sentences and misleading beliefs ?
First and foremost, it is Mercury in retrograde, it is describing a continuous movement, it is not in a static state. If anything, this is the first thing to consider when going through a Retrograde, it allows us to move in a different direction and it is certainly not a period to stop you from doing anything despite recent common beliefs. Secondly, if it is your exes that you are worried about, Mercury is simply making them come back to trigger a change in your communication boundaries. If you exes always come back, then you probably have not learned how to enforce those boundaries yet. Do not shoot the messenger here (no pun intended) ! Lastly, Mercury in retrograde is not always about canceling every project you had in mind, but rather proceeding with more caution when it comes to your travels, your routines, your interactions with others and even your finances and bigger purchases for this period.
To understand how Mercury operates, we need to go back to the mythological roots and draw inspiration from the role of Hermes as a deity. Hermes is probably one of the first Greek deities you were introduced to and that is no coincidence. He is presented as the messenger of the Gods, for he operates as a mediator between mortals and immortals. This makes Hermes a cunning figure who is really able to adapt to different environments and also likes to know about all details of what is happening anywhere he goes (If you have a Gemini or a Virgo in your life, you will know what I am referring to). If we follow this logic, Hermes seems to be breaking boundaries for he is a God able to connect with humans but he also enforces boundaries as he knows his responsibilities and does not trespass beyond those. Mercury acts similarly into influencing our life, it is always moving closely to the sun while also keeping an eye on its fellow planets.
To now learn how to navigate all the Mercury retrograde periods in our lives (and there will be many of course, it is its natural cycle of going in retrograde three times a year), we must accept Mercury as a teacher. Mercury in astrology rules the 3H and 6H, these are the houses of Gemini and Virgo, they do represent communication in different forms but they also represent skills and improvement. In addition to that, Mercury is not a malefic, therefore it does not bring dramatic changes, but simply necessary adjustments into our lives to move forward.
Starting today until February 4th, Mercury will retrograde in the signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, going from 10 degrees in Aquarius to 24 degrees in Capricorn (remember that it is going “backwards”). This is essentially significant for any long term projects because both Aquarius and Capricorn are Saturnian signs. Now is a good time to not completely freeze and paralyze yourself, but rather rethink about anything you would like to pursue in the long term and start planning ahead. It is also a good time to have important conversations with your long term friends and partners and decide together how you would like to navigate the next steps of your relationship. However, it is crucial to be very careful with your communication, and be patient and understanding rather than reactive. This period is also good to start a hobby, because you will most likely not give up on it. For example, I started this newsletter during the last Retrograde in Libra in October, and it was transiting my 9H (collective knowledge, philosophy and higher education). Any idea that is brewing in your mind will most likely develop into something better and bigger as long as you know where and how to proceed forward, just like Mercury does !
And to people nervous about ex-lovers coming back, ask yourself if it is the truth of the situation that you fear or perhaps finally closing down a chapter that will require you to stand strong in your communication and boundaries? Again… Do not let Mercury answer this one for you, please. I would be more concerned about missing automated payments, than about your ex-lovers coming back with a mediocre “hey” that even Hermes feels embarrassed to look at.
Lastly, because I do not want to keep you any longer but it would still be appreciated if you stick around a little bit…
Mercury in retrograde is a great period to dive deep into your dream state. This is often neglected, but Mercury is not just about earthly communications, it is also about our unconscious. In tropical western astrology, Pisces (12H) is the sister sign of Virgo (6H), they both rule different levels of our communication and what we learn from the 6H of conscious communication, we can apply to the 12H of unconscious communication and vice versa. If you are the type to neglect your dream world, this would be an auspicious period for you to teach yourself how to pay attention to your dreams and eventually start a dream journal. Jupiter and Neptune are also both currently stationed direct in Pisces, therefore you may find yourself dreaming more vividly and remembering your dreams more easily. Hermes will be pleased to see you write down your dreams, it is the equivalent of pop culture gossip for him.
I hope you have a great Retrograde, and you will learn a lot about yourself during this one. You will survive, and you will eventually stop listening to astrologers who like to generate panic (hopefully you will) !
- Salma
