Cutting a Deal with Mercury, the Planetary Wheeler Dealer,
Mercury
in Retrograde
Yep!
It would seem that the term "Mercury Retro" has been
slowly seeping into popular consciousness and has taken on an
honorary role in Sun Sign astrology.
Unless
they've been hiding under a rock, the average person knows that
there are 12 Zodiac signs and something nefarious called "Mercury
Retrograde."
Communication,
Commerce, and Everyday Routines
The astrological planet Mercury, named for the wing-footed Roman
god of "communications, commerce, and everyday
routines," seldom gets much attention in astrology. That
is... Mercury seldom gets much attention until those (3 to 4 times)
times each year that he briefly turns "retrograde" in
the transiting (moving) sky.
Yep!
When Mercury turns "retrograde," the archetypal planet
of communications, Mercury suddenly gets blamed for just about
anything (and everything) that does or might go "wrong."
Retrograde
Planets in General
For the "uninitiated," a retrograde planet is a planet
that (when viewed from the perspective of the earth) appears to
have stopped and then temporarily reverses its regular movement
through the sky. The planet then goes "retrograde" (backwards).
After
a certain length of time (depending upon the planet involved),
the planet then appears to once again stop and reverse its movement
through the sky. The planet then goes "direct" and is
back on it's normal cyclic path through the sky.
Mercury Retro
The traditional astrological meaning assigned to Mercury
going "retrograde" in the sky is that one should prepare
for and gird themselves for unexpected delays, frustrations, and
surprises in everyday life. This includes everyday routines in
commerce, commuting back and forth to work, and in one's communications.
During the (very) approximate 24 day periods when Mercury turns
"retrograde" in the sky, in the area of commerce, astrologers
generally recommend delaying the signing of contracts and/or delaying
any other important life decisions. It is a period of time thought
to be better spent in reflection and in the rethinking of things.
However,
since Mercury Retrograde generally occurs 3 to 4 times a year,
one cannot rationally put everything "on hold" every
time mischievous Mercury decides to go "retro." That's
why I stated "one should prepare for and gird themselves
for unexpected delays, frustrations, and surprises."
The
Lighter (or perhaps Deeper) Side of Mercury Retro
There's
an ancient Roman saying: “Vocatus atque non vocatus deus
aderit.” Called or not called, the god will be there.
Taking heed of and honoring this ancient Roman maxim is so powerful
that I've got this plaque hanging next to my front door.
According
to astrologer Richard Idemon, the ancient Greeks had a saying
that, when passing by the temple of a god, you must honor the
god by "offering the appropriate sacrifice at the appropriate
time." The point being that one should never offend the gods
by ignoring them. Bad, bad, bad form ignoring the gods!
The
god Mercury or Hermes (his Greek counterpart) in retrograde is
inevitably going to come calling, regardless of our best-laid
plans and organizational skills. So... instead of ducking and
running for cover - we might as well look further into how to
make better use of (and honor) Mercury retrograde's regular visits.
How? We offer Mercury the appropriate sacrifice at the appropriate
time.
Mercury
- the Planet of New Beginnings
"Hermes
is the god of the unexpected, of luck, of coincidence, of 'synchronicity.'
The ancient Greeks would say: 'Hermes has entered our midst,'
whenever a sudden silence had entered the room, descended on
conversation and introduced into the meeting another dimension.
Whenever
things seem fixed, rigid, 'stuck,' Hermes introduces fluidity,
motion, new beginnings - as well as the confusion which inevitably
precedes new beginnings." Arianna (Stassinopoulos) Huffington,
The Gods of Greece
“Tricksters
preside over moments of passage, rupture and transformation.”
Dr. R. S. Tannen The Female Tricksters
Where
are you stuck? Where do you need a new beginning? Mercury (Hermes)
in retrograde will be glad to help "unstuck" you and
provide you with that new beginning.
After
all... Mercury (Hermes) is the archetypal deal-maker and broker
within the horoscopic chart, and as such he'll be more than glad
to strike a mutually beneficial deal with you!
Too
Rigid, Too Stuck
Yep! It's normally only when we're too rigid and stuck in our
worn out ruts that Mercury (Hermes) in his role of trickster springs
out from behind a bush and reveals himself in the guise of a malicious
bogey-man.
Mercury
(Hermes) - Deep Healer of Soul
“…
in Hermes we have a figure who signifies a union between an
innate tendency on the part of the psyche to create boundaries
and define spaces… He signifies the creative instinct
at work in the psyche in a particular way.
A
specific type of creator god, he is the creator of new spaces.
It is in the creation of new spaces, novel spaces, inventive
spaces, especially psychologically subtle spaces that Hermes
shows his special nature and genius.” From the 1999 article
“Hermes and the Creation of Space” by Murray Stein
And
again:
“ Without Hermes, there are no transitions, only endless
repetitions, a psychopathology without a God.” In
Midlife: A Jungian Perspective, Murray Stein
Wow!
That's incredibly powerful news! Hermes (Mercury) is the creator
of new spaces, and the god of transitions; and without Hermes'
(Mercury's) seeming chaos, there are only endless repetitions!
Let
that slowly seep into your synapses!
So...
believe it or not, the mischievousness of Mercury gone wild in
retrograde - by virtue of getting us "unstuck" and setting
us free from endless repetitions - can potentially be a deep healer
of soul...
Guide
To The Gold
In her book, The Gods in Everyman, archetypal author
Jean Bolen uniquely points out that the physical substance of
the liquid metal Mercury only adheres to precious metals... thus
- metaphorically speaking - the archetypal substance of Mercury
can show us the way to spiritual gold...
Dr
Z's Rule of Thumb
Whenever Mercury is in retrograde the rule of thumb is that whatever
you do in the area of everyday routines in commerce, commuting
back and forth to work, and in one's communications - it's not
typically going to go as smoothly as you thought it would.
Remain flexible. If necessary, be prepared to "punt the ball."
Have a backup plan. In fact, have two backup plans! Breath deeply.
This, too, shall pass...
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Dr
Z Takes a Look at Mercury Retrograde
Astrology
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Liz Green and Howard Sasportas This is my most traditional reading
suggestion. Focus of the book is on the astrological planets of
Mercury, Venus, and Mars looked at from an archetypal perspective.
Allan Combs 
Lewis Hyde