The Winged Messenger Goes Retro

It's that time again: another Mercury retrograde, when we all chant, a la Aretha Franklin, "Re-re-re-re..." as in, revise, rethink, review, renew, remind, remember, re-imagine, and most of all: relax! Mercury, the fast-moving planet of communication, goes retrograde (appears to travel backwards in the sky) on an almost seasonal basis, so it's wise to learn to relate to retrogrades rather than fear them.

This one began today in Sag, and will conclude in Scorpio on December 3rd (the signs refer to where Mercury is at the time of retrograde, NOT to the the current sun sign, which IS Scorpio, just to confound you further).

Astrologer Tara Greene adds a little color to this retrograde with her analysis of its Sabian symbols (metaphoric descriptions for each degree of the zodiacal wheel).

Tara writes, "The Sabian symbol for the degree where Mercury retrogrades is, 'The lamp of physical enlightenment at the left temple.' This concerns itself with the link between left and right brain, the intuitive, creative, psychic side and the logical, ordered side. We need to tune into and balance both sides of our brains. Mercury is dual natured, a hermaphrodite, representing the union of both halves of the brain. I picked up a synchronistic pun, on Temple, of course. You don't need to go into any building to pray to get in touch with God. It's all right there in your consciousness. It is all in your head. And that's a good thing too.

"The symbol is elaborated: 'This refers to the process of deconditioning a consciousness that has become a prisoner of intellectual concepts with their total reliance on quantitative values, objectivity and conformity to the official patterns of our culture. Listen to the wisdom of your body.'

"I'd interpret this as: turn off your TVs, your cell phones, the media lies and hype, you are a prisoner already."

During the retrograde it's a good idea to double- and triple-check appointments and flight times, leave extra time to get somewhere, and delay purchasing electronic equipment if possible. Communication snafus and computer glitches are common now. (I once thought I needed a new computer; my Mac was crashing daily for no apparent reason. Then Mercury went direct and the problem went away. Seriously.)

Once Mercury goes direct on December 3rd, it's akin to an "all-clear" signal--almost. Tara says that the Sabian symbol on Dec. 3rd will be, "'Thanks to an X-ray, a man's life is saved.' This symbol pertains to seeing with X-ray like vision; beneath the surface of things. Like the news or your own body. Put on your X-ray specs. Jupiter is also in Scorpio now, amplifying that Scorpionic X-ray vision all around. Communications will start to move forward again, BUT...

"Communications won't be entirely 'back to normal' again until Mercury hits the degree it left when it began to retrograde, on December 21st. Just in time for the Winter Solstice."

It's a wild flume ride, as we're still in the integration phase from 11:11:11, too. So the energy is unpredicatable and wonderful, wacky and way-out, and the best path is the one of least resistance. Go with the flow, allow yourself time to wander and wonder in natural, peaceful surroundings, simply be the Love that you are, with yourself as much as with anyone else.

Happy evolving, fellow starseeds!