Dr Z Looks at Mercury Retrograde - Making a Deal with Mercury,
the Archetypal Planetary Deal-Maker
Yep!
It would seem, during the past few decades, the term "Mercury
Retro" has been slowly seeping into popular consciousness
and has even taken on an honorary role in Sun Sign astrology.
In
fact, 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... he 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 vital
and valuable that I've got it hanging next to my home's 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.
It was known that one should never offend the gods by ignoring
them.
Since
the god Mercury or Hermes (his Greek counterpart) in retrograde
is inevitably going to come a calling, regardless of our best-laid
plans and organizational skills - instead of ducking and running
for cover - we might as well look further into how to creatively
make better use of and honor his regular visits.
"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, The
Gods of Greece
Mercury
- the Planet of New Beginnings
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! Hermes (Mercury) is the creator of
new spaces, and the god of transitions; and without Hermes (Mercury),
there are only endless repetitions!
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 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...
Mercury
Retro Dates
December 26, 2009 - January 15, 2010
April 17, 2010 - May 11, 2010
August 20, 2010 - September 12, 2010
December 10-29, 2010
March
30 – April 23, 2011
August 2 – 26, 2011
November 24 – December 13, 2011
March 12 – April 4, 2012
July 14 – August 8, 2012
November 6 – 26, 2012
Karma
Alert: As one of the top destinations on the internet,
this article on Mercury Retrograde appears to rather popular
for folks copying and pasting large uncredited portions
of it into their own various blogs and/or articles. Although
Dr Z would prefer that you not do this, you should at least
give him credit for any quotes and (most importantly) provide
a link to his site. Karma, karma, karma...
Astrology
Menu 
