Gazing in the Mirror

November 19 - Retrograde Communications

On some dimension or other,
every event in life can be
causing only one of two things:
either it is good for you, or it
is bringing up what you need to
look at in order to create good
for you.... life is self-correcting.
~ Deepak Chopra,
"The Book of Secrets"

Know that nothing can hinder you
but yourself. If you believe you
can, you can. Life works by direct
affirmation.
~ Ernest Holmes

Once upon a time I did not know Mercury Retrogrades mattered. Yet I am of the sign of Gemini which is ruled by Mercury. I have become more and more aware that "stuff" related to communications "happens" during these astrological energy periods. I used to "enjoy" astrology in an entertaining sort of way and while I did not believe my daily affairs were ruled by astrology, I did feel that due to the number of people who have some amount of faith in astrology, there would have to be metaphysical effects expressed because of such wide spread beliefs. Yet during a particular 2 month spiritual practice I did, I released of any belief that astrological influences rule me except by choice and I chose instead to allow the Divinity at the core of myself to be dominant in my affairs.

Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth and travel. So when the planet Mercury goes retrograde — which means that it looks like it's going backwards in the sky — all those aspects of life that it rules go backwards as well. Some believe these things start to get ugly and tangled up. Mercury isn't really going backwards of course. It's just hanging out by the sun but from the Earth that location makes it look like it's in reverse. It typically runs "retrograde" for a couple of weeks, a few times a year. It may be that Mercury went "direct" again on the 16th of the year I first wrote this essay; but if so, it seems as though its effects were still being felt in my own life. I've noticed more than average "disconnects" on first call attempts that have to be followed up a second time to complete that intention. It is our normal business routine to transfer the line to voice mail at 5pm on Friday and open it back up on Monday. During the particular weekend in question, our business line was totally wacky – a lot of noise and no dial tone on the line and inexplicably the line kept ringing even though when answered there was no one there. If I called our business number from the residential line, I would get the voice mail and it did not ring here at our location.

So what the heck is going on with these other infuriating rings ? I haven't a clue. Could it really be Mercury Retrograde effects not waning very quickly in my own life ? Humans often like to find something else besides their own self to blame and I pride myself on being able to take responsibility for the outcomes in my own life. Still at that moment, all I could do when the phone rang was answer it and as long as that horrid static noise was all I could hear on the line, all I could do was hang up. What is irritating is that I would then have to answer it 2-4 more times before it finally gave me a blessed break of silence. I tried to respond to these occurrences without feeling too "bothered" but I'll admit it WAS difficult not to feel negative emotions towards these repeated interruptions !!

What has been traditionally said one can expect during a Mercury Retrograde ? Arguments about nothing at all, interruptions in conversations, thoughts that trail off before being completed. Electronic devices including computers seem to be very susceptible to unfortunate events. Forget about traveling, unless you thrive on glitches. Information is often poorly transmitted, messages don't get through. And oh yeah, don't sign any contracts until Mercury is direct again, if you can help it. I have known Gemini's to go into a "hermit mode", so superstitious are they about these periodic influences (and yes, frequent – a couple weeks each time and several times a year – there were three in the year 2012 when I first wrote this). I am not one of those who takes such things all that seriously. Whether or not I'm more irritated, cranky or frustrated - it would be hard for me to actually prove it was beyond the ordinary. I just muddle through moments such as these.

On the positive side, a Mercury Retrograde by its very public intensity can highlight areas of one's life that could use a little attention and tender loving care. It is entirely possible to feel a bit cleansed and refreshed once it is all over with. Even perhaps a bit more confident about moving forward in Life. A Mercury Retrograde can bring alternatives into awareness and major breakthroughs can come out of the sometimes messy process. Do you have a few loose ends that have seemed impossible to tie up ? The next Mercury Retrograde might be the time resolution becomes possible. Perhaps you can cope with the unavoidable snafus by taking on one previously un-finished project and just get it done – finally.

Mercury Retrogrades are great reminders that Life is what happens when you are busy making plans and that going with the flow and not resisting whatever IS already manifesting is still perennially good advice. A Mercury Retrograde is definitely not the time to make your stand with determined resistance to whatever is happening and attempt to force things to go your way. Kindness towards others who are feeling similarly vexed will be especially appreciated by any for whom a Mercury Retrograde feels especially challenging.

~ perspective

When things go wrong as
they sometimes do, I step
back and let the action unfold
around me with patience and
kindness, not piling even more
stress on others.
I try not to take harsh words
personally, I realize that these
do not reflect who I am and
I try to feel compassion for
whatever circumstances are
causing that effect.
I remember to go slow enough
to fully check whether what
I am doing has any kind of
significant financial or legal impact.
I try to view the most crazy of
circumstances as some kind of
Karmic Joke and laugh along.
When life feels stalled in one way,
I look for other ways to feel the
relief of progress, get in touch
with old friends to see how they
are doing or finally finish some
long overdue project.

#astrology #beliefs #challenges #disconnect #emotion #flow #forcing #glitches #kindness #resistance