How to cope when Mercury’s retrograde

How to cope when Mercury’s retrograde

Question for the astrologer:

Just droppin by to talk 'bout freakin Mercury w/ my favorite astrologer! Mercury is usually my favorite planet but not when it's retro. Man, Mercury retro has one heckuva timin, Tim! I take (re-take!) the Bar next week and it would be while Mercury is retro, huh? Arrrrgghh! In practicin some multiple choice questions & essays I'm noticin the words are jumbled up and I'm misreadin some of the questions... I find myself havin to PUMP THE BRAKES on my Speedy Mars mentality and T-A-K-E M-Y S-W-E-E-T T-I-M-E. very frustratin to say the least... but as they used to say in GI Joe cartoons, I am forewarned and bein forewarned is bein forewarmed (I'm gonna leave that typo as an example of my point! That shoulda read forearmed! LOL!!!) Anyway, just wanted to gripe 'bout Mercury retro. Grrrr. Lookin forward to its goin direct! LOL!

Tim Rubald:::  Hi Mariama, it looks like you really get it. Mercury's retrograde path brings it nearest our planet. Mercury functions don't have to be chaotic if you "pump the brakes," and take your sweet time. The reason words are jumbled and things seem confused is that the brain stuff is spinning too fast. [Please! Metaphorically.]

          That is completely controllable. Pause, breathe, space out for a minute, and stop thinking, or just notice thoughts as they come, and don't hold on to them. Let them go. There is nothing to worry about, nothing to fear. Mercury is giving a lesson that multitasking is not your friend. Take one step at a time (good for walking on icy sidewalks too). Now, what is in front of you, is what you are about. Take care of that. If it is studying, just study. If it is eating, just eat. If it is lovemaking, just give all attention to that. In your head already is what you need to know to pass the Bar. Take it one step at a time. You might pause to envision the steps you take (the bigger picture) that include the question. Pause if the answer doesn't jump out, and connect the question to the larger process. Make your best guess and move on to the next question. Come back to it if you have time to review. Mercury's help is wasted if dissipated. You don't want to dilute it. For best results take it full strength. Take your sweet time. It is sweet. It is precious. This moment will never be again.

          A lot of misinformation about retrogrades is passed down from astrology teachers and by books. The goofs become clearer the more you work with watching and "listening," letting the planets speak. Mercury retrograde seems to be an area where some of what's passed down is correct, but a lot of it is misleading. Don't think of Mercury going the "wrong" way. Think of an amplified Mercury function as the planet moves Earth-side of our Sun.

PS Since Mercury's been after me to get back to sharing; since your question is applicable to plenty of other folks. I'm going to put this question and my answer on my blog.

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          This is especially good advice as Mercury makes the closest to Earth part of its orbit. That's the time when the mind is so active that one forgets what one's doing right in the middle of doing. Pause. Be patient and things fall back into order. Do not multitask. That's a recipe for disaster.

Mercury orbits (as does Earth) counter-clockwise around the Sun. The retrograde happens in the part of the orbit that brings the planet nearer to Earth. As it goes around the far side of the Sun from Earth, it appears in "forward" or direct motion.

          The reason astrologers connect Mercury retrograde with computer, equipment, and transportation problems, is pretty much always due to the human factor. Those problems may spike a bit while Mercury is retrograde, but I doubt it. Notice all the similar problems that occur when Mercury is direct in motion, as it swings around the far side of the Sun. I expect that greater attention is at work, which is exactly what Mercury retrograde is really about, a stimulation of mental activity. We are more aware of SNAFUs when Mercury is retrograde, because we are more aware. We experience Murphy’s Law at work, because we are expecting it to work. That doesn’t mean that some astrologers are completely wrong, they are just right, for the wrong reasons.

          For more on Murphy’s Law’s many applications see:  http://www.murphys-laws.com/  Among Murphy’s Laws listed there are:  Murphy's Laws - If anything can go wrong, it will; Love Laws  - All the good ones are taken; Real Estate Laws - At least one check will be "lost in the mail" every month; War Laws - Friendly fire - isn't; Sewing Laws - The scissors cut easiest past the buttonhole; Murphy Volunteer Fire Department Laws - If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid; Nurses Laws - Doctors only ask your name when the patient isn't doing well; Cars Laws - An oil leak will develop; EMT Laws - All bleeding stops... eventually; Mothers Laws - Mother's way is best. If you don't believe it, ask her; Political Laws - No matter who gets elected, Government always gets in; Music Laws - At least one mobile phone will ring during a rehearsal or concert; and a favorite, Martial Arts Laws - You are not Bruce Lee.

          So remember, the best way to neutralize the Murphy’s Law effect of retrograde Mercury, is to take it easy. If the glass shatters on the floor just as you’re headed out the door, don’t blame Mercury retrograde. Pause, take a breath and admit to yourself it wasn’t because of an earthquake, but because of where you put the glass (or something beside it), or the cat making a point (I didn’t say you may leave). Most mistakes, most accidents, are human in origin, not cosmically perpetrated by the zippiest little planet in our solar system.

Note: Mercury is retrograde as I write this, so any errors are his fault. There are several articles here on Mercury's retrogrades. Under the title of the blog, Astrology STARTALK from Tim Rubald, is a search box. Just type in Mercury to pull them up.

 Copyright © Tim Rubald 2014