2020 Feburary/March Mercury Retrograde
In ancient mythology, the powers of language, logical thinking and communication are personified by an intelligent, quicksilver deity, who taught human beings how to read, write, navigate and calculate. This mysterious Roman God Mercury, also known as Hermes in ancient Greece, symbolises our fundamental capacity to think, as well as the planning and organising faculty that allow us to identify and categorise the myriad components of the chaotic natural world. On the psychological level, Mercury reflects the unique function of the human mind. Mercury is also a patron of merchants and money. In fact, the word “Merchant” itself comes from Mercury, the god of buying and selling. Another important role Mercury plays in the myth is that he is also a guide of souls. He is the only God who could transcend the three layers of the world—the heaven, the mortal world and the underworld—guiding souls back and forth to Pluto(Hades). Thus he symbolises the mind’s unconscious psyche. Either as a shrewd and lively merchant God, or as a soul carrier lingering inside and outside the profound dark water, he embodies the principles of communication between human beings (our daily communication with each other), as well as between an individual and its invisible inner realm(self-reflection).
In Astrology, Mercury rules the mental air sign Gemini(curiosity and daily communication) and practical earth sign Virgo (details and refinement of information). When Mercury is in a specific sign, it expresses its characteristics through our communication.In the future chapters, we will dig deeper and more detailed about the different qualities Mercury carries in different signs. Just to give some examples, people born with Mercury in Leo are expressive, dramatic and tend to have strong creative thinking; while Mercury in Scorpio tends to give the natives the exceptional skill of research and investigation.
Many of us have heard of the phrase "Mercury Retrograde". We know retrograde means to move backwards. People who are interested in astronomy know that every planet in our Solar System travels in the same direction in its journey around the Sun, and none of them actually pause or turn back in the opposite direction. So the question is: What does it really mean when we say Mercury is in “retrograde”?
It is true that planets in the solar system are moving in the same direction around the Sun, but it is based on the vantage point of the Sun as well. This means that if you are looking at all the planets from the Sun, they never retrograde. However, if you look at them from earth, they way they seem to move is quite different. The planets in our Solar System all orbit the Sun at varying speeds if we observe them from the earth. The outer planets — Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune — all take longer to orbit the Sun than the Earth, while Venus and Mercury take shorter time. Since their orbits are larger or smaller, the Earth often laps these planets in its journey around the Sun. When the Earth overtakes an outer planet, that planet appears to travel backward; while when the faster planets (Mercury and Venus) lap us, they “retrograde”.
So in fact, retrograde is not in absolute terms, it is a visual illusion. Also note that except for the Sun and the Moon, every planet in the solar system retrogrades from time to time. Mercury is just one of them.
As we mentioned earlier, Mercury rules all forms of communication, logical thinking, travel, and connections. The success of business partnerships, creative projects and interpersonal relationships all require effective communication. When Mercury is retrograde, the energy could set us one step back in our everyday exchanges. Since old days, Astrologers have recommended that we ease off starting new projects, signing contracts, initiating tasks, and building new relationships. If traveling, it’s a good idea to give yourself extra time, just in case plans “change”. I have had many clients telling them that during Mercury retrograde, they have difficulties concentrating and being productive. There is a sense of “air-headed” feeling. I have also noticed that during Mercury retrograde, we tend to see more traffic accidents, transportation problems and flights delay (as Mercury rules travel as well). During the past 6 months (2019) in Hong Kong, the two peaks of social upheavals both happened during Mercury retrograde: protesters paralysing HK international airport in August, as well as the gruesome battle against the police in Polytechnic University in November. Mercury retrograde tends to bring misunderstanding and temporary pause in things that we want to push forward. Roads are blocked, business are affected, and we could even feel very much “stuck in a rut”.
Having a temporary hiccup does not mean Mercury retrograde is all evil. During the retrograde time, Mercury wants us to move back spiritually. It provides us with a chance to re-examine various areas of our life which may need a little more work, so that we can move forward with even better momentum later in time. This period is for us to look at things with an analytical approach and fresh perspectives.
Mercury Retrograde is one of the best times to pick up old ideas and bring them back to life—tie up loose ends! Anything you’ve already started in the past such as writing, speaking, and learning are great things to pick up again and focus on during this period. When Mercury is moving backwards, our mind is naturally reworking existing plans and projects (revision, reconsider and reclaim). We may find what we are half way through now come together with renewed energy and in ways you never would’ve expected.
Some clients who have their natal birth chart in hand have asked questions like, “I noticed that Mercury was in retrograde when I born. Is that a bad thing? What does it mean to me?” This is a very interesting question, since Mercury spends three months every year in retrograde motion, in average a quarter of the entire population should be born in this scenario. Furthermore, since Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and other outer plants all have retrograde motion from time to time, most people would have at least one or two planets retrograde, sometimes more than half of the planets are so.
Remember, by no means Mercury retrograde in birth chart shows we are born “confused” or “delayed”.
Planets in retrograde in our natal chart (the map of the stars alignment at the moment of your birth) have very different meaning compared to retrograde in transit. In natal charts they expressive themselves internally instead of through outward energy. There is no “good” or “bad” about it, but purely depending on how we utilise its energy. For example, Mercury is the planet of communication and thinking, therefore when someone was born with Mercury retrograde, their thinking process is more internalised. They are introspective and intuitive. These people are thinkers rather than speakers, even from a young age, they have a stronger tendency to reflect and self-question. They tend to spend a lot of time looking back at events in life to analyse and digest before speak out loud. The retrograde motion is always about “review”. The more retrograde planets someone has, the more they have an internalised focus in life. They may even appear more mature when facing issues since they carry an interesting “review and revision” energy around them. Some of them actually benefit from the three times per year Mercury retrograde time because the it is the moment when transit Mercury goes in the same motion with their natal energy. They feel more in tune with their thoughts and can finally concentrate on their review process.
2020 the first Mercury retrograde day/time(Hong Kong):
• Pre-shadow Period :
February 2 4:32PM ~ February 17 8:54AM
• Actual Retrograde Phase :
February 17 8:55AM ~ March 10 11:48AM (Mercury retrograde in Pisces)
• Post Shadow Period :
March 10 11:49AM ~ March 30 10:45AM
Mercury in Pisces is our strong thinking process through creativity and imagination. Natives who have Mercury in Pisces have extremely acute intuition. During this Piscean Mercury retrograde, our “intuition” and "feelings" could be temporarily off. We might be required to be more grounded and practical with our approach to problems. Check facts, deal with our daily operation meticulously instead of escaping with our dreams and illusions. Paying extra attention to details is particularly critical during this time.
An extra note: What I have experienced is that apart from the actual retrograde phase, the pre and post shadow period are also important. Especially during the post shadow period, Mercury will slowly gain its momentum from the stationary position. Be patient and slowly start your unfinished project.
Letao~the Kingdom Healer
www.thehealingkingdom.com
