This Monday, 26th May, Mercury, the planet associated with communications and information technology of all kinds goes BACKWARDS!! And will remain so for the next 21 days, whereupon he will then go forwards again for another 4 months or so. Because he is the fastest planet he does this 3 times every year – so for those in the telecom and travel businesses, for example, these phase changes will always chime with quite a few turbulent days, on a fairly regular basis.  

Now, we know a planet doesn’t go backwards, of course – however, seen from the subjective world we call Planet Earth – it does appear to. To be absolutely correct, it is in Apparent Retrograde Motion (the astronomical term for it). The effect of appearing to go backwards can be likened to slow trains and fast trains – as the fast train (A) speeds past the slower train (B), so train B seems, from the viewpoint of the passengers on both trains, to be going backwards. This planetary retrograde motion is caused by the orbit of the Earth overtaking the orbit of the second planet. It happens to all the planets at some point during each year, as seen from the Earth (for where else are we to see it from?).  

Mercury is the Sun’s closest planet and is associated with merchants, communications of all kinds, movement across short distances – railways, motorways, canals; and with public servants, like the health and police services and the workers therein. He rules Gemini, the sign of information sharing, and Virgo, the sign of healing in all its myriad forms.   Much has been written about the particular effects that the Retrograde period of Mercury can have on those who work in the above industries and also people born under Virgo and Gemini. Due to his three Retrograde periods each year many people are born with this position, obviously. I have noticed that these people tend by and large to resonate mentally during the times when the phase is repeated in the sky in real time. In other words, if you are born with a retrograde Mercury (or Venus or Mars, for that matter), you will be particularly effected by the change of phase from forward to backwards. 

I don’t think that the natal phase of Mercury matters – I don’t interpret it any differently with regard to direction. However, when the direction changs to Retrograde in real time or by progression – for those born in the direct phase, things will tend to trip them up – such as their information technology refusing to communicate with them; those born under a Retrograde phase will feel as if the world suddenly understands them, and communications will go well for them. To give an example here, I had a client who owned a small computing company.  Each time he made a decision to expand his business, he did so during the retrograde phase of Mercury, which incidentally matched his own birth phase. So while his staff and associates were all losing their ability to communicate, he was forging ahead to success after success. Just to make a comment here, this seems to endorse the idea that successful people are unconsciously clued into subtle and not so subtle energy shifts, that they can use to their own advantage.

Usually, Astrologers advise clients not to make major purchases or sign important documents during these 3 week periods – or get the builders in. However, I have to say that it’s less complicated to sell something than it is to buy during this period. After all when you sell, it’s gone – however your buyer may encounter other problems. This is because what we undertake literally goes backwards! So when Mercury goes direct the work may have to be done all over again. Astrologers refer to Mercury as  a Trickster – as did the Ancient Greeks. It is amazing how many people change their minds around Mercury’s phase change – you can be refused something quite definitely and the phase changes and bingo! You receive notification that your request has been fulfilled, after all.

This particular Mercury movement is at 21 degrees of Gemini, in his own sign – nice and strong. However, he throws some very complex aspects (relationship with other planets) as he stations – a square (90 degrees) to Uranus, the planet of innovation and intuition, a quincunx (150 degrees) to Jupiter, the planet of optimism and a small aspect to the Moon’s Node, which is associated with our inner journey towards wholeness. Put those things together into a coherent sentence and it sounds like an interesting few days for those who are predisposed to flashes of inspiration and inventive creativity. As a collective we are most concerned about the markets right now – so this backward flip of their Cosmic ruler should bring some interesting fluctuations over the next three weeks, and not all of them bad. With the involvement of Jupiter, we may hear some interesting and unusual ways of alleviating some of the (possibly over-hyped) problems.

However, bottom line is, that it’s all change for 21 days – love it or hate it – doesn’t matter, because it’s happening anyway!

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