Mercury Retrograde

Mercury will be retrograde through January 16th. This is not meant to scare anyone, but from what I've been hearing lately people tend to fear this passage of Mercury. I'd like to clear that up.

It is true that during the retrograde motion of Mercury outer communications have a tendency to go awry. People misunderstand what others are saying, or writing, if contracts are involved. Missives -- letters, packages, emails, phone calls -- get misdirected or lost. Communications go haywire. But we need not fear this, just plan for it.

Retrograde motion of any planet (when it looks as though the planet is moving backward) is the time when we are best served if we direct the energy of that planet inward toward our own hearts, instead of outward to the universe.

What does this mean, in plain English? Using Mercury as an example, we communicate with ourselves. We meditate and pray about the way we want our lives to be. What do we really want the people around us to hear us say? What, exactly, do we want a business contract to encompass? Take the time to work on it carefully, ensuring that it conveys exactly what you mean for it to.

I always try not to sign any contracts during the retrograde motion of Mercury, not to have any serious discussions with those important to me, not to jump into anything on the spur of the moment. However, life has a way of interferring with the best laid plans. Whenever that happens, don't panic, slow down, consider everything carefully (pretend for a moment that you're a Virgo who examines every tiny detail before being satified with any situation.) Another way of saying that is to honor the Virgo part of yourself -- we all have one even if it tends to drive us (and everybody else) nuts at time.

Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo. So during retrograde motion when the Gemini functions tend to go haywire, move into Virgo mode, and things will operate much more smoothly for you.