by Robert Wilkinson
Yes, it's about to be Mercury retrograde time again! 3 times each
year, Mercury goes retrograde in motion, seemingly throwing people and
situations into a whirlwind of over, under, sideways and down. But does
it? Just what is Mercury retrograde? Over the next few weeks we'll
discover many things about how this Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius and
Capricorn affects us.
Mercury retrograde is one of the most misunderstood parts of
astrology. Many have heard about it, but don't know what it really is.
I've given you an introduction about the general meaning of the
phenomenon known as Mercury Retrograde in the article, Mercury Retrograde - A New Look at the Guide of Souls.
It was written to assist readers to pierce through many of the
superstitions and suppositions concerning this repeating phenomenon,
and how it works in our lives.
There's really too much to recap here, so if you're not familiar
with the technical elements and basic meanings of this Mercurial
phenomenon happening 3 times a year, please read that article first
before picking up the narrative of what this coming period is about,
and how best to approach its challenges and potentialities. Or you can
always read it after this one. Whatever works for you.
Basically, the phenomenon of retrogradation happens to all planets
(except the Sun and Moon) as a function of their orbits. All planets
speed up, then slow down, in their orbital speed relative to the Sun
and Earth.
Mercury speeds up for awhile, then slows down for awhile, then
speeds up again, then slows down again in an eternal dance of racing
forward to get new information, then slowing to reconsider that
information. We can apply this speeding up and slowing down to other
planets as well.
The type of information depends on which planet is involved. When
Venus is direct, we get Venusian "information," and when retrograde we
get a new view of what we just learned about those energies. We get new
Saturn information when it's in direct motion, then get to review those
experiences when it's retrograde.
So the direct motion period that precedes and follows a retrograde
period are times of getting new information. Then when it slows, it is
called "Retrograde," and shows a time when we're re-tracing ground
we've already covered, but have an opportunity to understand the past
experience from a new angle of vision.
We take a new look at information we've already experienced to
whatever degree. Internal or external factors can trigger this review.
Often things, people, memories, or other past circumstances engraved on
our subconscious come up, which we must relate to what we've just been
through and what we are about to enter into.
We get a front end look at what is coming when Mercury occupies the
stationary retrograde degree before turning back to take a new look at
things we've already seen or done as it slows in motion. After its
point of slowest motion around the Inferior Conjunction, it again
begins to move faster until it again passes the Sun and eventually
begins to slow anew several months down the road.
When Mercury goes direct, it is at a platform from which to bring
the lessons it has reflected on during the rx period forward into the
future life-in-the-making. The angle of retrograde exploration was the
stationary retrograde degree. The degree of the inferior conjunction
shows how life and mind must come together in a different, perhaps
overlooked but definitely useful, view of what must be known.
The entire retrograde function is inward-turned, so we can get
insights into what must be known to understand some thing from a more
holistic point of view. We can also note how our mind, ideas, or
worldview are affected by our subconsciousness, or our receptivity to
others' subconsciousness.
Mercury retrograde periods reveal their own unique rhythm in
offering us a new look at things. Every period in some way echoes the
messages of prior retrograde periods, and affects those to come.
That's why it's important to observe what has been revealed during
other periods in the recent months and years past, so that you can see
how Mercury, or Hermes, the "Guide of Souls," is leading you to your
authentic self. Regardless of appearances, or how difficult or easy,
Mercury retrograde periods show us the path to our Soul.
If you want to know how this larger sequence of Mercury retrograde
periods is unfolding its roundabout magic, please check out the
archives for articles about Mercury RX written for the
September-October, June-July and January-February 2008 RX periods.
You may even want to check out October 2007, June 2007 and
January-February 2007 as well. Each of these periods have several
articles, so enjoy connecting the dots by looking back to get a sense
of the future.
On that note, obviously there are more Mercury retrograde articles
coming over the next few days. I'll be exploring the overall meaning of
the coming 3 week period, significant degree influences, how it affects
individual birthdays, discuss the coming Inferior Conjunction, and what
this Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius and Capricorn is specifically good
for. Stay tuned!
Copyright © 2009 Robert Wilkinson