Mercury Retrograde: Dec 13, 2023 2:09am in Sagittarius (Purva Ashadha and Mula) – Jan 1, 2024 22:08 Scorpio (Jyeshtha) – Beliefs and Action Re/Align: But who are you really?
While Mercury is retrograde over the next few weeks, it will journey backwards through Sagittarius and into Scorpio. One is ruled by Jupiter, bringing our beliefs up for review, while the other is ruled by Mars, putting the focus on our actions. Forward movement is tricky with Mercury retrograde; instead we get a chance to consider the areas being highlighted and realign as needed.
Whether we are looking at the effect of Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius/Scorpio on the micro level in our own lives or at the macro level on the global stage, we are being asked in this moment to look at our ideologies as individuals and as a collective, how we can bring these beliefs to the earth plane and make them a reality. Mercury retrograde always makes us look back/inward and see how we might reorganize ourselves and pivot to be more in alignment with the beliefs we proclaim to have. From this, we can then take empowered action towards our bigger goals. Merc retro often brings back old opportunities for engagement (on all levels); be on the lookout for this.
NB: Mercury will be in sensitive degrees (sandhi and/or gandanta) during the last of 2023 and first week of 2024, so emotions will be high as we let go of old mindset patterns. Let’s be extra thoughtful as some will have a hard time facing the systems that are up for release. Jupiter is also retrograde until the end of 2023, reinforcing all of the current Mercury retro in Sagittarius energy mentioned here. We are getting a double dose of “who are you really?” right now. Take the time to go there.
Questions to ponder:
•What are your core beliefs?
•Are you embodying them? Living according to them?
•If so, how? If not, where’s the discomfort/disconnect?
•How is the macro affecting your micro?
•And vice versa: how are you affecting the macro?
•What opportunities are coming back up for you?
•Are you eager or nervous to engage with them?
:::PEACE:::
Mercury Retrograde Basics
Mercury governs our connections and communication, our minds, intellect, memory and nervous systems among other things. Retrogrades get a lot of negative attention, especially Mercury retro, who appears to be moving backwards in the sky 3-4 times a year. We tend to experience the typical Mercury-ruled challenges and frustrations in more pronounced ways when the zippy little planet slows its roll: we have trip-ups with travel, communication breakdown, car and technology troubles, missed connections, delays and difficulty getting going. While retrograde the next 2+ weeks, be ready for the usual shenanigans. As always, pause, review, reread, edit and try to have plenty of patience.
But retrogrades also give us a chance to pull back, rest, review and revisit old plans, ideas, beliefs, projects and people. We find opportunities for reconnection, and often find it’s a great time to look at unfinished work and situations, begin again, wrap them up or let them go. We get to adjust and realign. A rewarding side of retrograde times is that ideas or opportunities from the past re-emerge, and we are drawn to work on “back burner projects” that have been delayed.
Although Mercury is retrograde 3-4 times a year, managing it with calm can be a challenge for many. We are quite familiar with the retrograde mishaps, which often test our patience and ability to pivot with grace. It can create delays, confusion and frustration. Mis(sed)communication occurs; computers, electronics and cars have issues; we run into people from the past, we revisit issues we thought were complete. We can feel like we are short-circuiting.
Simple remedies: slow down on all fronts; review things before signing/sending; take time to pause and think before responding; set alarms to give yourself ample time for the unexpected; prioritize sleep, self-care, calming breath-work, massage and hands-on healing.
