MERCURY RETROGRADE DATES FOR 2010

(add 3 hours for EST.)

Add several days on either side of the retrograde dates because nothing starts or stops on a dime in this Cosmos. You'll start to feel the energy at least 3 or so days prior and 3 or so days after the retrograde. Give yourself time to 'reboot' your internal systems!

 
A word on Retrograde planets.

Mercury in Retrograde is becoming more of a mainstream acceptable part of our culture. Depending upon your belief system, you’ll see Mercury in retrograde one of two ways.

1.    It ruins agendas, conversation, and generally makes your drive time a nightmare…or

2.    It’s an opportunity to realize that you’re not being controlled by a planet and you can know yourself better by becoming aware of your own patterns.

Let’s opt for the second one, folks.

Planets don’t make you do anything. We live in a co-operation with our cosmos.

When you make a move, they show it.

When they make a move you feel it.

Mirror, Mirror on the cosmic wall.

So what is Mercury in Retrograde and why should we care?

When Mercury is in retrograde motion, the planet has the APPEARANCE of moving backward. But it really isn't.

Imagine looking up at the sky. You see two airplanes flying in the same direction. But, they’re flying at different speeds and at different altitudes. Just like Planets rotate on their orbit around the sun at different speeds and from different positions in the sky.

In comparison to the faster, closer airplane, the slower moving airplane would appear to be moving backwards against the backdrop of the Earth’s atmosphere. 

When Mercury is in Retrograde motion, or when any planet is in retrograde, it has the appearance of moving backwards because it alters it’s direction while moving forward on it’s elliptical path toward the sun.

This phenomenon is caused by different orbits and speeds of revolving planets.

So what does this do to you here on Earth? You feel the altered motion. It’s that simple. You’re sentient beings who feel everything—even if you don’t know what it is or that you’re even feeling it.

And when you feel Mercury in Retrograde motion you’ll have your own experience with it. Some folks get spacey, some get anal about details, some folks have brilliant ideas move through them more easily.

And here’s an analogy that I came up with because it spoke to me about how people perceive things sometimes.

Have you ever been on a stationary train and the train on the next track starts to move? It feels like you’re moving but you're really not. Your perception is altered.

And this is the key word in life, PERCEPTION. You FEEL that perception, since you're connected to all molecules and motion in this Cosmos.

Mercury REPRESENTS the way in which you perceive and communicate.

When Mercury is retrograde it’s time to venture inward, where your thoughts live, to reassess your personality behaviors.  When Mercury is retrograde, it's time to look inside and see what you're ready to do or be next.

Remember, the planets DO NOT make 'stuff' happen to you. You are the experience. You are the happening. The stars are YOUR MIRRORS, as you evolve so do they.

Planets are energies just as you are energies. All energy is connected.  Even though you see the table or the person as separate, you are all connected. When a particular energy makes a dramatic move you feel it.

The word Retrograde is Latin. It means, "To step backwards." 

When Mercury is retrograde it is a great time for you to step back and take a look at the most predominant issue in your life and to determine how you got there and what to do next.  When you are retrograde it's time to go within and discover an old, outdated pattern and release it so that you can replace it with a new and healthier pattern.

Mercury retrograde DOES NOT MAKE YOU forget your thoughts. What happens is a communal shift in your energy.

During a retrograde you’re more inner directed and not so focused on that red light when you're driving or that you've just used your phone bill as a bookmark in the library book, never to be seen again.

Everyone is an individual and reacts or responds differently. When the sun sets in the desert, the air becomes chilly. Some put on sweaters and others put on shorts. You’re all going to have different experiences because of that individuality.

But know this…Mercury Retrograde is not a negative event. Mercury in Retrograde is an energy that’s akin to the slowing down of the part of you that reasons coherently. Brilliant ideas are born in all types of Retrogrades.

So, let's be clear. If you have to conduct practical, contractual business in a Mercury Retrograde, know that you are much more distracted. Know that you are sidetracked more than usual.

It's best to organize yourself and be flexible. Know that even if you're super meticulous, the client or vendor or spouse or the gal at the check out is more inner directed and not as focused on you.

Mistakes are going to occur. Paper work is going to get lost. Brilliant ideas will be born. When you meet someone during a Mercury retrograde you might not always perceive their truth. That kind of relationship is unnerving as much as it's exciting.

How you respond to the world shows you who you are and who you are becoming.

And for those who were born when Mercury was Retrograde, well now, those folks are so much clearer during a retrograde. So it all harmonizes.

During any retrograde, it's a simple concept of shifting gears, that's all. So take appropriate steps to minimize confusion. What's the best way to do that? Slow down, go within, breathe, and regroup. It is that simple. The retrograde planets simply REMIND us to do that.

Mercury Retrograde and the electronic world—Okay, let's remember that technology is designed, built, and regulated by HUMANS. When the computer crashes or freezes more in a Mercury Retrograde it isn't because Mercury is snarling at you and waiting to screw with your heads. No.

When Mercury is Retrograde, you have a different focus, as do your creations. If you bought a fax machine and all is well and the moment mercury goes into retrograde motion your fax machine turns into a blender, then in most cases I'd suppose that the fax machine was BUILT DURING a Mercury Retrograde…OR your fax machine needed maintenance and during UNSTABLE ENERGETIC TIMES (such as during a Mercury Retrograde), more electronic gadgets are apt to malfunction.

Here are the Five saving graces during a Mercury Retrograde--

1.    Mercury in Retrograde begins approximately 3 to 5 days befored the actual Astronomical occurrence and lasts an extra 3 to 5 days after it's over.

2.    Always save and back up computer data or fix computers or any electronic equipment, telephones, ipods, cars, blackberrys, tvs at least 2 weeks prior to a Mercury Retrograde or at least one week after it's over.

3.    Deny the urge to purchase major during a retrograde. If you can't or won't help it get great warranties.

4.    Always allow for extra time. Perception is askew now. Don't assume you can get to the post office and then to work in the usual way. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. That's not good or bad! It means to allow for extra time. Add a buffer to your time schedule for those unexpected delays.

5.    Be as present as possible. Perception is focused inward. You're not as aware of details in the everyday, mundane world. You might shred your paycheck and put your socks in the garbage because your mind is wandering....lalala. If you're as present as possible you can be so aware of how you really feel about something. You can delve into the basement of your psyche and have an epiphany. You can finally discover the core of a problem IF you don't focus on the outside world and the details around a situation.

Where Mercury Retrograde occurs in a person’s individual astrological chart shows that person what subjects to expect during a Mercury Retrograde phase.

One particular Retrograde took place in the area of my chart that dealt with children, romance, and creativity. During that month I paid attention to the feelings I had around the issue of juggling work with motherhood. The feelings that came up during that retrograde were crucial in identifying why I was stifled with certain writing projects. Could I have made that correlation outside of the retrograde? Perhaps, but it would have taken longer.

I made a decision to stop traveling so much for work so I could spend more time with my daughter. As a result, I was less stifled with creative projects. Telling that story now seems circuitous, yet at the time it felt like the most direct route to the core of the issue.

There are no straight lines in nature and there are no straight routes to the core BUT when Mercury is retrograde you can bypass all of the mental chatter that would normally stop you from finding that center and healing that issue.

This is why I like to see where Mercury retrograde IS in a person’s chart to isolate an ongoing problem or sticking point so we can eradicate it once and for all.

Pay attention to what feelings come up during the next Mercury Retrograde so you can fast track your healing.