Mercury Retrograde
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Recommended Reading: ![]()
Organizing from the Right Side of the Brain The perfect remedy for a disorganized Mercury Retrograde! When Mercury flips the switch to your Right Brain, use it to creatively organize your life. Although not an astrology book, this book helps you understand the intuitive logic of the non-logical Right-Brain. This book is ideal whether you're a natural born Right-Brain person, or a Left-Brain person struggling with the Right-Brain Retrograde. |
"Left Brain" and "Right Brain" are originally medical terms associated with the left and right hemispheres of the physical brain, which specialise in different modes of information processing. Physically, they each literally control different modes of human experience and behaviour.
The physical brain is ruled by Mercury―but don't forget he's a Trickster! One would think logically that the left side of the brain would control the left side of the body and vice versa, but nooooo! There is actually a cross-over between the brain and corresponding body functions: The left side of the brain controls the right side of the physical body, and vice versa.
Psychologically and metaphorically, the Left-Brain and Right-Brain correspond to:
LEFT BRAIN | RIGHT BRAIN |
Right side of body | Left side of body |
logical | intuitive |
hierarchical | lateral |
analytical | creative |
literal | metaphorical |
Yang | Yin |
Male principle | Female principle |
Each of us has our dominant mode—the style of thought that we are
most comfortable with. We may be skilled in both modes, but just
like we have a dominant hand (usually the one we write with) we
usually have a preferred mode of information processing too.
Astrologically, a person's dominant mental mode tends to correspond to Mercury's placement in their natal chart. Of course, our mental orientation is affected by more than just Mercury, but it is probably the most specific significator of this.
If you were born while Mercury was retrograde, you probably process information a little differently from your Mercury-direct friends. You probably perceive everything that they do (and then some) but have difficulty organising it and putting it into words to communicate your perceptions. Ideas are often strong, even innovative, but when you try to share those ideas it may seem like you're trying to draw a picture with your non-dominant hand while looking at its mirror image. People might therefore see you as someone who is quiet or shy, but it's not probably because you don't have anything to say!
It typically requires extra effort for the Mercury retrograde mind to navigate between internal perceptions and external communication. However, by the time you manage to get it out there, it may be richer and more in-depth — not in spite of but because of the extra effort necessary to formulate those ideas. Rather than making the mind weaker, Mercury retrograde can actually make it stronger and more intense. It's just that it's hard to take what's going on inside and communicate it outside effectively.
It can also be difficult to be objective about your own ideas. Ideas and thoughts may seem
to be fused with your sense of self, making it harder to experience
yourself being separate from those ideas. It's a little like trying
to look at the under-side of your chin! This understandably makes
retrograde Mercury harder to work with in many ways, but not impossible. Like the
different modes of processing information, retrograde Mercury
typically requires a slightly different approach and a gentler touch than a
direct Mercury.
When Mercury is retrograde by transit (in other words, now rather than when you were born), all of us go through the mental experience that people born with Mercury retrograde live with all the time. Expressing ourselves clearly, directly and easily can be a challenging task, requiring extra effort and a more concentrated focus. There can be a long stretch between our subjective experience of an event and our ability to accurately describe or convey that experience in words.
Recommended Reading: ![]()
Retrograde Planets Want to learn more about retrograde planets? This is an excellent book! You get extensive information about all the retrograde planets, not just Mercury. Learn what it means to have retrograde planets in your natal chart. Discover how retrograde natal planets change and evolve throughout your lifetime. And get more in-depth information on retrogrades as they happen in the present. A highly recommended book if you already know the basics about astrology. |
This is because with all communication, there is a lot of translation that must take place to go from the essence of our personal experience to the communication of words. This process goes through a number of filters on its way to becoming the spoken or written word ― culture, education, expectations, feelings and intention (conscious and unconscious).
In addition, there is the inherent nature of language itself, which ultimately represents, symbolises, expresses, and can even shape our experience, but it is not the experience itself. Language is a connecting rope that stretches between our experience and our expression of it. In a way, we use language to bridge the gap between dimensions ― between the dimension of subjective experience and the dimension of objective manifestation. Anyone who has used one of those automatic translation services online to translate a web page, can tell you that some things just don't translate easily, if at all!
This is a central part of the fundamental struggle of Mercury
retrograde. Mercury when retrograde brings us in closer
contact with that inner subjective experience, making it harder for
us to bridge the gap between inner and outer life; between Left and
Right Brain. This is true whether we live with this extra
sensitivity all the time (having natal Mercury
retrograde) or if we live with it 3 or 4 times a year when transiting
Mercury goes retrograde.
The whole natal chart will affect how a person experiences Mercury retrograde, to some extent. But for all of us, it signifies a shift in the way our mind works during the retrograde phase. Some people find that when Mercury goes retrograde, they are thrown into their non-dominant left/right brain mode (whichever is less dominant or less used). This can be distressing if we aren't familiar or comfortable with the other mode. It's like trying to write with your non-dominant hand.
During Mercury retrograde, problems can result when Mercury's mental energy is flowing in a right-brain direction (intuitive/retrograde), but we keep trying to force ourselves to primarily use the left-brain mode (logical/direct). This is like trying to swim upstream—you can still get to where you're going, but you'll probably have to work a little harder to get there.
Other people discover that if they are normally more comfortable in their right-brain or intuitive mode (which is often the case for someone with natal Mercury retrograde, for example), they will tend to feel more at home in the Mercury retrograde energy. For these people, this may feel more like a vacation than something to "get through."
However, Mercury retrograde is not just a psychological experience. Life circumstances take place that don't conveniently conform to what our brains want to do. It's not usually possible to take three weeks out of our busy schedules to go on retreat to ponder the mysteries of life. What's worse is that Mercury retrograde often brings problems and unexpected setbacks that must be dealt with, making it difficult to take refuge in a dreamy state of withdrawal from the world.
When setbacks and problems happen, it helps to slow down, expect that things will take more time, and be gentle with yourself. Treat yourself like an alien who has just landed on an unfamiliar and confusing planet ― in a way, you are! Take it slow, be a little more prepared than usual, stay focused as best you can, and enjoy the weird and wonderful scenery.
Recommended Reading:
The Mercury Retrograde Book Learn how to survive AND thrive during Mercury retrograde! The mysterious enigma of Mercury retrograde is explained in clear, useful ways in this easy-to-read book. |
This phase lasts about 2½ weeks. During this time, you will often notice an increase in weird Mercury retrograde energy, the closer we get to the retrograde station. Events and circumstances will seem to anticipate the retrograde phase. Decisions made during this time can often take on the same "do it over again" pattern as when Mercury is actually retrograde. If you need to make an important decision during this time and you can't put it off, it is a good idea to research as much as you can and try to build lots of flexibility into your plan that can accommodate future changes and adjustments. Be aware of important themes and situations emerging during this time, since these events or their underlying dynamics will often repeat or require deeper consideration throughout the retrograde cycle.
This phase lasts 3 to 3½ weeks. It's usually best to not expect everything to go "business as usual" during this time! Leave yourself lots of extra time to do what needs to be done and to get wherever you're going. It's very common to encounter unexpected delays and complications that can be time-consuming and frustrating if you're not prepared for them. This is a good time to research and investigate information that will help you make later decisions, but avoid making final or irreversible decisions now, if possible.
Don't assume that the other person is "on the same page" that you are. Miscommunications are very common, and (like the quote at the start of this article) what you think was communicated may not be what was actually heard. Double check everything, and be prepared for surprises and delays. Stay flexible as much as possible.
Give your brain a vacation by spending some time in your Right-Brain, letting your mind free-associate, drift and coast in its own creative way. Be aware of intuitive thoughts, ideas and sensitivities, since you are more attuned to the subtle perceptions that are usually camouflaged in the busy hum of our day-to-day thoughts.
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Be open to rethinking decisions, opinions, ideas, plans and interactions from the past that you thought were finished, as it may be time to work with these at a deeper level. Don't be surprised if you hear from someone you haven't been in contact with for a while, or if you find yourself revisiting an old situation, perhaps seeing it now with fresh eyes.
Catch up on things you've been putting off, finish up old projects, and take some time for closure with the things in your life that have recently ended. Do what anyone does when they take a breather ― relax, regroup, recharge and reconsider your plan of action.
This phase lasts about 2½ weeks. This is the time when you get to apply and assimilate the information, research and insight you've been gathering in the previous two phases. This doesn't necessarily happen quickly though!
When Mercury turns direct, it's like he's waking up out of a deep sleep and it takes a bit of time before he gets up to speed again. So it can feel like Mercury is still retrograde in the first week or so after turning direct.
Many people find that new information is still emerging
during this phase, so it is a good idea to still tread cautiously
about making irrevocable and final decisions. It is often
recommended that, if possible, you wait until Mercury is completely out of the
Shadow before you put important new plans into action, lest you discover that
waiting would have given you a better advantage or outcome. By that
time pretty much all the data is in, and your usual ability to
consider it objectively and clearly has returned.
© 2005 Wendy Guy, All rights reserved. This article may not be copied or used without the expressed permission of the author. Photo of Mercury courtesy of NASA, with added colouring.