The Last Phase: Metamorphosis

Prior to Mercury going into retrograde motion . . .the Sun had set and a slim crescent Moon reflected the hidden star’s light back to Earth.  I could see the entire orb of the Moon in an  another unusually clear evening in Portland.  Always a treat, the sight, along with numerous stars, gives me perspective that expands the mind, allowing thoughts that break through the limitations placed upon it.  And below and nearer the western horizon, a small pinprick of light was seen.  It was Mercury, nearing its farthest extent from the Sun in its current cycle.  It is a more rare sight than the other visible planets.  The fast-moving planet always stays very close to the Sun due to its close orbit.  But now, the movement is circling back against the backdrop of stars, going retrograde.

On February 5th (Pacific Time), Mercury stationed (no perceptible movement) retrograde and went fully into retrograde motion on February 7th.  However, the world has no need to fear the retrograde motion of Mercury.  Each one is unique and moves in a different context each time.  In this retrograde case, Mercury shifts from water to air, moving from the feeling-function to the thinking-function (from the Scorpio passion to the Aquarius cosmic mind).  Mercury in retrograde is the end to the beginning and last phase of Mercury’s synodic cycle in Scorpio (which began after Mercury last went into direct motion on November 11, 2013).

There are always at least 3 Mercury Synodic Cycles, and the retrograde period of these cycles are always at the end of the cycle, which is where we find ourselves on February 5th, when Mercury begins three weeks of retrograde motion.

The basic intent of any retrograde cycle of Mercury retrograde cycle is to unveil our right-brain activities.  Because most of us live in a consensus reality where left-brain thinking is the socially programmed and accepted way of things, those who are aware of Mercury Retrograde look at it as something to blame when things go wrong or a bad period of time to make commitments, make major business transactions, or otherwise start major projects.  We are told to wait until it’s over.  But is that all we should do?  No, not at all!

Mercury Retrograde – Invoking Creativity!

There is another view to Mercury Retrograde and one that we should not fear.  In fact, the retrograde period of Mercury is an invocation of creativity!

Rationality, logic, reason, organization, efficiency, sequential time/events and order dominate the left-brain way of living life.  Human beings have a habit of putting order into a field of chaos, trying to fit everything we can in segments, parts, classifications, cause & effect, work & reward, goal-setting, etc. Technology developed (not necessarily invented or created) mainly along the lines from our left-brain, introducing more order, more need to be in contact with everyone and the need to know that everything is all right with one another.  But this type of thinking does not suit us very well when Mercury has an apparent ‘movement’ backwards from our Earthly perspective.  Most of us try and live our lives the same way during this retrograde period, this polarity reversal of sorts.  So what can we do instead of ‘coping’?

My first response to that question is to invoke the creative part of ‘you,’ especially if you know you have any fire or water energy dancing around, eager to see the light of day.  Creativity was the spark for the birthplace of the Universe . . . a right-brain activity.  Fire and Water elements bring us the heroic tales, the desire to rise above clouds, to face our greatest fears, to channel our life force, to reach our most ecstatic states in the body, to dance on the edge of a cliff, to touch the divine spirit and create what we want.   Mercury Retrograde is time of opportunity to enjoy the fruits of “free will” and taste the life force permeating through the energy centers of our body, our chakras.

Mercury Retrograde allows us to use our right-brain more fully, opening ourselves up to the Source of All Things.  We should be giving ourselves permission to take a ‘time-out-of-time’ during this span of a couple of fortnights.  ‘Retro Merc’ is nothing to fear once we know its purpose.   If we have an awareness that plans are not going to work exactly as we plan them during Retro Merc and we know there is a message behind a disconnection on the phone, then we can let go of our frustrations and turn the energy into creative purpose.  It’s a wonderful time for meditation, deep thinking, and inner healing work.  Reflect on where you are and what you’re doing and be present.  If you have a desire to create, now is the time to play with ideas and be unattached to outcome.

For those people who have an abundance of fire and water archetypes (Signs) on their astrological chart, it’s a time where they can express themselves in their ‘normal’ sphere . . . living in the moment.  For those who have air and earth archetypes populating their chart, it would be beneficial to let go of routine once in a while and have some fun and do something that does not require too much analysis of information or a heavy reliance on communications.

Energetically, Mercury is closely related to the archetype of Gemini.  One of the primary aspects of Gemini is its contrarian medicine.  Contrarian medicine has a genuine place in our lives and means: opposite in nature.  Yes, we can place blame on the retrograde when technology breaks down, but it’s this ‘opposite’ that is a teaching to get us to pay attention and laugh.  There’s a time and place for jester or fool to appear, to cut down the tension and ease our burdens, even for a short time.  The situation calls for humor around the need to do everything perfect, to have everything running perfectly all the time.  Life does not work that way and Gemini and/or Mercury Retrograde will be quick to point that out.

Our western culture has given Retro Merc a bad rap, increasingly so because of our current reliance on electronics to reach other people, handle our finances, stay informed and sell us things we don’t need.  Retro Merc is not malevolent, nor is it benevolent.  It simply Is.  So, have fun and see beyond the limits of vision and the unfolding of the magical nature of Mercury Retrograde.   Give yourself a chance to flex the intuitive muscles, to turn off the phone and invoke your creative spirit.

Post Retrograde – Aquarius Overtone for Mercury

The new Mercury Synodic Cycle begins when Mercury stations direct on February 27th in the sign of Aquarius.  Each of the 3 times that Mercury comes out of retrograde (Stationing Direct) will happen in a sign of the element of air:

Stationing Direct 2014 Dates: 

1. Feb 27 – Aquarius
2. June 30 – Gemini
3. Oct 25 – Libra

In 2013, it was all about the element of water, so this is not only moving from the feeling-function to the thinking-function once but all year long.  For this particular cycle, it is about how Aquarius is expressed through Mercury.

Mercury in Aquarius is about thinking with a larger, novel and revolutionary picture.  The thought patterns are celestial and detached, as an observer looking from afar at a forest or city.  It is taking a more objective look at any situation.  Mercury in Aquarius is also tapping into the cosmic consciousness with the rational, logical  left-brain but not necessarily paying attention to the rules associated with the culture.  It is the kind of thinking of a person knowing what they have to do and doing it such a way that does not have to adhere to the concrete plans or instructions.  This can also be said for folks who have a dynamic alignment of Uranus in a natal conjunction, square or opposition with their own personal natal Mercury on an astrology chart.

Mercury in Aquarius is the allowance to crack the stale shell and break free of our own thought limitations we tend to place on ourselves, contributed to by the environment in which we grow up.   This is an opportunity to get to try out new ideas and express it in creative novelty.  It is about pulling up our own unique brilliance without judgment, bringing it into our lives with an electric bypass.

Mercury will be disappearing soon as the Sun catches it (from our vantage point) moving “backward” when in actuality Mercury is getting ready to pass the Earth in its orbit.  This is the phase of transformation, of metamorphosis.  It is shape-shifting elements and signs.  As it does this, peer out into the evening sky to see the legendary messenger of the gods and goddesses, as it shifts between worlds as easily as the wind shifting direction.  Tune in to see what messages Mercury can send to you and how you can open your awareness to other possibilities.

by Erik M Roth

Shamanic Astrologer

erik@inspiralnexus.com