Hello Everyone,

Since Mercury will be going retrograde this month, I thought it might be good to write a little bit about what that really means.

First of all, it is important to understand what Mercury represents from an Astrological view point. Mercury represents many things. Let’s start with the word retrograde itself. Retrograde means “directed or moving backwards”. For a nearly three weeks Mercury gives the appearance that it is moving in reverse in comparison to the Earth. It is the same principle as two trains passing each other. Depending on the speed to one another, one train appears to be going backwards! This is the retrograde movement.

First and foremost, Mercury retrograde is the breath! Can't live long without that! Along with the breath, it is the messenger system of the body, the nervous system. Mercury expresses its energy through travel and communication. In Greek mythology, Mercury was Hermes, the messenger. He was able to move swiftly between the world of man and the world of gods, acting as a messenger of the gods delivering messages to the mortals. Regardless of the name, this planetary energy presides over learning, writing and science. Mercury is also associated with our siblings, writing, and learning and our speech.

The sign Mercury is in tells a lot about a person’s life. Mercury can be either in a one's Sun sign, the sign preceding or just after their Sun sign. Let's take the sign Sagittarius, for instance. A person born under this sign might have his or her Mercury in the sign of Sagittarius, Scorpio or Capricorn.

If a person has their Mercury in the sign of their Sun, then they communicate straight up; they convey who they really are. If, in the example above, this person has Mercury in Scorpio, they might be more intense in their communications than they actually are. If Mercury is in Capricorn, they might express themselves and use their words very precisely.

So during Mercury, retrograde, communication behaves in a backwards way. People have to listen closely or read carefully during this time. If there are hidden problems, they can surface. It is a wonderful time for learning for meditation and for prayer. This is the time to re-evaluate present circumstances. Decisions made prior to the Mercury retrograde period, may have to be revisited when it goes direct. Accidents seem more frequent, as well as cars breaking down and cell phones getting lost.

Don't be discouraged though, as Mercury retrograde is great for window shopping and gathering information. This is a time to be clear with all communications.

So take a deep breath and dive deep into your higher Self and like all things......KEEP MOVING!

Blessings and HAPPY HOLIDAYS,

Betty