Illustration by Jade Sheng.
Mercury goes into retrograde three to four times a year. This year, thankfully, it moves backwards just three times. Turns out Mercury just entered its retrograde motion in the sign of Libra on Sep 27th and will last until Oct 18th. Although there are pretty good things for us to learn during this transit — which I’m gonna talk about soon — when a planet is in its retrograde movement, its functions and attributes get a little twisted. And it’s during those times that we are held back a little bit and are asked to take a closer look into our lives.
In Greek mythology, Mercury was the god who could travel between worlds; he was the messenger of the gods and would travel from heaven to the depths of the underworlds to deliver messages. Needless to say, he had absolutely no fear of going down to Pluto’s dark caves to reach the heart of any situation. He was able to transfer information (or disinformation) with an all-access pass. Therefore, Mercury represents the vehicle that gives us the power to connect with “information” at every level. It’s an awareness tool. Without Mercury, things remain concealed.
“Thought” and “consciousness” are Mercury’s most powerful tools, whether positive or negative. As a messenger planet, he rules aspects like transportation, communication, and the dissemination of new information. Along with that, this fast-moving planet is also connected to physical motion and the speedy, chaotic developments that unfold in our lives. That’s why everything related to connections, transportation and communication might be affected during its retrograde motion. That means electronic devices, electric cords, wiring, power charges, wifi, traffic, trains, planes, e-mails, calls, zoom meetings, etc. — you know the drill — may bring you trouble. Double-check everything — your WhatsApp messages, your thoughts, your passwords. And keep track of your belongings, make sure you heard everything right, and don’t make assumptions.
One the plus side, Mercury retrograde in Libra can reveal where we have dependency issues, and where we have been blinded by wrong relationships, expectations, or agendas with other people. This retrograde transit in Libra can better define what kind of alliances are important to us, which ones are solid and which ones are not. It’s time to rethink creative communication, partnerships, mutual exchange, and marriage. How we communicate with one another, what kind of relationships are a keeper, and what kind of relationships are attached to hidden agendas or just don’t make sense anymore.
That’s the flipside of Mercury retrograde in Libra. Whatever relationships are made to stay will be clearly revealed to us, and those which it’s about time we let go of will reveal themselves too. Retrograde motions are a valuable time to reevaluate, rethink and re-orientate where we are going, and this time it’s all about relationships and associations, whether in marriage, business or projects. How do you behave, communicate, what do you give, and what do you receive? Are those partnerships aligned with your values? Is there exchange of ideas? Is there chemistry? Is there growth on both ends? Here is an opportunity to reestablish and balance those aspects in our relationships.
