Mercury in Retrograde – AGAIN?!

Yes, folks, once again, Mercury is in retrograde. Some of you know that when a planet turns retrograde, it’s more the illusion of spinning backwards than the actual; similar to when you’re sitting in a car, not moving, but the car inching forward next to you makes it seem like you’re moving backwards.

But the illusion stops there. Make no mistake – retrograde energy is real and before you start shaking your head and moaning, I’m here to remind you of how wonderfully helpful this kind of energy can be. First, we need to take a look at where in the Zodiac this is happening. The majority of the retrograde will occur in Taurus which, in my opinion, is an interesting follow-up to the recent Venus retrograde that just finished in mid-April.

The Venus retrograde was all about how we feel about ourselves. Are we really loving ourselves? Are we loving ourselves too much and neglecting others in our lives? Are we just saying we love ourselves as opposed to believing that we are worthy of abundance and love? These are some of the questions that were bumping up against many of my friends and clients all through the retrograde. Once a planet moves direct, which is another way of saying, goes out of retrograde, there’s usually some sort of resolution.

In the case of Venus, I’m not so sure the story’s over just yet. In fact, Venus rules Taurus and Mercury is retrograding in Taurus – do you see the connection? It’s okay if you don’t, you will by the end of this posting.

While it’s true that a lot of annoying things happen when Mercury is retrograde like subway problems, miscommunication, lost checks in the mail, delays in any type of correspondence, etc., it’s important to focus on the deeper meaning of such challenges. An astrology teacher once told me, “Mercury in retrograde reminds us not to lose our sense of humor.” At the time, I scoffed at this because all I really wanted was a little sympathy for all of the bullshit happening in my life. But, as I deepened my astrological studies, I realized the wisdom of his words.

During a retrograde, things slow down on purpose! It is a time to revisit, reevaluate and rework any kind of plan, issue or situation that is significant in your life. It gives us the chance to check our work and make sure the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted. If we embrace that energy, it can be a really useful time.

Let’s take a look at the specifics of this retrograde and hopefully, you’ll be able to see the signposts in your own lives to help you maneuver through the next three weeks.

So, we already know that Mercury is retrograde in Taurus. Elizabeth Rose Cambell writes in her book Intuitive Astrology, “Taurus seeks to stabilize growth, to encourage seedlings to take root so that they can ultimately produce abundant resources…..Taurus takes on a task and cultivates the habits necessary for the harvest, whatever form it takes: a row of corn, a rock garden, a well-made story.”
What do we need to cultivate in terms of our value? Taurus is an earth sign, so when dealing with such stuff, there’s going to be a naturally practical approach. Venus retrograde brought up the issue of how we feel about ourselves and our worth. Mercury (retrograde) in Taurus is currently giving us an opportunity to turn whatever we discovered and cultivate it into practice.

For example, a friend of mine, during the Venus retrograde was suffering from a difficult breakup. In the height of the retrograde, she had a revelation about giving herself over to the woman inside herself as opposed to letting the little girl rule the roost. Yesterday, we spoke about her progress and she informed me that she’s not interested in being in a relationship right now. In fact, she’s enjoying the process of getting to know the woman inside herself. So, you see, the Venus retrograde, gave her the opportunity to look deeper into her self-esteem and where it wasn’t working in her life. And the mercury retrograde in Taurus is giving her the motivation to pull in, get to know this side of herself and be the value she sees in herself.

If things don’t seem to be “going your way”, do not despair. Remember, keep your sense of humor and ask yourself, if there’s something deeper in the mix to look at. Sometimes, a missed subway is just that. But instead of wasting your energy on being pissed about it, take the time to center yourself and utilize your energy for more productive thoughts. After all, aren’t we right where we’re supposed to be?

Feel free to send me any retrograde stories or questions!

Sending you all love, light and a sense of humor. Until next time……..liz


Mercury will be in retrograde until May 30, 2009.