Hi everyone!
Yes, it is that time again indeed! Mercury has gone into retrograde motion (cue ominous music)!!!!
But it’s not all bad…now, now, don’t doubt me here! I know you all think that Mercury Retrograde is just about one of the worst things that can happen but truthfully I am telling you that it really isn’t all that bad.
This retrograde period of Mercury is more…well…strange.
So until March 28th, Mercury will be retrograde in the sign of Pisces where he’s really a fish out of water. That’s actually a bad joke…it’s quite the opposite actually. Mercury is the winged messenger of the Gods and Pisces symbolizes the deepest depths of the ocean. Whenever Mercury is in Pisces, his wings are dampened and he doesn’t fly as smoothly and gracefully as normal. When you throw in the retrograde piece, things just get strange.
Why do I say strange? Well, Mercury and Pisces function in 2 very different ways and worlds. Mercury is all about perception, logic and knowledge of the physical. Pisces deals with what we would call the supernatural – dreams, energies, dimensions, planes, emotions…in fact, Pisces deals with nothing “real”. It is illusory in nature and Mercury’s function over perception, the senses and our relationship to “reality” can be challenged when he transits through this sign.
As a general rule, whenever Mercury is in retrograde motion, he leaves us in charge of our own ability to perceive and be conscious. No little hints and reminders at things we may have missed or forgot! And with this particular period of retrograde motion, Pisces opens up the doors for us to be aware and conscious not only of the physical but of all the planes, dimensions and energies there are in our human world. (If you’re curious about this, I encourage you to attend the Empower Thyself class where we go in depth into that).
The cool thing about this retrograde period is that it opens up new doors of perception for us because it is possible for us to experience and understand these spiritual planes via our senses. In fact, we have experiences of these planes and energies on a daily basis…something that we call intuition. Many of us only catch glimpses and snippets of these energies and planes though and when Mercury is retrograde here in Pisces, he opens those doors a little wider for us and gives us a more extended stay.
So at this time, don’t be surprised if you find yourself dealing with a few key themes: dreams, multidimensionality and attention/presence. These all arise from the spiritual, ethereal nature of Mercury’s retrograde transit through the mystical sign of Pisces.
Multidimensionality: where exactly are you?
We are multidimensional beings.
This simple statement opens up a multitude of necessary explanations and understandings but suffice it to say that we are never just in one place. We occupy physical space but our consciousness is not always focused on where our physical body is situated.
Pisces is one of the signs of psychic ability and is one of the powers that govern over our relationship to the astral planes. As we never occupy a singular space, we have potential to be conscious of more than one place at a time. When Mercury is retrograde in Pisces, he helps to reveal two things – how conscious we are of other planes and how much time we spend being conscious of things and places other than where we are physically situated. This often manifests in some familiar scenarios:
· hopping into your car and magically finding yourself at your intended destination not knowing or remembering the journey to get there
· forgetting words or names that you speak often
· “Losing” items that are right in front of you, in your hands or on your person
· Going into a room to do or retrieve something only to forget what you were originally there for
· Bumping into things or knocking them over because you didn’t see them (in an obvious spot)
There are many other possible scenarios that can happen when our consciousness is located somewhere other than the physical. When Mercury is retrograde in Pisces, you may find yourself doing things like this more often…
What Mercury is trying to put to the test is your ability to be awake and aware! To know that you can be conscious of other dimensions and energies but still be able to be proficient in the physical realm. For some of us, grounding can be a real issue and this retrograde period can help you understand just how grounded you are.
If you find yourself ungrounded, take a look at these questions and see if any of them fit the bill:
· Do you enjoy your imagination and fantasies more than your physical life?
· Is there physical or emotional pain causing you to dissociate from your body?
· Are you lacking in physical vitality?
· Do you do a lot of spiritual work such as healing and ritual?
This is just a sampling of reasons that can cause someone to be ungrounded but these questions can open up a line of inquiry that can serve you. Remember that Mercury is our teacher and when he goes retrograde, he can help bring things to our attention if we’re willing to look (and not just blame things on him).
The cool thing about this retrograde on the other hand is that it does open up those magickal, mystical dimensions that most of us are just yearning to explore! While we may be forgetful and perhaps even inept to some degree in the physical, this is an excellent time to explore our connection to the world of spirit. Since we know that we’re not entirely logical while this influence is active, it helps to suspend our disbelief in the amazing experiences of the intangible that we can have at this time.
This makes it a great time to practice or learn Astral Travel, forms of channelling and even divination such as tarot, runes and i-ching. If you already practice any of these, this is the time to deepen that connection and even if the answers you get don’t make sense, that’s good! Logic (or at least our human version of logic) doesn’t always apply to the ways of spirit!
Also, for those of you interested in dream work, this is a great time to embark upon that as well! Begin a journal and start keeping record of your dreams…this can start a process of being more conscious in the dream and retrieving more relevant information when you wake.
Attention/Presence: Have you learned to direct your consciousness?
As human beings, we have associated so much of our ability to be aware, conscious of and perceive based on our sight. ‘Seeing is believing’ as they say. Mercury is the planet of perception, he governs over the senses and nervous system that allow us to interact and receive information from both the physical and non-physical planes. When Mercury is retrograde, this theme of perception and consciousness is always present but as Mercury’s clarity is clouded when he tenants the sign of Pisces, the theme of consciousness becomes emphasized.
One of the teachings of Mercury is that perception can be an active process. Indeed, Mercury, messenger of the Gods is an active planet. He does not do anything passively. Whether thinking, speaking, listening or meditating, Mercury is conscientious of the process although it may not always seem that way. Pisces by contrast is both the most receptive sign and passive sign of the zodiac…it is the phase of the zodiac wheel that comes to a rest (i.e. is low energy) before movement is re-initiated in Aries. As such, perception in Pisces is a passive process.
When Mercury is retrograde in Pisces, this is a time to begin looking at how active you are in your awareness, attention and presence. How much do you direct your attention and perception? How aware are you of everything that is happening around you?
If you are extremely passive in your awareness, chances are there is a lot that you are missing out on – in the environment and surroundings, in your conversations and even opportunities! The lesson here that Mercury in Pisces teaches is that there is a difference in being passive and receptive and as we actively engage our ability to receive and perceive information, we become a lot more aware and can pay better attention to people, places and events so as to make the most of them.
Perhaps one of the reasons that we associate consciousness with the eyes is because like the eyes, we can direct our consciousness and awareness! Just as we can direct our gaze, we can direct what we are aware of and paying attention to. If you need help with this, here’s a simple exercise that you can use to progress your ability to pay attention.
Start with the 7 of Cups card below. (It’s best if you have the actual card but if you need to print out the image or look at it on your phone, that could work too). Allow your eyes to focus on the card for 2 minutes. As you look at the card which is rather busy (one of its meanings is scattered energy or attention), dismiss all other thoughts. Every time you lose focus, redirect yourself back to the image.
Once the two minutes is up, repeat the same process with the Ace of Swords (a much simpler card which symbolizes clarity and direction).
Repeat this exercise daily for 1 week. At the end of the first week, increase to 3 minutes. At the end of the second week, increase to 4 minutes and so on. If you’re up for the challenge, build this exercise up to 10 minutes for each card. You will notice a marked improvement to your ability to pay attention and to direct your awareness in your surroundings, conversations, on the road and so much more!
To conclude…
This Mercury retrograde period is strange, intangible and perhaps even confusing! But what I personally find so cool about it is that it reminds us that we are not just functional and aware of only the physical. There are other realms and energies open to us at all times. Realms and energies that we often experience but either don’t register or don’t understand. While Mercury is retrograde is Pisces (remember: March 5th to 28th), we can explore and gain deeper understanding of our own consciousness and awareness.
Funny things may happen here and there and that’s ok! That’s life and that’s Mercury! Let loose your sense of humour and marvel at his irony and sense of the ridiculous! That’s truly how you “survive” a Mercury Retrograde period!
And lastly, be willing to learn! Mercury is the eternal teacher and he has a particular place in his planetary heart for those who love to learn!
Wishing you all an ethereal experience with depth and wisdom!
Aleks
Comments