Can Mercury Retrograde Ever Be Positive - 4/5/05

A reader wrote in to ask me if Mercury retrograde times can ever be positive. This question was pretty simplistic, because a) it's assuming that the planets somehow have "control" over us, which they don't and b) this person would appear to be focused on just one side of the polarity, i.e. the dark side. That doesn't mean that it's not a good question, because it is!

However, I find that people who have been burned by the "fortuneteller" type of astrologer get all freaked out about Mercury retrograde. This is unfortunate. If they've had an experience with a bad astrologer who just forecasts doom and gloom around Mercury retrograde times, they usually need a little deprogramming to set them straight again.

That's what the Lipstick Mystic is here for. I've always been a contrarian within every industry I've worked in. When I have discussions with my fellow astrologers it seems I'm always assuming the opposite, non-traditional, viewpoint. Among professional psychics, I'm the watchdog, looking out for bad energy influences and protecting people from those shoddy practitioners who would exploit them. And within the holistic health community, I tend to embrace a broad, synergistic view. I don't believe one technique or practice is the "ultimate path." The amazing world of spiritual energy doesn't work that way. All paths can lead you to a direct experience of God/Goddess/Creator energy, if you keep your heart open and remain discerning.

Mercury Retrograde Creates Psychic Storm Clouds

When it comes to understanding astrological trends, it's important to remember that the planets are magnets which have an effect on the electromagnetic field of the Earth and the energy fields (or auric fields) of humans. The planets also affect the efficiency of various forms of technology, which are highly dependent on magnetism to function properly. You've probably heard how solar flares interfere with the performance of satellites. That's just one example of how the planets and stars affect our technology. Mercury retrograde has both emotional and physical effects, but that doesn't mean that it's the end of the world.

It think it's important to approach astrology as a "mystical weather report" which can guide you about certain influences which may be active at a given time but not look at astrology as this outside controlling factor that is somehow making you powerless. It's not, folks. You are a spiritually sovereign, immensely creative being, and some little planet dancing backwards in the sky does NOT have to control you.

But as far as the "mystical weather report" goes, in an astrological sense there are periods when "storm clouds" are brewing. That's what skilled astrologers can spot.

Mercury retrograde times are stormy periods which give us lots of opportunities to engage in chaos, if we choose to do so. However, we needn't be stuck in chaos if we stay centered. It's all about being more aware and being extra-conscious of what is happening in our environment.

Crazy Drivers During Retrograde

For instance, during Mercury retrograde, I've noticed that people tend to drive in a much more self-absorbed and aggressive way. During this current retrograde time that we're in now, I've observed about half a dozen different people making a left-hand turn in front of me when I, going straight across the intersection, legally had the right of way. I know during Mercury retrograde periods that I should allow extra time at busy intersections because people forget the rules of the road and do some crazy stuff in traffic. So getting in the habit of being extra careful on the road during Mercury retrograde has literally saved my life on numerous occasions.

But knowing that this driver self-absorption is more likely to occur during Mercury retrograde, I simply take note of it, and it doesn't upset me at all. If anything, I access greater powers of compassion for my fellow drivers. After all, if they're blanking out and engaging in dangerous behavior on the road, I figure they need extra protection from their guardian angels. So I'll often say a little prayer for my fellow drivers' protection on the road, since they're behaving in such a distracted and potentially dangerous way.

So, to go back to that reader's question, Mercury retrograde CAN be a positive time. It's a tremendous opportunity to access greater powers of love and compassion within yourself and to use all of your senses to remain more alert as you go about your daily routines. It's a great time to be a healer, to center yourself in love, and to work on your spiritual practice - if you're interested in self-improvement. Retrograde times will provide you with many "tests" or moments when your ability to remain centered in love and peace will be challenged. It's up to you to rise to that challenge instead of bitching about how this or that happened to you, playing the victim.

I admit, it's not always easy to maintain a positive attitude during the tumultuous times of Mercury retrograde. But we don't grow or evolve when things get too easy, do we? We need tough situations which challenge us to rise to the occasion so we can learn to proceed from our best, most enlightened self.

More Positive Effects of Mercury Retrograde

Mercury retrograde is also a great time to revisit business associations from the past to see if that energy would like to move forward again. Just this last week I've been hearing from editors I sent proposals to, and they're offering me new work. And I also have work coming in from clients I worked with many years ago. Suddenly, old connections with people that were established a long time ago are springing back to life and bearing new fruit. This is very common during Mercury retrograde. So take out old business cards or revisit prior contacts in your contacts file and don't be afraid to get in touch with these old business leads. Good stuff is likely to come of it.

Mercury retrograde isn't the best time to strike up NEW associations with clients or business partners because people tend to be more forgetful, more distracted and pressed for time. They may make an initial agreement only to discover later that the terms weren't to their liking or important legal or financial issues weren't fully addressed. So it is true that fresh agreements made during Mercury retrograde will usually need to be reworked or revised later. Retrograde casts a bit of a mental fog over all of us, making it more difficult to take in all of the factors we need to make an auspicious deal. For maximum ease and flow, it's best to make new deals, buy a house, get married, or sign agreement after Mercury goes direct.

Mercury Retrograde and Romantic Relationships

Mercury retrograde is also a notorious time for the recurrence of former flames. If you've broken up with someone, expect this person to show up again during Mercury retrograde. This may manifest as your ex camping out on your doorstep, howling at the moon and begging to get back together. Or it may manifest in a more subtle way. You might "accidentally" bump into your ex in a public place and find all of those old, complex emotions flooding over you in a sudden wave.

Mercury retrograde is a great time for settling up business with old flames. Divorced couples can fine-tune their child custody arrangements. Former live-in loves can settle up details like who gets to keep which CD's and who is going to be responsible for the Frankie the Goldfish, the fish you adopted together.

If you have no contact with your ex, you may find that ghosts of that dead relationship surface during Mercury retrograde in a more metaphysical way. Sometimes this gets a little spooky. Every time you turn on the radio "your song" might be playing. (You know "your song." It's the song that became "your song" when you were in the relationship.)

Or everywhere you go, you might bump into people who ask you about your ex or probe you with questions about that old relationship. It can be like picking at a scab. Any unresolved emotional stuff around a former romance can be restimulated, and this can be painful. But try to look at this stuff instead of just burying it. What feelings are surfacing around your old love? What are the energies that still carry an emotional charge for you? What might you need to look at, meditate on, and release in order to be free of this baggage?

Mercury retrograde is an excellent time to complete unfinished business surrounding an old romance. This might not be business about your most recent relationship, either. Instead, you may be looking at that last SOULMATE relationship -- you know, the one that generated the most intense emotional upset but also the greatest degrees of passion and love.

Sometimes, we have to clear out those emotional charges from our last significant relationship in order to free up energy. It can be impossible to make room in your emotional world for your next soulmate, or perhaps THE soulmate for you in this life, when you're still bogged down in emotional goop from a past soulmate. Clearing this stuff out is essential. Mercury retrograde encourages you to focus on your own healing and to look at the "dirt," the stuff that might be painful or uncomfortable, surrounding past relationships.

If you do your homework during Mercury retrograde, I guarantee that you'll make fabulous progress after Mercury goes direct again. As Mercury goes direct, you'll feel ready to move ahead. You'll have purged some of those past demons that were holding you back.

So Mercury can be a great time to do personal homework about romantic patterns and attitudes, stuff you're still holding on to surrounding a past relationship. It's a great time for "taking out the trash" or expelling old debris.

How to Make Mercury Retrograde A Positive Time

1) Look at this as a time to perfect your spiritual practice. It's time to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Challenge yourself to be more aware of the troubles other people are experiencing. Be more compassionate, more empathetic. Discard road rage and childish over-reaction, because that's just stepping into the dark zone. Instead, access the GOOD side of the Force and be a healer, not a hater.

2) Think about people who may be of help to you in your career or your business. Contact old business leads, fellow students, mentors, or clients and see if there is some new energy that can be stirred up there. You may learn important information that will help you to make more strategic decisions in the future. Or you could get some leads about new jobs or deals that might happen through this network of associates.

3) Work at clearing out emotional debris and old energy surrounding romantic wounds. Do a little homework. Think about past relationships that stirred up heartbreak and still need healing. Find ways to expel this debris. Write in your journal and purge yourself of goop. Talk to a good friend to gain a clearer perspective on old relationships. Have a few chats with a therapist or spiritual advisor. Think about past soulmates you've encountered and ask yourself what qualities you'd like to see in your NEXT, ULTIMATE soulmate partner. Or if you're with someone wonderful now, realize that you are NOT the person you were when you were in that earlier relationship. Ask yourself these questions: "How are my expectations around love changing and evolving?" and "What is the best, most enlightened path for me, and what sort of partner do I want to join me on that path?

Consider these three things your "To Do" list for this Mercury retrograde time, and revisit these same themes during the next Mercury retrograde period, too.

Current Mercury retrograde:

July 22nd, 2005 - August 15th at 11:40 pm Eastern Daylight Time

Future retrograde:

November 14th 12:42 am Eastern Standard Time to December 3rd at 9:22 pm Eastern Time