MERCURY, God of Retrogression
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There is always a certain type of panic that sets in whenever Mercury is retrograde. Communications break down and ordinary life is always subject to much delay. So, as Mercury is now in it's apparent backwards motion (retrograde), I thought it would be good to shed a little light on this often confusing and frustrating time, to clear the air and give the God of Retrogression back his good name.

Astrologers take symbols from the folklore associated with Mercury. Down through the ages the planet Mercury has been associated with magical transformations and is the oldest known "networker." He earned his bad reputation from the part of himself which is a trickster 'par excellence'. Versatile, wily, and doubled-edged, he represents a deceptive brilliance that is the ultimate guide to the mystery of life.

Greek legends tells us that on the day that he was born he stole the cattle of Apollo by leading the cattle so that they walked backwards out of their field .

He walked straight ahead in their footsteps so that his authorship of the prank would never be discovered, even though the cows were found safely grazing nearby.

However, when summoned by the God Zeus, who is normally wrathful, Mercury charmingly confessed his deed, claiming his babyhood as his defense.

Not only was Zeus impressed with Mercury's cleverness, he was also most amused, laughing and praising the young God. The backwards walking of the cows is symbolic for the backwards movement of Mercury, thus his retrograde cycle.

The Sun God Apollo in the story is the Mercury Sun cycle and reveals the happy relationship between the Sun and Mercury in our charts because The Sun's delight at Mercury's youthful folly, represents this moment of recognition of how one has been led playfully into a mystery that occurs spontaneously, and results in pure laughter and fun.

The is the essence of what Mercury the Trickster is all about. Getting us to put aside our assumptions, especially those which have limited us. The sign and quality of the Retrograde phase informs us to what is being reviewed.

As a messenger, retrograde Mercury delivers to the conscious mind un-evolved and unknown information which is usually dormant in the unconscious. Just like the cow business, Mercury often tricks and amazes us into the consideration of new possibilities, in the same way that a comedian entrains us with laughter. Mercury achieves this best, while retrograde, by seemingly undoing all that we have so carefully sewn together.

During the passage of Mercury retrograde we can learn much from this tricky God but we have to learn to play the game and laugh as we are taken from the familiar into a place of questioning and transition.

It is only if we struggle against the inevitable, thus opposing the forces of nature, that we are thrown into turmoil while Mercury is retrograde. It is in the course of retrograde cycles that our perceptions often shift drastically as we contact information in new ways and process it unconsciously.

It is only when we think we are smugly in control that we run the risk of experiencing how the trickster robs us of our self-delusion in all his magnificent glory. The only difficulty with Mercury retrograde is our own inability and unwillingness to see our situation more clearly and infusing more awareness and attention into our our overall sense of perception.

That is why we must not start new projects nor sign contracts during this time (unless as Yoko Ono is reported to have done, sign contracts, knowing she can break them later and make a better deal.)