Astro-logical Forecast for Monday 10/21/2013: How to Handle Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio
Happy Monday!
I hope your weekend settled into the very best that the material comfort and stability-seeking Moon in Taurus could support on Saturday and Sunday, especially after a RAMbunctious Full Moon in me-me-me Aries on Friday. I was out of town — on a magical and nostalgic visit to Wellesley College, my alma mater — and I apologize for the delayed forecast & lack of response to the many emails that are sitting in my inbox. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
As it turns out, delays and snafus involving communication and transportation devices (computers, cell phones, cars, trains, etc.) are exactly what we can expect, given that mental Mercury is now officially retrograde as of 6:29AM ET today, at 18 degrees of Scorpio. So if 18 Scorpio is a significant point in your horoscope, you will be more personally affected by this retrograde. In Scorpio, Mercury can be probing and intense, as it unflinchingly examines subjects considered too taboo to be frankly discussed in polite company: e.g., sex, life and death, debts and joint resources, power, corruption and all things rotting away in hidden corners. Mercury in Scorpio can also be paranoid, controlling and relentless in its search for absolute truth. It’s quite willing to blow dearly-held concepts to smithereens, forcing us to reform and regenerate. Watch the headlines for examples over the next few weeks. Mercury will turn direct on November 10th.
Those who know just enough about astrology to make them dangerous often curse Mercury retrograde, and that’s a shame. It gets a bad rap because we are geared, in this crazy modern age, to always be thinking, doing, moving FORWARD. Ya know what that gets you? Burn out! We need our down times, and Mercury retrograde is a perfect time to give our minds a rest — and an opportunity to review our progress over the past few months. Why else would your computer, phone and/or car choose THIS time to malfunction? Because you are supposed to be slowing down!
Be prepared for travel delays, scheduling screw-ups, mechanical breakdowns, computer crashes, having to repeat what you’ve just said, misunderstandings, people you haven’t seen in years showing up on your doorstep and having to repeat what you just said. Take advantage of this prime opportunity to review and rethink a project you may have abandoned. It’s probably worth a second look. Get out your Rolodex and reach out to people. Trust that they will be delighted to hear from you. Take a break from your routine. Take a vacation. Unplug your computer and cellphone. Avoid signing contracts, making major purchases (especially mechanical ones) and losing patience. Make sure the restaurant you’re meeting at is still in business. Don’t believe everything you read in the papers and ignore the juicy gossip at the water cooler. Do plan on RElaxing, REviewing, REsearching, REorganizing, REgenerating, REconnecting and REcreating.
This particular Mercury retrograde is an especially superb time for getting organized (or reorganized). That’s because Mars, the action hero planet, is in Virgo, the perfecting organizer extraordinaire. That’s good news for programmers hired to fix a multitude of website glitches delaying the health insurance exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act. In your own personal world, you can be highly efficient in your efforts to purge what no longer serves. Start with your closets and file cabinets. This is also a superb time to review your life in consultation with an astrologer. Contact me to schedule an appointment.
P.S. Moon is in Gemini as of 12:14AM ET, needing to inform and be informed. Well good luck with that, as our brains adjust to Mercury’s shift in motion (translation: double check everything before you hit “send”). As the day progresses, nebulous Neptune suggests a need for vision — or the potential for confusion — followed by an impassioned critique or clash over the details at 7:47PM ET.
Moon voids for the week: Tuesday 8:35PM ET until 11:38PM ET on WEDNESDAY; Friday 4:31PM ET until 12:12PM ET SATURDAY. Plan your life accordingly.
So… we’re in Mercury Retrograde now. I had my phone snatched from my hands on the subway on Saturday. I know that this is a terrible time to purchase electronics. Does that mean I need to wait until after November 10th? What to do?
Wow! My first thought is to wonder if you’re being sent a message to tune out for a spell. Are you so engaged in your connections with other people that you are not taking enough time to listen to your inner voice? If you simply must have a cell phone in order to do your work during this retrograde, then you will need to get one. Sometimes you must do what you have to do, even under planetary patterns that are not ideal. Look for one that has an extremely accommodating return policy. Do NOT, under any circumstances, buy this phone when the Moon is void of course. I wonder if your phone is traceable, which suggests the possibility that it may be returned to you…hence my thoughts about that very accommodating return policy. Thanks for writing and keep me posted!
My sense is that its a sign that I need to tune OUT! I am working on listening to my inner voice, and I actually feel more alive, in tune, and relaxed than I have in a long time since I lost it. And it’s only been 3 days.
My phone is traceable – it is an iPhone, and I put a message on it that, if turned on again, will report that the phone has been stolen. The police are on the case and have subpoenaed my phone records.
If necessary, I can meet people in person in the interim, or possibly use web technologies to connect with people (i.e., google hangout, Skype.) So I’m wondering… maybe just go with the flow and chill?
Sounds like you’ve already answered your question. Enjoy the Mercury retrograde REtreat!