Mercury Retrograde: A Different Perspective

Mercury Retrograde 

A Different Perspective 

Mercury Retrograde (Pisces)

March 5th, 2019  10:19 am 

Natural Chart  Whole Houses 

What is Mercury Retrograde ?

Mercury Retrograde is a term that you have probably heard before but aren't sure exactly what it means. During periods of retrograde, a planet appears to move backwards from its normal trek around the sun. Those areas of life governed by the planet tend to suffer setbacks and breakdowns. There are many retrograde including Mars Retrograde, Venus Retrograde, Jupiter Retrograde, in fact all the planets turn retrograde at some point. However, Mercury Retrograde is arguably the one you hear about most often. 

Mercury is believed to rule communication and travel and so during a Mercury-Retrograde it is common for breakdowns in communication and interruption of travel plans to occur. People become short-tempered, computers break down, get viruses, cars and other vehicles may breakdown, flat tires may occur, communication slows or grinds to a halt, etc.....

How Do I Protect Myself During Mercury Retrograde?

There are many ways that people protect, or shield, themselves from the affects of Mercury Retrograde. I will divide them into two main categories. They are Mundane and Spiritual. 

Mundane Methods 

• Environment- This area includes your home, car, and workplace….any place where you spend a great deal of time. The first thing you should do is physically clean these areas and remove any clutter to facilitate the free flow of energy. Part of de-cluttering also means finishing any projects or putting them away until after MR (if they are not time-sensitive) This may also be a great time to re-arrange your living space. After the area is physically clean, it should then be spiritually cleansed and any protections you have in place should be renewed.  In addition to cleaning and de-cluttering, your car should be taken to your local parts-place to have your battery, fluid-levels and tire air-pressure checked and corrected if needed. Don’t forget to check your spare tire as well! Many business such as Auto-Zone or any Walmart that has a tire center will do these simple checks free of charge. If you have an emergency road kit, then any missing or previously used items should be replaced; if you do not have an emergency road kit, then this would be a great time to assemble one. Computers fall under the category of environment as many people spend a great deal of time on them in their daily lives. The same procedures for your home and car are true for your computer as well. Dump old files, de-frag your computer, back up your data, and make sure that your virus protection is up to date. And I cannot talk about real-time environments without bringing up social media environments. Being prepared for MR online includes removing yourself from any groups in which you do not participate, pruning your friends list, and reviewing your privacy settings. 

• Relationships- Failure to communicate effectively is a hallmark of MR. How much of this is MR and how much of this is just people using MR as an excuse to be rude and abrasive is debatable. Pre-Mercury Retrograde, however, is your opportunity to examine and heal your relationships or resolve issues old issues so they do not fester. If there is a friend, family member, or loved one that you’ve been meaning to call, write, or speak to then now is the time to reach out to them. If there are issues in your relationships now is the time to address them so that you don’t carry anything negative into MR with you. Forgive and forget so that you can move on. It is especially important that you say what you mean and mean what you say (which is a general good rule of thumb in any case) and don’t assume that people understand the truth intent and meaning behind your words. The reverse is also true, don’t assume that you know the intent and meaning behind the words of others. If there is any doubt, ask. 

• Self- Last but not least, now is the time to exercise some self-care. This includes examining your physical and mental state and addressing any issues that need attention. If your mind and / or body has been under a great deal of stress, then you need to reduce stress and develop coping mechanisms. Strive for more balance between work, play, and rest. Finally, undergoing a spiritual cleansing to remove any astral or emotional muck so that you do not carry it with you into MR is also a good idea. 

Spiritual Methods 

Below you will find a list of magical means to combat Mercury Retrograde. This is, by far, not a comprehensive list and not every remedy will work for every person. For this reason you are encouraged to start with those remedies that most appeal to you and use them in your own personal life to rate their effectiveness. 

• Light a candle to Ganesha (remover of obstacles) and offer him incense and milk on the day that Mercury turns retrograde to smooth the way for an unencumbered path for you in the weeks ahead. When Mercury turns direct again, you may wish to light another candle to Ganesha. If you do not have a relationship with Ganesha or are uncomfortable working with him, you may use a Road Opener candle instead. 
• Dress yourself with Van Van Oil each morning during MR and pray the 23rd Psalm (The Lord is my shepherd…) Van Van Oil is a type of road opener oil that is known for blessing people and objects, as well as turning bad luck to good. It contains lemongrass which is an herb associated with the planet Mercury. 
• Carry a rabbit’s foot in your pocket and place a dish of salt on your windowsill. 
• Wear something silver such as a ring or bracelet (you can even place a silver mercury dime in your right shoe). 
• Combine lemongrass, sage, and mint in their dried forms and place a pinch of this in the four corners of a room to fix it to mitigate the effects of MR.
• Strategically place hematite, fluorite, and clear quartz near your computer to protect it from being affected by MR. 
• Place a small mojo bag containing comfrey root and wormwood in your car for protection during travel and to prevent accidents. You may also wish to add a silver mercury dime and dress this with Van Van Oil. 
• Each of the seven classical planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn) are associated with a Kamea, or magic square, and a seal. While the Kamea puts forces in motion that are associated with said planet, the Seal is said to bring them to a halt. Therefore by carrying the Seal of Mercury (which is incorporated into the design above) you can prevent the energies of MR from affecting you. This seal may be drawn on paper and tucked in your pocket, included in a mojo bag or doll baby, etched on a candle, or if you have the ability it may be engraved on a silver mercury dime. It should be remembered, however, that the seal stops all of the energies associated with a planet...the good and the bad and the seal should be put away and not used once Mercury turns direct or you’ll deny yourself the positive effects of Mercury.
• Examine your natural chart to see what natal house Mercury Retrograde is transiting in order to understand how mercury retrograde will affect you in an individual level. 

A Different Perspective on Mercury Retrograde 

Having said all of the above, I would like to offer you a different perspective. Imagine, if you will, that Mercury is a swimmer on the cosmic seas. Typically, he swims with the celestial currents but once in a while he gets turned around and starts swimming against the current. He uses more of his energy or personal power, he tires more quickly, he becomes lost or confused. 

Instead of protecting yourself from Mercury Retrograde, let me suggest that you use your time and energy to feed and strengthen him.  How might we do this? Below are just a few suggestions. 

• We know from our use of astral candles that Mercury's colors are yellow and green. Therefore, burn yellow or green candles upon which you have etched the symbol for Mercury and which has been dressed with Mercury Planetary Oil.  Optional: Sprinkle High John Root powder on the candle for strength and endurance. 
• You can surround the candle with herbs and crystal which vibrate in harmony with Mercury, such as caraway, dill, clover, lavender, marjoram, and peppermint. Crystals include opal, agate, carnelian, and aventurine. When the candle is spent, you can keep these herbs / crystal in your environment. 
• If you desire you can erect a temporary altar to Mercury and place on it those colors in harmony with mercury, it's crystals, gems, and stones; it's herbs and other things ruled over by Mercury such as books (especially biographical, occult, dictionaries, or law books), print advertisements, cars (use a toy), birds, contracts, deeds, handwriting, keys,  money, telephones (use a cell phone). 
• Incorporate yellow and green into your clothing. If not with your clothing, then with your accessories.
• Wear Mercury Planetary Oil. Burn Mercury Planetary Incense. Bathe in Mercury Planetary Bath Crystals. 

You must keep in mind, that the energy you are feeding the planet is coming from the herbs, the crystals, and the candles, etc..  -- you are only directing that energy with your thoughts and attention and not giving Mercury your own energy. However, you are setting up a reciprocal relationship with Mercury wherein you feed him energy and, in turn, things will go more smoothly for you. 

Carolina Dean