Blog Dis

We have arrived at that juncture once again, a Mercury Retrograde, which began on Thursday July 18th and which doesn't end until August 11st. I've purposely let a week pass before issuing this post, to allow some perspective, to see if you've personally noticed any glitches, such as people acting oddly, couples getting into major arguments, mechanical things breaking down, arrangements falling apart, and the like. You'll know what I mean, if this resonates with you.

My friends all know me well enough to know that I'm a flake, despite them also knowing me to be disciplined and organized and sometimes too much the know-it-all. Know too that a know-it-all knows full well they are capable of being intensely stupid at times, just saying. However, and having said that, let us get back to the subject matter at hand. My friends accept that I place my belief in the topsy-turvy effect of Mercury Retrograde and how these periods can impact our lives, our relationships, our jobs, and most especially our contracts and leases, or any agreement where we have affixed our signature.

I didn't always believe in Mercury Retrogrades, until these periods were pointed out to me by someone else, and then I began to recognize repeating patterns, when things appear to be moving backwards. We take one step forward, or rather we attempt to, and then we're pushed backwards two or three steps. If you're not familiar with Mercury Retrograde, this is your lucky day (or perhaps the day you become foolish hahaha).

Here is a brief description:

Mercury rules the areas of communication, negotiation, information, research, transportation, shipping, commerce, and all electronics (as well as machines with moving parts like cars, especially). All these areas will bring static, confusion, problems and delays during the mercury retrograde period, which typically lasts three weeks, and which typically occurs three and sometimes four times a year, though these actual date periods vary from year to year. When we're under a Retrograde, it appears like conditions around you are in a state of flux, so I try to adopt the attitude of waiting for the dust to settle before I commit myself to a contract. The worst days within a retrograde period are the book-end dates, the beginning and end. You may notice that you and your partner will get into arguments fast, like a brush fire - they'll be intense and then burn out fast or some couples break up under a Retrograde, marriages too, which are particularly vulnerable.

Yet, oddly enough, there are benefits to a Retrograde, because you can utilize it to stall when it comes to making a life-altering decision, like whether to reject or accept a new job offer from someone. And if the organization where you work is attempting to screw you over, know that it'll not come to pass under a Retrograde. You'll often hear from people that you haven't had communication with in years; they'll just bump into you, out of the blue or you'll see each other from across the street. Creativity is high under retrogrades, and you'll make great breakthroughs and this is especially true with creative writing projects or over-coming writer's block.

On the whole, you can count on slow-downs under a Retrograde, and for many, this is a good thing, rather than running full-tilt like some wired hamster in their wheel. General confusion will be the order of the day, so it's best not to fight it, to relinquish to the period which as I said is ideal for taking a step back, to re-think before committing yourself. I call it the unseen bonus: wiggle room that equips you with the perfect reason not to leap before you look. I've one long-time friend who very angrily called me in the New Year to state to me, categorically:

"I don't believe in formulas. I reject all formulas. I reject all Mercury Retrogrades!"

And to that declaration, I saw no point in arguing with him, because he is entitled to his opinion. Fast forward six months later, he called me up again to ask,

"We're in one right now, aren't we? We're in another f*cking Mercury Retrograde again, aren't we?" [He doesn't even need to download the dates from Google because he feels these periods by instinct].

To which I replied, "I'm afraid so. I didn't want to tell you because I know you no longer believe in formulas."

My friend is a deeply passionate individual, and so I know never to push him toward any concepts that offend his practical, mathematical mind.

"I knew it!" he said. "I knew it! Everyone is acting like f*cking idiots, bizarre things are happenings and things falling apart for no reason!"

Uh-huh. This is how a Mercury Retrograde goes. And just so you know, I'm A-OK with coming across as a flake. I admit to this and I also acknowledge that I'm not living your life, nor do I live in your brain or perceive the world in the same manner that you do, nor do I want to because I only answer to myself. In short, I could give a flying f*ck what anyone thinks of me or my cockamamie thinking (by their way of thinking), any more than you might care what I think of your thinking.

And this will also occur sporadically, that if you are celebrating a birthday which falls within the perimeters of a Retrograde, know that your birthday year (the day of your birthday all the way to the next birthday) will undergo some dramatic changes within this year period. I've seen it pretty much with everyone I know. They change jobs, marriages, partners, where they live, their lifestyle, their hair, their way of approaching life. It'll feel like you don't recognize your life anymore by the time you reach your next birthday. You may not see these dramatic changes again until the book-end dates. I remember one Retrograde birthday year where I felt, "Oh wow! I emerged unscathed, only to experience a complete life turn- around the day before my next birthday. I lost my job. I changed residences. I landed a new job. I launched a new novel in my Retrograde birthday year, and it received more publicity than I ever had for any of my other novels. Go figure. 🤔

This current Mercury Retrograde ends on August 11.