Once again Mercury will be retrograde from January 6 into January 26, 2016 (almost three weeks). Once again the usual anecdotes about computer crashes, hard drive failures, communication mishaps, travel or travel plans being derailed, lost mail or car problems will steer to the forefront. Does Mercury really cause these kinds of problems? No, of course not! First and foremost, I like to remind myself, that planets don’t make things happen – People do! Don’t fear Mercury retrograde!

But there often seems to be a strong correlation (i.e. how we choose to perceive it) with what a planet symbolically represents and what occurs in real life. As Astrologers we specialize in seeing the patterns of the symbol. We “know” what the planetary energies suggest. We “know” what to expect. We easily find support in the myriad examples from life that inform, “prove”, and solidify our “belief”. So what does Mercury retrograde mean to me? How, if at all, is it relevant to or in my life?

Psychologically Mercury represents how we need to think in order to be efficient. It’s about the internal conversation we have within ourself. About how we perceive the world around us. What we selectively choose to allow in. What we selectively choose to keep out. It’s a filtering system unrivaled by modern technology. It’s a style of thinking colored by element and sign and much more.

My Mercury, for example, is in Scorpio. Scorpio is a water sign which adds an intense feeling element to the thought process. What I perceive is colored by how I feel about it. If I feel it’s wrong do you think I might have an issue seeing it clearly? Might my emotions cloud the picture? Would I be willing to investigate and dig deep in order to discover it’s motivational essence? What if My Mercury was in Aries? An instinctual, almost primitive, reaching out in discovery approach. Initially little judgement. As I unconsciously think so would I act! But…

If Mercury were retrograde in a natal chart there’s the suggestion – no matter which sign – that the mind would internally censor and protect the thought process. There is a second agenda related to the houses that are ruled in the natal chart. Why would this persons mind need to censor and delay? Usually someone or some event during those formative early years taught the personality to think in that way.

For example, in a natal chart if Mercury retrograde in Leo ruled the 5th and 8th houses this would suggest internal concerns, even a second agenda, regarding children, sex, giving love (5th) and concerns about how we stack up in comparison to others, their values, intimacy, possibly societal taboos about sex or death issues (8th). What might they be? How have they affected us in the past? How are they affecting us right now? We could speculate and try to be magically exact but would it not be better to find out by simply asking the person what they “think”?

Here’s a quick walk with Mercury retrograde through the other houses. Think second agenda and what it might be. If Mercury was ruler of the:

• 1st house (Ascendant) then we would be thinking along the lines of identity development, self projection, even possible health challenges;
• 2nd house self-worth, internal values, survival instincts might be highlighted;
• 3rd house, mindset, sibling, early environmental issues;
• 4th house family, one of the parents, emotional connection, roots;
• 6th house possible health concerns  daily habits, cooperative dynamics;
• 7th house one on one relationships, the kind of spouse, relating in general;
• 9th house big thought systems, societal beliefs, religious thought, how we fit into them;
• 10th house the other parent, status in the eyes of the world, our job;
• 11th house issue about accepting the love, respect and accolades from others, how we choose to fit into groups and alliances;
• 12th, a most mysterious house, something hidden from view, (can we see it? Can you?), being invisible, not being heard, needing to be hidden, potential self-limiting behavior.

These just scratch the surface. Our job is not to speculate too deeply but to anticipate and feel the themes of development contained in the symbolic correspondences. As it concerns our mind, our thinking, our processing, from internally to externally, in service to become our best selves!

If Mercury is retrograde, by transit, it suggests blocking out time to process, digest, play with, refine, prune what works for us and what doesn’t. It’s a time to get rid of anything that limits our growth. A time to stand on our own, alone, and be comfortable with it. A time to review relationships and prune those that are limiting and negative. A time to focus most clearly on who and what we want our life to be about.

Don’t fear Mercury retrograde! Embrace it! It’s the universe offering us a chance to breathe in deeply and connect with our true “beingness”.