so I’d like to preface this post with a disclaimer: the following is, like anything in my life basically, not something i take wholeheartedly seriously, but it is sure a nice thought. that being said, i’m never sure what i believe in from any given day to the next, but it does seem a little weird that so many bummer things happened to me during the 2011 March/April Mercury Retrograde.
SO. What is Mercury Retrograde?
I first heard about this from an awesome guy I work with- in short he had helped me jump my car one day after work the week previous (bad day) & basically i was complaining about my self proclaimed bad luck throughout seemingly the entire month of April.
“Well, it was the Mercury Retrograde,” he told me.
This, of course, struck my fancy & i inquired more.
He went on to briefly explain that it’s an astrological thing, that Mercury Retrograde is the ‘Murphy’s Law‘ time of year when communication is confused, things that can go wrong probably will, etc. etc. Cue a million internal questions. Could this have something to do with why I’ve been listening to Radiohead & Bright Eyes for a month straight? (only the most depressing songs of course.) Is this why my car was towed, then broke down, then broke down again, & AGAIN? Why I broke up with my boyfriend, why i got strep throat then bronchitis? Why i was late to work so many days?
Well, the answer of course is, NO, those things happened for actual in the flesh reasons, not involving the solar system etc.
The relationship wasn’t working for a long time. The car is a 1987 Bronco i purchased for less than the down payment on my house. You can’t park anywhere in Westport that has a NO PARKING sign within a five mile radius. PEOPLE GET SICK. Etc.
BUT: is it so hard to believe that it played a part?
I’ve done my homework & as usual, love taking any sort of blame off myself for my actions or consequent negative happenings at any given chance. As it turns out, Mercury goes into ‘retrograde’ a few times a times a year & lasts for about three weeks. When a planet’s in retrograde, it appears to be going backwards. (As if that makes sense.)
IN SHORT: A retrograde period is best seen as a cycle, which begins when the planet begins to slow to a halt before traveling backwards through the zodiac & ends when the planet returns to the point where it first paused. (source) According to this site, when a planet is in retrograde, it’s at it’s highest energy- etc. etc.
Awesome. So what does that mean, really? Well, Mercury is the planet of communication & rules thinking.
Therefore when it’s in retrograde, perception can be a bit off in general. According to the source site linked above, “Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray or awry.”
I won’t go into this too much more as far as planet degrees & the technical scientific stuff goes here, frankly because i get bored easily (as well as confused). But if you want to know more, click here to read Gala Darling’s expanation.
The good news is this Mercury retrograde began March 30th, 2011 & ended April 23, 2011. So yes, there is a light at the end of the astrological tunnel. Mercury however is slow moving, so the effects could likely be felt through the end of the month. (APRIL IS ALMOST OVER. Phew.) Another good thing is that these periods aren’t always necessarily when things just go wrong for no reason. It’s better to look at it as a time of reevaluation, regeneration, reassessment, revisions.
Basically, REBIRTH.
Which i for one can totally dig. I’m making some big changes in my life & while in retrospect it feels like yeah, maybe i felt a little more crazy than usual for awhile there, i think it’s all ironing out now. So, whether all this astrology stuff is bogus or not, i’m not really so concerned because i know how i feel. I’ve seen the signs & refuse to ignore them any longer. SO. if this is another one of my false hope sort of things, that’s okay.
Personal growth is where it’s at. & I’ll take it.
( further sources: llewellyn.com | blog.beliefnet.com | sceneinscv.com )
