The Gift of Mindful Retrospection – Mercury Retrograde from 27 September 2021 (AEST)

This is our third and final Mercury retrograde for 2021.

Recall that planetary retrogrades are optical illusions – they do not travel backwards, they just appear to because Mercury overtakes our Earth on its orbit around the Sun. From our perspective, Mercury appears to have slowed down and reversed His direction.

As I’ve written before, Mercury was the messenger of the Gods – communicating and transmitting information. 

In astrology He is seen as the energy of communication and perception, travel and contractual relationships.

Mercury retrogrades have all occurred in Air signs this year, previously in Aquarius and Gemini, and currently in Libra.

So, the focus of this mercurial energy will have an extra-focus on communication, the mind, and connectivity.

Being in retrograde, this will mean miscommunication, misunderstandings, and disconnections may be experienced.

But knowing this, we can be prepared to be more open, to actively listen and genuinely engage with others. With Mercury forming a square to Pluto during this period, we need to be vigilant we don’t force our views on others!

When Mercury the planet appears to move backwards in the sky – retrogradation – be prepared for complications, disruptions and upsets to our plans! 

Be prepared for changes to plans you put in place during the retrograde shadow period – and have contingencies in place!

The retrograde shadow period reflects the degrees of the Zodiac he will revisit during His time in retrogradation.

This means that if you have any planets or points (Ascendant/Descendant; House cusps; etc) within 10° to 25° Libra you will be experiencing Mercury’ gaze 3 times.

We will all be under the influence of Mercury Retrograde, but aside from Libra, if you have any of the following planets/points in your natal chart you will be especially influenced by His reversal:

You will  need to find balance and avoid the extremes of the planetary energies between Mercury and any planets/points at Aries 10° to 25°

There could be tense energies creating a sense of collision if you have any planets/points in Capricorn or Cancer 10° to 25°, but which if handled well will provide the greatest opportunity for growth.

With planets/points at 10° to 25° of Aquarius or Gemini, you’ll find harmony and flow, but if not worked with, the combined energies will lack the vitality they can bring.

If you have planets/points at 10° to 25° of Leo or Sagittarius, there will be  support and stimulation of the planetary energies, providing you with opportunities to grow.

Which ever house the planet/point is in will determine where you will be experiencing the impact of Mercury retrograde in your daily life.

Also, it is important to note what you where engaged in between 7 September and 27 September as this will be subject to Mercury’s triple scrutiny.

An alternative way of seeing this, is, what was occurring for you during that period of time is now up for a second and soon to be, third review.

Steven Forrest states that retrogradations “possess extraordinary depth and sensitivity” maybe because during periods of retrograde the planet is actually closer to Earth than it is during it’s ‘normal’ direct motion.

If this is the case, then we are afforded a great opportunity during a period of Mercury retrograde to analyse, dissect, and review decisions and plans we put in place between 7 and 27 September this year.

We can go back over things that may need rework, and review for errors or mistakes. Don’t forget that Mercury is a speedy fellow – maybe we rushed to complete projects in September and in doing so missed something vital? 

Here we can apply retrospect to life that is still unfolding – what a great opportunity! 

Not only in Mercury retrograde, but our Great Teachers, Jupiter and Saturn, and the transcendental planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, are retrograde too!

This then is a period of inner soul searching, reviewing what we have learnt and how we can apply this knowledge to our conscious evolution.

Best advise for this period of time is to be prepared to be more open, to actively listen and genuinely engage with others.

So, and contrary to popular belief, Mercury retrogrades are not bad: they are great times to review, research, and fine tune your projects and goals.

I wish you all the best during this astrological period of retrospection!

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