Let’s talk about Mercury Retrograde (Direct again on Oct 15th but not out of the shadow until Oct 30th). Over the years, my experience with the backtracking planet, that twisted trickster, monkey-wrench in the works joker of all jokers, Mercury, has given me much to cry about. But Mercury Retrograde has also given me much to laugh about.

I find the best way to do this is by telling you a story. Over the past few weeks while the little prankster has been going backwards, I have had to revamp my internet/wireless router, attempt to install a new dishwasher, travel all over town to pick up my mail from 3 different locations (don’t even ask), juggle returns for a phone jack, install Skype & AIM and catch up on my social networking. And if that wasn’t enough, I am now faced with the choice of which coffee shop I like best – there are 5 Starbucks (6 if you count the one inside Pavilions), 3 Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s and 1 Peets Coffee within walking distance! And of course there is my Libra brother that I’ve been worried about (Mercury is in Libra). And I haven’t even scratched the surface. Can you relate?

Then, of course there was the time during Mercury Retro I tried to replace a glass shelf for a bookshelf and after many trips to the glassman (which was it’s own trip to the dark side, but don’t distract me). I finally got what looked like a replacement shelf. But no, what I ended up with was a shelf that was HALF the thickness I needed – even after I had SPECIFIED THE SIZE. Of course it wasn’t in writing, so Mercury left me footing the bill. Ahhh, chalk it up to some kind of karmic payback. You see, this IS what Mercury Retrograde is up to – he’s balancing the scales. Somewhere, someplace I messed with a glassman, and now I had to pay the price! Mercury Retrograde cost me my pocket change.

YES, Mercury Retrograde rules pocket change, AND personal change. the best way to sum it up is with this very mercurial saying about change: “change comes from within.”

Mercury governs all these subjects: siblings, neighbors/neighborhoods, short trips, mail, phones, etc, etc. So, we can all see why the Retrograde Mercury has gotten such a bad rap. He sure is a BUSY bugger. But is it all BAD? I don’t think so.

But there’s more, the problems that Mercury’s highlighted are not news to me, I knew I’d have to deal with every last one of them. They just require attention. The fact is, once most of this is settled into a routine, a system or a clear course of action then there will be stability around all of them. This is an extremely GOOD thing. Not only that, but I know how to look at Astrological dates to plant seeds for new growth under prime Universal conditions. And Retrograde can actually be a VERY POWERFUL time to do this.

**My disclaimer: I only stand behind the dates I have personally selected for you, this is called Electional Astrology and is the art of creating the BEST timing for starting things using the timing of the Universe. One of the reasons we are having problems in our economy and with the out-of-whackness of our environment (don’t get me started) is because we are out of whack with the COSMOS. Proper selection of timing puts us back IN WHACK with the timing of the Universe. And that leads to success and Happiness.

Successful date selection is the name of the game, even during a Retrograde Mercury!
For your best success in Business, love/marriage send an e-mail: success@astrologychick.com
Do it now while you’re still thinking about it!

I am VIRGO: Perfect me – Ruled by Mercury

The VIRGIN is fine, neat, orderly, and above all healthy, perhaps a bit obsessively so. They say that genius is in the details, and if that is true then VIRGO has more than it’s fair share of geniuses. Everything in their world operates like well-oiled machinery, or at least it should, and if it doesn’t the poor VIRGO gets, well, distressed.

Usually well mannered and highly conscious of all social graces our hero the VIRGIN rarely makes a scene, even when the messy disarray of life is causing an internal aneurism to erupt in his finely tune psyche. Oh, yes they can be perfectionists our delicate friends the VIRGOANS.

You see, there exists in these people a finely tuned radar, an antennae, a precariously balanced series of weights and measures designed to carefully maintain a sense of order. The secret truth about these people is that they are deeply, personally, privately, delicately sensitive beings. (Sshhh! Don’t tell anyone!) Like your proverbial Librarian, they don’t want loud noises in the library, and to the VIRGO, all of life would be a little bit better if we would just treat everyplace as if it were a library. It would save so much trouble! And make things so much more efficient!

The mental sensitivity of MERCURY causes our manner-full friends to constantly seek mental peace, and this they look for through better, smoother, more efficient systems. If something needs organizing, cataloging, put into order or refined in any way shape or form then VIRGO is your man. It’s just that this attitude can be slightly out of place at, say, a sporting event.

Some people claim the the VIRGIN can be fussy, precious, even anal. But you must understand, if it weren’t for her concern with keeping things in place then what would become of civilization I ask you? The entire fabric of society would unravel without her neatly printed rules of conduct and order — thank you miss manners! To be sure, if you were wondering if spectator pumps are appropriate to wear after Labor Day, have no fear, VIRGO is here with the answer. (No). If you need your closet organized, an event catered, your schedule organized, call in one of these MERCURY minded folks. VIRGO’S are the everyday, unsung, overlooked, salt of the earth hero’s who quietly make sure that the business of the world gets handled; the beds get made, the kids get off to school with a well-balanced breakfast, the dry cleaning gets picked up, the train leaves on time, the lint gets removed from your jacket…. Whew!

Since the essence of the VIRGO karma is purity, they get annoyed when their mental purity is sullied. It’s important to remember that perfection is a nice ideal, but humanity is, well, messy and imperfect. And in the end it is our imperfections that make us human.

The VIRGIN learns about the self through the psychological aspects represented by it’s compliment, PISCES — who represents mysticism, spirituality, transcendence and ecstatic states of consciousness. Ultimately, the VIRGO learns that by perfecting their individuality (metaphoric virginity) they are able to blend and unify with all of humanity, and become part of the whole, and in this way they feel useful, necessary and purposeful. They begin to see the forest AND the trees, and to appreciate that beautiful sunset setting just beyond them.

If you love a VIRGIN don’t be surprised that this reference has little to do with sex. Although not famous for loving sex for it’s own sake, your VIRGO will want to perform it as perfectly as anything else they undertake, which can mean this VIRGIN has a lot of experience in the bedroom. And you know what they say, practice makes perfect! To get closer to one of these chisled specimens of human health, buy them a plant, make them a wheat grass shake, go to yoga with one. Get really into macrobiotics, show him or her that you intend to take perfect care of your health just as they do. Behave impeccably, open doors, throw your coat over puddles, show her that you will work for her attentions. Your VIRGO will be impressed, and reward you for your efforts — she hates to see hard work and effort go unnoticed!

This planet was the messenger of the gods in the Greek myths. MERCURY would be the one to send messages between the various gods of Mount Olympus, and also from the gods to man. He was a very androgynous male figure. Since he is also responsible for messages from god to man, as a force he could be considered equivalent to Angels, and divine intuitions. But he was also a trickster, and could show a more disruptive face. He is responsible for misunderstandings between people and the power, yet limitations of language to convey our thoughts to one another. He is responsible for words, having stolen the alphabet from the gods and brought it to man. The god MERCURY is rather amoral in his behavior, capable of lies and petty thievery, as well as love poems and messages of encouragement. He is capricious and takes flights of fancy. But there is rarely anything deeply malicious about his influence, just irksome and annoying at times. He is generally playful, and for all his fickleness, is sincerely distressed when someone is upset. At those times he can become a playful clown, cracking witty remarks. He might not really solve the problem, but he may show you a way to laugh at it. His realm of rulership includes all of the communication methods used by man, telephones, faxes, the mail, gossip columns, and even telepathy. MERCURY’S influence makes us aware of what we say to one another, how we phrase it and what they say back to us. The planet MERCURY lends cleverness and acuity to a personality. There is often something ironic about MERCURY, he being the planet/god responsible for puzzles, riddles and brainteasers. When MERCURY is making his influence felt, we become keenly aware of the various sides and aspects of an issue or idea.

MERCURY rules both Gemini and Virgo. In his Gemini incarnation the tendency to see the world as black and white is very pronounced. The Gemini generally sees all sides of an issue with that limber mind of theirs. This can give rise to categorizing people and information in static ways. The Gemini will then grab whatever piece of information serves their argument and use it to their favor. They can look at life as a chess game, where the smartest player will use the other persons words, thought and ideas to defeat them. The object of the game; prove your mental superiority. The Gemini who lives life by an overriding principle will use that sharp mind to expose flaws and faulty logic for a constructive purpose. The self-serving Gemini can use their brilliance to con and manipulate other people.

MERCURY also rules Virgo, since I consider CHIRON to be a modern ruler for Virgo, I recommend that you read that page also. In the Virgo personality mental flexibility is dedicated to storing information and checking details. The Virgo generally is interested in finding and storing data, so that they can prove any hypothesis that they should be asked to follow out. The Virgo wants every piece of information to be put in its proper place. Disarray makes them feel nervous. And a nervous Virgo is a critical Virgo. They can’t help it, they just notice every item or comment that’s casually thrown about, and want to find it a home. A big secret about Virgo is that they are very sensitive, and want to extend their own need for order and calm to include everyone else. Since a pea in the princess’s bed will keep her from sleeping she will see to that there are no peas in any beds throughout the land. Virgo makes sure that certain standards are met and upheld in life.

One other note about MERCURY is that 3 times a year it goes retrograde. This means that from the perspective of the Earth it appears to stop and then travel backwards along its orbit for a period of several weeks. During this time communication foul-ups increase, people from the past resurface and previous words and/or work often need to be clarified and revised. It is a confusing to begin MERCURY related activities, to buy electronics or to sign contracts. Learn more by watching the video below:

Every individual has MERCURY somewhere in their Natal Chart. Its influence will determine the way we communicate our thoughts, and the way we use our minds to grasp and use information. For more information about MERCURY’S influence on you I recommend having a Natal Chart Interpretation.