Mercury | ups & downs

This week may not go quite as planned. We can feel the best and worst of moods, experience lovely moments of flow, and go through patches of great technical difficulty as Mercury - symbolic arbiter of communication, thought, and transport - retrogrades, as it squares difficult Pluto and trines hopeful Jupiter.

Mercury Retrograde in Libra

Mercury square Pluto has us look at the worst-case scenarios. Mercury trine Jupiter can help us see our situation from a larger perspective and optimistically free ourselves from old patterns. The truth of our situation may lie between these two extremes. Those conflicting aspects can neutralize each other and leave us just puttering along.

Mercury Retrograde takes place three times a year for around three weeks at a time. Retrograde is when planets appear to move backward in our sky, although this is just an optical illusion, as Mercury passes earth. Mercury rules our communication including our technology used to communicate. During retrograde the normal flow of energy is reversed. We often feel disorganized and confused as communication can get lost or misinterpreted.

Many of us may face a challenge with the potential for a major or minor liberating breakthrough. Many will deal with challenges, haunted memories, or personal doubts that resurface. All hold the potential for a liberating breakthrough even if we struggle to find the path forward.

Take a breath — we’ve been through, and survived, chaotic, questionable retrogrades before — and this one is no different. We know the basics of what Mercury retrograde does to us — technological mishaps, chaotic travel, brain fog, and misunderstandings. With preparation, this transit could just be another bump in the rocky road of 2021.

Be kind and patient. Watch where the mind goes - focus on what's wonderful and worthy. Check in on one another. Create or appreciate art that expresses our emotions. Slow down to prioritize safety and mutually beneficial help.