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Mercury rules all functions of the mind and all forms of transportation and physical mobility. When Mercury turns retrograde -- as is legendary in everyday experience -- the chance that something will go wrong in these areas increases to the point it almost seems like a given. Things get lost. Thing go missing. Things break down. Delays and misunderstandings abound.
But Mercury retrograde is also a time when you can learn to use your mind (and your travel modes) differently. Try reducing the times you communicate and the things you communicate about. Lay off the texting, the phone calls, the emails and social media chatting and commenting.
You may discover it's all a bunch of needless chatter in the first place. If you don't have something important to say -- or something interesting and vital to add to the conversation -- step back and go into quiet mode for a while.
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Practice silence -- and learn to enjoy it. Turn off the television, the radio, the music, the telephone, all the incoming stimulation. Discover what it's like when it's finally quiet enough for you to hear your own thoughts for a change. Savor the stillness. It has a comforting energy all its own.
Go for walks by yourself. Reconnect with the natural world. Wrap yourself in a slower pace and a simpler lifestyle. Feel the shift from your usual hectic involvement (and your terminal FOMO) into the calm serenity of just you ... by yourself. Interesting, huh?
Feel the change from your hustle and participation in the outer world's business ... to the sanity of a pace you set for yourself that fits you and honors you as an individual being. Not just another rat in the race ... but an elegant creature of convictions and feelings ... one that almost nobody but you and your Inner Self know.
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Instead of taking a trip "somewhere" -- and risking all the delays, cancellations, break-downs and missed connections -- turn inward. Practice journeying, creative visualization, guided fantasies. Explore alternate forms of reality.
Talk with your Inner Self, your Higher Self, your Spirit Guides, the Divine Source, even friends and loved ones who have passed on. They offer their own special kind of counsel and companionship -- and you may bring back a lot more from these conversations when you return to "yourself" again.
Map out and embark on your own inner journeys -- or just wander the landscape of your imagination -- and see where they take you. Ask questions and listen for answers. Envision a number of possible futures you might want to create. Try them on. Live in them for a while. See which ones fit, which ones feel right, which ones you might want to pursue -- and ask for guidance getting there.
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Become a student again. Read more. Take up new topics. Explore different interests. Experiment with different forms of education. Listen. Watch. Observe. Think. When Mercury turns direct again, you may take some of these new experiences with you. At least you'll have history and entertainment as your reward. And maybe you'll leave them behind as one of your Mercury Retrograde moments. You never know, but at least you'll have tried something different. That itself is aligned with Mercury Retrograde energy. So, do something different -- and go with the flow!
Review your plans. Under Mercury Retrograde, they're liable to change. You'll come up with new information, talk to new people, come up with better ideas and see things from another perspective. Understand this is part of the experience. Invite it ... welcome it ... help it happen. Talk about them with one of the spiritual entities you contact on your inner journeys. See if they have something to recommend or advise.
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Take note of your ideas. Literally write them down where you can find them, keep track of them and review and revise them. Look for inner wealth and riches. Reconnect with your Inner Child, your original mind, your soul. Look at how you've changed, how you think differently? Do you like what you've found? If so, how can you continue to grow on this path? If not, how can you turn things around?
Try to resurrect memories of when you were very young -- before "the world" got hold of you and changed you to suit itself. It can be very revealing to step back into that mindset. Maybe some attitude or ambition or treasure is waiting for you to reclaim it. Mercury Retrograde actually makes it easier for you to go back and find out.
Revisit a previous hobby or skill or interest. Reclaiming lost treasures is part of this time. You may rekindle your fascination -- or discover a new way to use it. Doing something to make use of talents you already have has obvious benefits.
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Start a journal -- or spend lots more time with one you maintain. There is no better place to work with your mind, talk to yourself and have the conversation on record. The practice opens a fertile channel of discovery and productive conversation. Your journal can be one of your most treasured companions. Let it concoct some answers -- and down right miracles -- for you. Be honest now. Couldn't you use some?
Meditate. Fantasize. Follow the thread wherever your imagination takes you. Ask for a gift at the end of your journey. What were you given? (And who gave it to you?) What do you find? (And where, and under what conditions?) What does it mean? Do you understand its significance? Does it have value you can immediately define and appreciate?
Ponder its message or purpose if you don't find a meaningful answer, or a hint of some kind, right away. Collect your thoughts. Concentrate on specific topics or particular questions. Use this time to rethink, re-envision and re-design your life. The more you work with it, the better the outcome. That's the real promise of Mercury Retrograde. Try it ... and see for yourself.
If you've always known there was more to Astrology than Sun Sign material and the three line daily horoscope in the newspaper, climb aboard and follow this blog. You'll find a world of wisdom detailing how you were designed to work with life ... and why you are the way you are -- all in quick-to-read, easy-to-digest-and-remember, written-in-plain-English essays that offer plenty of food for thought.
Little by little, I'm doing a set of articles that talks about all the elements in your horoscope and what they have to say about you. If you "know something" about Astrology -- or know something about your chart placements, that will help you get more from this material.
If you don't ... well, this is one place you can learn. We all have to start somewhere ... because we aren't born knowing this stuff. Meanwhile, if you've never seen your horoscope ... and don't have a clue how to work with it, maybe it's time to find out. There are lots of "chart services" on the internet -- some of whom produce decent, readable charts "for free" and some are so awful and confusing that even I can't read them easily -- and I've worked with charts for decades.
One extremely user-friendly chart site is here: AstroLabe. I recommend them if you want a simple, easy-to-read chart. I think they even give a reasonable little interpretive reading of your horoscope as part of the package. You'll need to know your birth information -- day, month, year, time and geographical place. Without all that your chart will have limited accuracy.
Or, if you want to get serious and really talk about this, upvote this post and start a conversation in the comments section sometime in the next six days from the time of publication. We'll go from there depending on what you want to know.
Questions about any of this? -- Upvote this post and talk to me in comments. It's a terrific way to build value for yourself and the community ... and it will give me ideas of what to write about in future posts. Believe me there is lots to say about the way The Sun, The Moon -- and all the other elements in a horoscope, all the other components of Astrology -- work together to interpret you and your story -- and what it all means to the person you've become.
Although sometimes the background pictures in our visual essays support the topic and text, they don't always. Sometimes the connection is clear. Sometimes it's symbolic and subtle. Sometimes, there's no connection at all.
The scenes depict landscapes and natural features, buildings and wildlife. They were chosen because they show something lovely or interesting ... or simply because the photo appealed to me.
Our spectacular and remarkable planet is changing at astonishing speed. Rarely are these changes for the better. Few people seem to know ... or care ... or have the will and power to do anything about this. It may not be long before the world humans have known and lived in for centuries is forever lost. We certainly won't be able to make repairs as fast as we destroyed it.
So a few years ago I began collecting pictures of the way things were ... and still are for now, a record of the beauty we have while it is still ours to love and honor.
The photos here are part of that collection, with sincere thanks to the artists who saw these moments ... and with their cameras ... preserved them. All of us at Enchanted Spirit are profoundly grateful to them for their generosity and skill ... and for the added grace, depth and dimension their art brings to ours.
Original images used under this Creative Commons license or this Creative Commons license and modified by added text.
