Retrograde Superstitions

Do We Really Want to Be Road Worriers?

MERCURY RETROGRADE—excerpted from my book ASTROLOGY IS REAL

I'm a rebel maverick dissident heretic. Contrary to orthodox doctrine, I reject the dogma that periods when Mercury is retrograde (like April 1-25) warrant outbreaks of fear and worry.

They do not portend massive snafus in communication and connection.

We are not far more liable to commit costly gaffes and veer off on wrong turns. 

My rebel maverick dissident heretical instincts tell me that there are propitious possibilities to take advantage of during phases when Mercury is retrograde. Here are three:

• We can refine and deepen the ways we exchange information.  

• We can heighten our commitment to saying precisely what we mean and meaning exactly what we say.  

• We can be extra thoughtful and imaginative and ingenious about how we interweave ourselves with valuable people and resources. 

Here’s my anecdotal testimony, gleaned through extensive research into my personal experience these last few decades: The mistakes I make are as numerous and flagrant when Mercury isn't retrograde as when it is.

The evidence is unambiguous: There are zero correlations between eruptions of my foolishness and the extremely regular and lengthy phases when Mercury appears to be moving in reverse to its more common orbit. 

But what about all the other billions of people in the world? Have they painstakingly gathered data that contradicts mine? Have they conducted exacting experiments to test the hypothesis of Mercury’s ill omens? 

No, they have not. All the information we have to go on concerning the phenomena associated with Mercury retrograde is as subjective and anecdotal as mine. There are no objective, rigorous studies. 

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Now let’s consider a further accusation against the planet closest to the sun. Could the truth be true that when it’s retrograde, we shouldn’t begin anything new? That we risk spawning malignant fortune if we launch fresh projects and seek novel connections and make new agreements? I have personally known 23 astrologers who have assured me that’s true.  

Here’s some evidence I have gathered: During a Mercury retrograde a few years ago, my acquaintance Marnie delayed accepting a dream job offer as editor of a magazine she loved. By the time Mercury safely returned to “normal,” the magazine had hired another applicant. She still regrets her action. 

Ready for some actual factual data? Some of America’s biggest, most enduring Fortune 500 companies began when Mercury was retrograde. They include Disney, Goodyear, and Boeing.  

Whatever we may think about the corruption of massive corporations, we can’t pretend that Mercury retrograde interfered with their ability to become what they wanted to be. 

Over the years, I have gathered many stories like that of my acquaintance Marnie. I’ve watched people amp up their anxieties as they proceed on the assumption that the current Mercury retrograde is a time of bad luck. And then they suffer what seems to be bad luck. 

Here's the other side of my research: I have observed many friends and acquaintances and relatives who don’t keep track of times when Mercury is retrograde. They therefore expect no misfortune and massive inconvenience to happen, and—what do you know?—misfortune and massive inconvenience don’t occur. 

According to traditional astrologers, each complete Mercury retrograde cycle lasts an average of 55 days.  Since there is an average of three Mercury retrogrades per year, we are in some part of the Mercury retrograde phenomenon for at least 165 days per year—about 45 percent of the time! 

That is a longgggg time to imagine ourselves as being under a bad spell! 

But wait! There’s more! Also streaming our way—always, always—are other astrological configurations that traditional astrologers interpret as malefic, miserable, and menacing. 

One major example is the moon void-of-course aspect. A comically absurd profusion of astrologers regard it with the same fear and loathing they do Mercury retrograde. And the moon void-of-course is also a regular, predictable, and frequent occurrence: about 160 times annually, or 44 percent of each year’s 365 days! 

Many astrologers also view certain planetary configurations with trepidation. When Mars is square to Jupiter (at a 90-degree angle) or Saturn is opposed to the sun (a 180-degree angle) or Venus is square to Saturn, they might advise their clients to be extra cautious and express at least a modicum of fear and loathing. Squares and oppositions are scary, troublesome, stress-provoking—at least according to these fear-mongers.

There are not a million of all these problematic omens per year. But there are hundreds. I haven’t tallied the data (it would be a waste of my time), but if Mercury is retrograde 45 percent of each year and moon is void-of-course 44 percent annually, we might be in one or the other at least 60 percent of the time.  

To that terrifying figure, we would be duty-bound to add all the squares and oppositions, as well as other prickly aspects like the semi-squares (45 degrees), sesqui-quadrates (135 degrees), and inconjuncts (150 degrees). I’m ballpark estimating we would have to wake up quivering with apprehension at least 256 mornings every year. 

I refuse that assignment. I reject that mandate. I will not default into chronic nervous vigilance in the face of all the supposedly foreboding signals.  

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PS: Traditional astrologers regard each Mercury retrograde phenomenon to consist of eight phases:  

Pre-Shadow Phase 

Pre-Shadow Phase Intensified 

Mercury Retrograde Station 

Mercury Retrograde Phase Intensified 

Mercury Retrograde Phase 

Mercury Direct Station 

Post-Shadow Phase Intensified 

Post-Shadow Phase 

So, for example, one of Mercury’s Pre-Shadow Phases started on April 25, 2022. Its Post-Shadow Phase finished on June 18, 2022. We were allegedly under a grim curse for 56 days. 

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Here’s one of my favorite astrologers, Antero Alli (https://tinyurl.com/AnteroAlliMap), on Mercury retrograde: 

When Mercury goes retrograde, I tend to notice new twists and turns in the way people think, talk, and otherwise attempt to communicate. 

I have also noticed how many astrologers, both amateur and pro, overreact and warn others of the Dire Straits of Mercury Retrograde! Beware of Things Going Badly! 

Rubbish, I say. Personally, I look forward to Mercury retro periods. 

I see it as a creative state where we can expect the unexpected and try new things—that is, if we’re open to novelty. 

If we have become overly entrenched in our comfort zones and owned by the deep force of habit, then perhaps Merc retro can coincide with a time of frustration. 

However, it doesn’t have to be that way if we’re open to doing things differently from “business as usual.” 

During Merc retro, maybe there’s no such thing as “business as usual.” 

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Another of my favorite astrologers, William Sebrans (https://otherwiseworld.com), gives 10 ways to appreciate times when Mercury is retrograde. 

1. Misunderstandings are now attributable to impersonal forces or gods on vacation. That is, we are for the time being in the clear and temporarily off the hook. 

2. We expect things to not work, so when they do, we are happier than before, when we expected them to work. 

3. We can spend hours tossing out crap, purging email sludge, and organizing our micro-universes. We are entitled to call it productive work. No need to rush forward when it is salutary to shuffle backward for a spell. 

4. We are forgiven in advance for impatience and frustration, but we are also given extra permission to blow off the pressure and be calmly accepting of what we are usually supposed to get upset with. Think: customer service. 

5. For a few weeks, we get to hear less New Age murmurings about the Divine Flow, the power of creative visualization, and the power of surrender to Shakti. We are allowed to focus on getting the job done any damned way we can figure it out. 

6. If we are believers, we can find proof of the retrograde effect. If we are non-believers, we can find proof of the non-retrograde effect. Either way, we are vindicated. 

7. We can watch more Merchant Ivory period films and feel good about ourselves. 

8. We can handwrite letters and craft arty postcards, while justifying the less efficient retrofit communication as mandated by Divine Decree. 

9. We can slow down. 

10. We can slow down and repeat ourselves. 

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The words above are from from Andrea Dupuis at https://tinyurl.com/RisingWomanNow

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MARS WITHIN US—excerpted from my book ASTROLOGY IS REAL

According to the Western Hermetic tradition, which is my spiritual path, we harbor the archetypal qualities of each planet within us.

So, for example, Mars, the heavenly body in the sky, is one visible manifestation of an archetype that permeates the Great Everywhereness, including the inside of human beings.

What is the Mars archetype? Richard Tarnas, one of the world's best astrologers, describes it like this:

"Mars represents the principle of energetic force. It symbolizes that part of the psyche which impels us to act, to assert ourselves, to struggle, to press forward and against, to be courageous and vigorous, to be competitive or combative."

So the rocky planet Mars doesn't beam out vibes that manipulate our behavior. It doesn't twist and tweak us with gravitational poll. But we can analyze its movements to speculate on how the Mars archetype may be at work at any particular time and in any particular culture or person.

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What's your relationship with anger and aggression and forceful energy? Are you skilled at harnessing those qualities to serve constructive goals?

Do you make them work for you in your efforts to change situations that need changing? Have you developed proficiency in your ability to fight fairly and wisely for the world you want to live in?

I hope so! The questions I just posed provide a reliable frame for evaluating your use of what astrology regards as the power of Mars: the fierce urge to defend and protect what you love; the strong-willed intention to create excellence and truth and justice and beauty; the determination to work tirelessly in behalf of your noble and inspiring desires.

I bless your efforts to craft your share of the Mars force with grace and intelligence. I pray that you will be guided by your Higher Self and Guardian Angel to find elegant and effective ways to express this crucial aspect of your life force.

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Words and image—a meditation on retrograde planets—from Alex Trenoweth

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URANUS—excerpted from my book ASTROLOGY IS REAL

Let‘s have fun riffing on the meaning of the planet Uranus in our personal charts. I believe it signifies the talents and superpowers we harbor that would be most beneficial to others. If we fully develop these potentials, they will express our unique genius and be useful to our fellow humans.

I invite you to brainstorm about the nature of your Uranian talents.

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Spiritual teacher A. H. Almaas believes that a genuinely creative act is always motivated by generosity. 

If that’s true (and I agree it is), here’s the question: How do we explain the ego-obsessed “geniuses” who treat people carelessly even as they churn out their supposedly brilliant art?

Here’s my answer: Those are not authentic geniuses. Genius is by nature benevolent. 

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You’ve heard the term “Higher Self”? We might define it as a genius aspect of your intelligence that is usually beyond the reach of your conscious awareness but is always looking out for you and offering you guidance—if you take the trouble to tune in to it.

Fun fact: Your Higher Self is itself evolving. One of its goals is to activate the genius that comes fully awake through a synergetic melding of Higher Selfishness and Higher Selflessness: “where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet,” in the words of Frederick Buechner.

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Resolved: There’s no contradiction between:

being a highly individuated, creative person devoted to developing our own maximum potential and enjoying life to the fullest 

and 

being a spiritual freedom fighter dedicated to the liberation of other humans and to the transformation of civilization into a paradise that serves and exalts all creatures. 

The two tasks can blend quite well.

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Words and image above by Britt Lynn

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY For This Perfect Moment

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Eric G. Wilson claims, "Darker emotional states—doubt, confusion, alienation, despair—inspire a deeper and more durable experience of the sacred than contentment does." I disagree. I know for a fact that an exquisite embrace of life's holiness is equally possible through luminous joy and boisterous triumph and exultant breakthroughs. Propagandists of the supposed potency of misery are stuck in a habit of mind that's endemic to the part of civilization that's rotting and dying. In any case, Aries, I'm pleased to tell you that in the coming weeks, you will have abundant opportunities to glide into sacred awareness on the strength of your lust for life and joie de vivre.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Will humans succeed in halting the decimation of the environment? Will we neutralize the power of fundamentalism as it fights to quash our imaginations and limit our freedoms? Will we outflank and outlast the authoritarians that threaten democracy? Sorry I'm asking you to think about sad realities. But now is an excellent time for you to ponder the world we are creating for our descendants—and resolve to do something in loving service to the future. Meditate on the riddle from Lewis Carroll’s book *Through the Looking Glass*: “It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The genius polymath Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) contributed much treasure to science and engineering. One encyclopedia sums up his legacy: “He was the father of observational astronomy, modern-era classical physics, the scientific method, and modern science.” Unfortunately, many of Galileo’s ideas conflicted with the teachings of Catholicism. The church fathers hounded him for years, even arresting him and putting him on trial. The Vatican eventually apologized, though not until 350 years after Galileo died. I expect that you, too, will generate many new approaches and possibilities in the coming months, Gemini—not Galileo level, of course, but still: sufficiently unprecedented to rouse the resistance of conventional wisdom. I suspect you won’t have to wait long to be vindicated, however.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Now would be a perfect time to prove your love. How? You might begin by being extra considerate, sensitive, sweet, and tender. I hope you will add sublime, scintillating touches, too. Maybe you will tell your beloved allies beautiful truths about themselves—revelations that make them feel deeply understood and appreciated. Maybe you will give them gifts or blessings they have wanted for a long time but never managed to get for themselves. It’s possible you will serenade them with their favorite songs, or write a poem or story about them, or buy them a symbol that inspires their spiritual quest. To climax all your kindness, perhaps you will describe the ways they have changed your life for the better.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo naturalist and ornithologist William Henry Hudson (1841–1922) said, "I am not a lover of lawns. Rather would I see daisies in their thousands, ground ivy, hawkweed, and dandelions with splendid flowers and fairy down, than the too-well-tended lawn." I encourage you to adopt his attitude toward everything in your life for the next few weeks. Always opt for unruly beauty over tidy regimentation. Choose lush vitality over pruned efficiency. Blend your fate with influences that exult in creative expressiveness, genial fertility, and deep feelings. (PS: Cultural critic Michael Pollan says, “A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule.”)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I praise and celebrate you for your skills at helping other people access their resources and activate their potentials. I hope you are rewarded well for your gorgeous service. If you are not, please figure out how to correct the problem in the coming months. If you are feeling extra bold, consider these two additional assignments: 1. Upgrade your skills at helping yourself access your own resources and activate your own potentialS. 2. Be forthright and straightforward in asking the people you help to help you.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I don’t regard a solar eclipse as a bad omen. On the contrary, I believe it may purge and cleanse stale old karma. On some occasions, I have seen it flush away emotional debts and debris that have been accumulating for years. So how shall we interpret the total solar eclipse that will electrify your astrological house of intimate togetherness in the coming days? I think it’s a favorable time to be brave and daring as you upgrade your best relationships. What habits and patterns are you ready to reinvent and reconfigure? What new approaches are you willing to experiment with?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): At your best, you Scorpios are not invasive manipulators. Rather, you are catalysts. You are instigators of transformation, resurrectors of dead energy, awakeners of numb minds. The people you influence may not be aware that they long to draw on your influence. They may think you are somehow imposing it on them, when, in fact, you are simply being your genuine, intense self, and they are reaching out to absorb your unruly healing. In the coming weeks, please keep in mind what I’ve said here.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In my astrological opinion, it’s prime time for you to shower big wild favors on your beautiful self. Get the fun underway with a period of rigorous self-care: a physical check-up, perhaps, and visits with the dentist, therapist, hairstylist, and acupuncturist. Try new healing agents and seek precise magic that enhances and uplifts your energy. I trust you will also call on luxurious indulgences like a massage, a psychic reading, gourmet meals, an emotionally potent movie, exciting new music, and long, slow love-making. Anything else, Sagittarius? Make a list and carry out these tasks with the same verve and determination you would give to any important task.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The coming days will be a favorable time for you to wrestle with an angel or play chess with a devil. You will have extraordinary power in any showdown or collaboration with spiritual forces. Your practical intelligence will serve you well in encounters with nonrational enigmas and supernatural riddles. Here’s a hot tip: Never assume that any being, human or divine, is holier or wiser than you. You will have a special knack for finding compassionate solutions to address even the knottiest dilemmas.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your featured organ of the month is your nose. This may sound beyond the scope of predictable possibilities, but I'm serious: You will make robust decisions and discriminating choices if you get your sniffer fully involved. So I advise you to favor and explore whatever smells good. Cultivate a nuanced appreciation for what aromas can reveal. If there’s a hint of a stink or an odd tang, go elsewhere. The saying “follow your nose” is especially applicable. PS: I recommend you take steps to expose yourself to a wide array of scents that energize you and boost your mood.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): When is the best time to ask for a raise or an increase in benefits? Can astrology reveal favorable periods for being aggressive about getting more of what you want? In the system I use, the time that’s 30 to 60 days after your birthday is most likely to generate good results. Another phase is 210 to 240 days after your birthday. Keep in mind that these estimates may be partly fanciful and playful and mythical. But then in my philosophy, fanciful and playful and mythical actions have an honored place. Self-fulfilling prophecies are more likely to be fulfilled if you regard them as fun experiments rather than serious, literal rules.