Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio

We entered Mercury's retrograde "shadow" on October 9; officially it begins Oct 28 when Mercury alters his course for 3 weeks. So already we're likely to experiencing a visit from the past, along with its inherent questions, decisions, actions or results.

In Scorpio, Mercury Retrograde asks us to root around in our basements (literal or metaphorical) to see what's no longer of any use, and also what strengths we may have forgotten about. It's a time to put debts to rest by paying them back or forgiving them and writing them off.

We need a mental clean sweep as it were, dusting the Halloween cobwebs out of our heads, mouths and eyes.

How you perceive things is a reflection of your innermost beliefs and thoughts about yourself. We get to work on these now in the next 3 weeks.

Sexual questions, issues arise, along with investment queries - is our money using us or are we stuck in the fear of not having enough? Is the shadow of debt hanging over us? Are we being shady and secretive and manipulating out of insecurity?

Our ONLY power now is in how we choose to perceive things. And in how we react to events. Redefining our relation to our pasts is inevitable during Mercury Retrograde periods.

Mercury is retrograde, appearing to move backward, 2-3 times a year. Mercury retrograde times call for you to recheck everything, anticipate and plan ahead, and to relearn lessons unlearned since the last Mercury retrograde cycle. It is a good time for review and completing ongoing projects. It is NOT a time to start something new. Mercury energies involve the mind, mental processes, communication, travel, speaking, and writing. The Retrograde symbol is "Rx", the same symbol on all medical prescriptions! Physicians until the 15th century had to also be astrologers before they could practice medicine. Plan ahead for these times. So you can do preventive maintenance and schedule, here are the common things that occur, the things Mercury retrograde times are notorious for:

• Communications go awry - phone calls, letters, emails, faxes, conversations are delayed, misinterpreted, blocked. Recheck everything like appointment times, spelling, wording, the words you say.

• Anticipate detours - memory lapses, confusion, failing to listen, failing to confirm, negotiation failures, changing of plans.

• Avoid signing documents, contracts if possible. You can wait 3 weeks, hopefully.

• Expect travel delays, car trouble, delayed plane schedules, reservations that suddenly becoming "missing", transportation difficulties of all kinds.

• Expect problems with messages, books, letters, magazines, documents, neighbors and the near environment.

• BACK up your computer files! This is the time the screen goes blank and there is nothing there!

• Expect the phone lines, cable lines, power lines to have problems.

Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky, describes Mercury retrograde well: “Mercury retrograde…isn’t ‘bad’, - it just takes some planning to cooperate with the energies. It’s meant to be spent assimilating experiences, reviewing the past, and redoing, in general. Matter of fact, if you really want to get the most out of a Mercury retrograde, confine your activities as much as possible to those that have “re” attached to the beginning of the word. Re-schedule appointments, repair vehicles, return to the past, re-write documents and agreements, etc.