Ever heard the saying, don’t shoot the messenger? And yet every time Mercury goes retrograde, do we not shoot him down? Do we not blame him for the truth and illumination that we are responsible for?
“Mercury has very special role of translating wisdom and great personal awareness. He travels between humans and gods, darkness and light, and remains just the messenger not the judge.” – River Rain
Mercury has already started slowing down and is preparing to enter into retrograde on December 19th, 2016 until January 8th, 2017.
Entering a new year on a Mercury retrograde means that things are going to be slow and contemplative during the first part of next year. This may be because 2016 has been a heavy year of releasing for many people.
In order to process and start the new chapter that 2017 offers, it seems that the Universe is givings us some downtime in order to make sense of where we are headed to next.
Many people fear Mercury Retrograde, but it is actually a very powerful and transformative time. A time when we can clear away the fog and see the truth of our soul.
Mercury is the Divine messenger of the gods and rules over communication and the throat chakra. When Mercury is operating as normal, he works alongside the amazing light of the Sun. But when Mercury goes retrograde, he travels into the darkness of the underworld, unearthing secrets and old pains of the past.
It is through this process that Mercury is able to bring truth, awareness, understanding and illumination to the surface.
Mercury needs to go into the underworld because when he is in there, he fishes out old thoughts, beliefs and conversations that need to be cleansed and purified.
Any delays that Mercury brings us during his retrograde are therefore always for a higher purpose. Perhaps it is Mercury’s aim to make us stop, look and really listen to all that is going on around us.
Perhaps the delays or the confusion that Mercury brings when in retrograde is trying to teach us or show us something deeper.
In fact, if you feel negatively impacted by Mercury Retrograde, it could be a sign that you need to look into your life and assess what is really going on.
What are you skimming over? What do you need to pay attention to?
In December, Mercury is going to retrograde in the sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is practical and stable, which means that Mercury is going to be clearing out our closets in a very practical and matter of fact way. There will no room for emotion, instead Mercury is going to clear out our throat chakra with a certain air of disconnect.
This is great, because in many ways it tones down any emotional reactions and allows us to see things from a more grounded point of view.
Practices like journalling, creative activities and exercise are also going to be great outlets during this retrograde period. In fact, anything you can do to get your energy moving may help you to shift and see things from a new perspective.
During a Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn, we are encouraged to take responsibility for what we choose to express and how we choose to express it. We are also encouraged to clear out and release things that we may have been clinging on to emotionally.
2016 brought us many retrograde planets and perhaps it is only now that we are starting to make sense of all of this. Retrograding planets allow us to dig below the surface in order to uncover hidden truths and hidden treasures.
2016 being a year of endings, required us to do this work so we can enter into the new chapter of 2017 with clarity, purpose and direction.
This final retrograde for 2016 is really going to help cement everything that you have been working on this year. So embrace it.
Allow Mercury Retrograde energy to wash over you like the powerful teacher that it is. Who knows, it may just change your mind about this often misunderstood and feared aspect forever.
