The Mercury retrograde is upon us once again.  For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, don’t worry you’re not alone.  Many people are not aware of the different energetic influences that are around us all the time.   The Earth’s movement through space constantly changes how it relates to the other bodies in the solar system.  Whether you are consciously aware of it or not, those changes directly affect this planet and consequently its inhabitants -us!   Just think about how tides in the ocean work and you will realize this is not as ‘woo woo’ as it might sound. In my opinion, astrology is not the end all be all, but it is definitely a useful tool.  It is great for highlighting certain patterns that can benefit from our attention.  So, what is this Mercury retrograde nonsense and what does it mean for me? 

Astrologically speaking, we have just entered into a Mercury retrograde cycle (September 6, 2009-September 29, 2009).  There are 3-4 periods each year, each period lasting about 3 weeks, when the planet Mercury appears to be moving backwards (retrograde).  When a planet goes retrograde, anything that the planet governs is typically knocked completely out of whack. 

Mercury governs both communication and travel.   During a Mercury retrograde, you can pretty much count on all things travel to be fraught with more annoyances than usual- traffic jams, accidents, late arrivals, etc.  While the traffic jam on the freeway can make you want to pull your hair out, it’s not quite as detrimental in the long term as communication issues.

Mercury retrograde affects communication in every way imaginable.  Phones, computers, office equipment, contracts, new jobs, the list is endless.  Any tool that we use to assist in communication falls under this influence.  It is often thought that you should avoid signing contracts during these periods and avoid entering into new agreements.  Typically, work done under this influence ends up having to be re-done due to some type of communication break down.  During a recent retrograde, I had a letter that was sent to a large number of people.  I proofread it three times and then I gave it to someone else to check.  After it was mailed out, the ‘Mercury retrograde’ mistake was discovered.  As I write this, I wonder how many mistakes I will later find in this very blog!

While it affects our communication tools, it also affects us as communicators in general.  Effective communication is essential, especially during these times when communication has an external strain.  These communication issues usually become most highlighted with the people we communicate with every day. 

So imagine this.  You skipped breakfast to get to work a little early.  That didn’t work out well because you have now battled through an hour of unexpected traffic, making later than you would have been if you had eaten breakfast.  Upon your arrival, you find that the internet is down.   You are also without your lunch because you were too busy fixing the broken fax machine at home when your spouse told you “not to forget your lunch.”  You are now so hungry you could eat your arm.  Your cell phone rings.  It’s your boss telling you she wants to see you immediately about the incorrect title you gave her in the letter you just sent out to 1,000 people.  Just as you think it cannot get any worse, the office assistant appears in your cubicle chomping loudly on a mouth watering foot-long sub.  With a mouth full of salami he says, “Man, you would love this sub.” At this point, your aggravation, frustration and hunger are completely debilitating your ability to communicate effectively.  You briefly fantasize about ripping the sub out of his hand and beating him with it.  Suddenly you also feel the urge to call your spouse and tell them it’s their fault you’re so hungry and forgot your lunch.  Did I mention it’s a Mercury retrograde?  Breathe.  Before you rip the sub out of your assistant’s hand, start screaming back at your boss that you don’t care about her stupid title anyway and possibly start a civil war with your spouse, do this….

Learn to communicate mindfully.

Based on the ancient yoga sutras comes the idea of speaking mindfully.   You can filter your own communication, and thereby communicate more mindfully and compassionately by asking these three questions:

1. Is it truthful?

2. Is it kind?

3. Is it necessary?

Ask yourself first, “Is what I am planning to say the truth as I know it to be?”  For example, let’s say that you have noticed that your sister has lost a bit of weight.  You are about to say to her, “Wow. It looks like you have lost some weight.”  This may indeed be a fact, but is it kind to say it?  

To determine if your speech is kind you need to be truthful about your motives for speech.  Ask yourself, “Why am I saying this?” or “What do I hope to accomplish or achieve by sharing this opinion/information?”  Maybe you motivation in saying this to your sister was actually a way of congratulating her.  However, maybe your words were instead motivated by jealousy.  You have to be truthful with yourself about the intentions behind your communication. 

 A famous quote says it best, “Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?”  The silence piece helps us to understand how the necessary comes in.  If what you are about to say is not superior to silence, say nothing at all.  We often see examples of when it is not ‘necessary’ when we think of gossip.  Often times we hear juicy pieces of information that we just can’t wait to share with others.  But if you ask yourself,  ”Is it really necessary to share this?” You usually find that it isn’t.  What need are you really serving when you repeat gossip?  If it is not in service of truth or kindness, keep it to yourself.

This practice of filtering communication through these three inquiries is effective not only during a Mercury retrograde but in your everyday communication.  These retrograde periods are an excellent for going inwards and re-evaluating the way you communicate.  Use this great opportunity to re-evaluate how and why you communicate.  When I first began this practice, I realized how much I communicated when I didn’t really need to.  Often times in group discussions I would find myself reiterating a point in a new light.  My communications were passing the first two filters just fine; but were they necessary?  I came to find that for the most part they weren’t.  It was simply my trained way of communicating in social settings.  Upon realizing how little of my communication was necessary, I started talking a lot less and listening a lot more. 

On that note, I’ll stop talking and instead let you use this retrograde to enjoy your silence!

Blessings!

Rev. Laura

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 12:47 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.