If a storm is on the way, does it make more sense to wait and see how much rain it brings and then adjust accordingly? Or is it better to batten down the hatches beforehand and stock up on supplies and expect the worst? Personally, I’m a fan of the latter. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the upcoming Mercury retrograde period beginning on March 5th.
What Is Retrograde?
First off, a planet is said to be retrograde when, through physical observation, it appears to be moving in the opposite direction than it normally does. It is during this time that Mercury, from the perspective of us here on Earth, passes in front of the Sun. If you could zoom in on the Sun at this time, you’d see a tiny little dot in front of it. It is at this time that Mercury is actually closest to Earth and is able to deliver its energy more directly, albeit while in retrograde motion.
For me, I typically don’t place much stock in Mercury retrograde periods being terrible with communication and such. It just hasn’t worked out for me that way. However, there is an indication this time around worth considering that may just make this period of Mercury’s retrograde stand out a bit.
Sheesh! It’s Always Saturn Getting In The Way
What makes this retrograde period stand out is the influence of Saturn casting its full special aspect upon Mercury. The key about this particular influence of Saturn is that it is singular and not a mutual aspect. If it was, then while we would get the hinderance of Saturn’s full aspect, we would at least get Mercury’s influence to Saturn to help to balance things out. However, this is not the case. So, let’s take a look at what the ramifications of this energy can be.
But before we dive further in, let’s look at what Mercury represents and then we can get a clearer picture of how Saturn can affect it. Mercury is the planet of exploring all the possibilities to arrive at the best possible option. Its energy is what we harness when it comes to time for us to make conclusions and decisions. It is the energy of comparing, contrasting, and contemplating which option will work best and is very practical. Mercury’s nature is akin to that of a researcher who does their homework by exploring every angle.
With Saturn influencing Mercury, it is the process of investigation that gets interrupted. Normally, we wait for all the information to arrive before making a decision. Saturn brings about limitations and a sense of incapability to the things that it influences. One way this can play out is that an individual may feel indecisive even when all the information has been presented to them. They may feel like for some reason they’re still not sure that they can move forward. This is one end of the spectrum of Mercury receiving Saturn’s influence.
What You See Isn’t Always What You Get
Another way that this can work out, and the one that I would figure to be more predominant, is when one doesn’t have all the information or it is limited somehow, but one decides to move forward anyway. Let’s say that an individual is looking to buy a car and wants to buy a used one from a private party. When they see the car, they like the color and it’s right in their price range. It so far has met some of the criteria that they were looking for and they decide to impulsively just buy it right away. Unfortunately, they never popped the hood to see that that the car will actually need some major repairs to it soon and isn’t worth the value that it appears. They then find themselves in a bigger hole than if they would have been patient and taken it to a mechanic first to get it looked at.
This is a hallmark indication of what the influence of Saturn upon Mercury can make one do. In this example, the person inherently had a decision that they wanted to make, but they let their desire to buy a car that looks nice supersede their overall evaluation process. Chances are the person didn’t have a mechanic at the ready and didn’t know much about cars themselves, nor about the dangers of buying a lemon. It is exactly these types of situations that can happen with Saturn influencing Mercury where an individual doesn’t have all the data to make a decision but decides to make one anyway instead of waiting to be able to make a more educated choice.
What You Can Do
This is the time to slow down and not get too overly excited about things one way or the other. The information that comes in may only represent one side of an issue. There may also be pressure of some sort that one is experiencing to make this decision soon. The key is not to act impulsively. Being indecisive is perfectly fine and the delay it brings can actually be helpful in the decision process. The key pitfall to avoid is that of hurrying as it may then lead to a whole new set of perils.
So if one finds oneself wanting to act or respond immediately in some fashion, especially if it feels like it’s being rushed, then this is the time to pause, pull back from the situation, and breathe. Just take the information for what it is—only part of the picture. The rest will come with time.
