Yes, it’s Mercury retrograde time again.
(waits for the moans and groans to subside)
… and yes, we can expect all the problems that normally occur during a Mercury retrograde – electronic device issues, travel plans have gone awry, communications with others go crazy, and more socks than ever seem to slip into the vortex of the dryers 4th dimension.
(waits for the moans and groans to subside)
But this year, I have the best Mercury retrograde option for you and it couldn’t come any sooner – Coventry Creations Crossroads Candle.
Now, before I get into how to work with the candle, let’s get into the Mercury Retrograde chart, and figure out how we can get the most out of it.
Mercury is the planet that helps us understand life. It’s kind of our little computer/phone app that lets us see what is going on in the world, and integrate all the bits of information into something that is useable for us as we navigate through our day to day lives.
In Greek Myth, Hermes (his Greek name) was a peculiar God. Let me give you the areas of life he was the god of: commerce, messages, the link between mortals and the gods, travel, and he was the protector of travelers, thieves, and athletes.
Mercury was the only god that did not have temples and shrines that were erected in his honor – and with the people he trafficked with, you can see why. Instead, he had ‘herms’ that were erected at crossroads in his honor. This would be where travelers that were lost or people that needed Mercury’s assistance would rest to get guidance from the god.
So, you can see why this years ‘Crossroads’ limited edition (meaning Jacki doesn’t make them often) is perfect because it gives us something tangible to work with during this retrograde cycle.
On with the chart… (yes, there is always a chart for everything)
Mercury goes retrograde in the sign of Virgo on August 12 at 9:00 PM EST. Virgo is an earth sign and is associated with order, discipline, structure, foundation, and natural law.
To look at the trends of the Mercury retrograde chart, we set the chart for Washington, DC for the United States. These trends will be more potent for anyone that has planets between 7-15 degrees of a sign, with a stronger emphasis in the signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces.
Let’s begin with the 4th house. This house is enormous power because it reflects the current emotional weather of the collective at the time Mercury goes retrograde. There are no planets in the 4th house of the chart, but the sign of Gemini is on the cusp. This reflects a lot of conflicting emotions. We may be torn about the current state of our relationships or need to decide whether our jobs or careers are giving us what we need. Additionally, Gemini is ruled by Mercury retrograde and sits in the 6th house on the cusp of the 7th. So, we have a clue that our day to day life, our habits, and our relationships (personal and business) are going to be high target areas of concern during this retrograde.
Our next area of concern is going to be the Ascendant of the chart, which has Pisces on the cusp and Neptune, Chiron, and the Moon in the 1st house. Neptune in the 1st reflects that we may need to think things out and possibly be very patient because all the information is not available. Many of the decisions and choices we need to make right now might also involve past problems or decisions that have come back for us to reflect on and possibly make future adjustments. Chiron in the first implies that we may view things now through the lens of spoiled luck or unfortunate situations that have occurred that have not really been our personal fault or the faults of those in our day to day life. Chiron’s influence is amplified in this chart, and it might be necessary to work through any anger or rage that you may have towards the collective. Additionally, the Moon in energetic Aries in the first implies that we need to take control of our own thoughts and ideas, and our pathway to security (Moon) is doing things on our own and forging our own path. We need to embrace change.
The traditional ruler of Pisces is Jupiter. Jupiter lands in the 7th house of the chart. The 7th house has to do with our relationships with others. This reflects that we can learn more about our path by being open and receptive to the ideas and opinions of others. This does not mean that we should do it their way, but it does give us an area that we can look for answers.
Now, let’s analyze Mercury itself:
Mercury lands in the 6th house of the chart straddling the 7th house cusp. As I stated earlier, will influence our everyday lives and our relationships. So, the areas most affected will be our jobs, our hobbies, rituals, and possibly put a strain on relationships. This retrograde could even activate our adversaries.
Mercury always indicates a period of reflection when he is retrograde, and we can use its energy to analyze the areas he will influence and gauge whether they are giving us what we need.
Here are some meditation and reflection points:
Am I happy with my job situation?
Am I getting enough exercise?
How am I feeling physically and emotionally?
Have I had a health check up recently?
Have my pets visited the vet recently? How are they doing?
Am I getting enough rest?
Is there anything that I am doing habitually that may be causing a problem?
Are there any new hobbies I wish to pursue?
Am I happy with my current hobbies?
Am I happy with my relationships?
Are there people I need to make amends with?
How are my business partnerships going and do I need to make other strategic alliances?
Do I need to end some business relationships?
Mercury forms several aspects that I mentioned earlier in conjunction with the 4th house. The most significant is Mercury opposed Neptune. You can expect to feel confusing during the retrograde. Areas of your life may seem muddled and you may need to put off ANY decision making completely until the retrograde is over – especially if this is making you anxious. This could be amplified by Mercury sesquiquadrate Uranus. Mercury and Uranus bring forth feelings of anxiety on their own and likes to make plans and have a scheme on how to resolve things, especially when this is combined with Neptune’s influence. Uranus is the ruler of the 12th house past and could indicate that we need to analyze the decisions and choices we’ve made that may have led to our current confusion. This could be difficult and force you to dig deep, yet the rewards of reviewing the past will be many.
The second difficult aspect is Mercury square Saturn. This is an extremely frustrating aspect because we often feel thwarted, limited, face any obstacles, and this could lead to depression. This is not the greatest time to engage in social activities because social gatherings could make us feel even more alienated – especially since Saturn is the ruler of the 11th house group. The key to working with this aspect is realizing that sometimes you should do things slowly and with purpose and that only through going through the frustrations and limitations, you get to the other side. Mercury square Saturn, when worked with consciously, can bring forth solid and endurable results.
Mercury does make one positive aspect: a trine to Pluto. Mercury-Pluto aspects let you dig deeper. Mercury trine Pluto lets you get to the bottom of situations and see the underlying issues and problems. Pluto is the ruler of the 9th house big picture and Mercury trine Pluto will allow us to see the larger scheme of things and put them in their proper perspective eliminating circumstances that may no longer be good for us.
Now, we all know that Mercury retrograde is difficult, and I have written extensively on its purpose. It’s very easy for us to get caught up in the physical manifestation of this cosmic event. However, Coventry Creations has released a limited-edition Crossroads Candle – and it has arrived at the right time.
The Crossroads candle is an elegantly designed candle that comes adorned with a key. Now for those of you that are Lenormand fans, then you know that the key card signifies opening doors, and usually indicates a yes answer when he appears in a spread.
The text on the candle says:
“What wonders await when you unlock the door to your true self? Magic is not from an external source, but from deep within. We designed this candle to help you find your inner wisdom. Lighting this candle and visualizing your goal is a commitment to your success.”
This candle is perfect for working with Mercury retrograde. It helps us receive inner answers that we can then implement once Mercury goes direct on September 5th.
Here are ways you can use the candles:
Career – Are you at a point in your career where you are not getting what you need? Do you not feel creative enough or that your career is feeding your spirit? The crossroads candle can be used to help you receive clarity on what direction that you need to take, and what path is more aligned with your spirit.
Finances – Are finances a problem? The crossroads candle can be used to help you get clarity on your financial situation. Do you need a stricter budget or do you need to find a new job to make more money? Do you need to pay off your debt? Are you spending more than you need to spend? This candle will bring you clarity on your financial needs.
Relationships – Relationships are important to everyone. However, there are times when we need to take a deep look at how our relationships are feeding us, and whether or not they are fulfilling us on an emotional level. Additionally, this applies to business relationships. You can use the crossroads candle to help show your relationship path and guide you in the choices that you need to make.
Here is an amazing video that Jacki Smith has done to show how to perform a crossroads ritual.
To get more information on the crossroads candle please visit http://www.coventrycrossroads.com
.. and Happy Retrograde
Storm Cestavani, August 10, 2017
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