Reframing Retrogrades
For this week’s post, I’m going to elaborate on some thoughts I shared on Threads. Here’s a pic of the posts so we can set the stage…
Most people who interacted with the post seemed to agree that using the term survival might be a little extra. One person did respond with the suggestion that my own relationship to the word was clouding my judgement, which I think is totally fair and bound to happen with language in almost any situation. We all carry our own baggage with certain words, and there’s always a potential that we’ll use a particular term that just doesn’t sit well with someone else.
And using the word survival in reference to Mercury retrograde, doesn’t sit well with me. Like I said in the post, using that term seems to only feed the already blazing fire of misconception and fear around retrogrades. Implying that they are something we need to survive puts us into survival mode, and I don’t think that’s a very helpful place to be.
In fact, I think it might actually amplify and exacerbate potential retrograde mishaps. By framing a retrograde as something we need to survive, we might wind up overwhelming ourselves and our nervous systems, making the navigation of a retrograde all the more burdensome.
We know that in times of stress and crisis, our brains respond with the fight-or-flight survival mechanism. This is super helpful when we’re facing danger and need particular hormones to stimulate swift action. Unfortunately, this response can also be triggered by situations that aren’t life threatening, and repeated exposure to this chemical reaction can wreak major havoc on the body.1
There are already so many sources of anxiety and stress and danger (whether life threatening or not) that we have to navigate in this world - Astrology shouldn’t be one of them.
That’s not to say Astrology is on some love and light bullshit. Astrology can absolutely address tough subject matter, it can have us confronting our shadows, and it can also speak to the experience of survival. Astrology reflects life, and vice versa, so there will be times when survival is the appropriate word for a set of circumstances we’re facing.
For me, Mercury retrograde just isn’t one of those times.
I do think it’s safe to assume a lot of folks are probably using the term with a bit of hyperbole. Fine. I also totally see how something like, Everything You Need To Know To Survive This Mercury Retrograde, can make for an eye-catching title. And a lot of people do seem to freak out about retrogrades, so perhaps these types of articles and other media help them to feel more confident about the transit. Great!
There’s so much power in the words we use though, and I think we can do a little less harm by coming at this with a more nuanced approach.
Also, let’s face it, some of the content out there is just feeding on people’s fears and using it to get clicks. And though I’m 99.9% sure none of that content comes from actual Astrologers, I’m getting really tired of seeing Astrology so misconstrued and, frankly, disrespected. I’m really over the oversimplifications and stereotypes being perpetuated.
It’s not lost on me that I would feel so heated about this issue while Mercury is retrograde in a fire sign ruled by Mars. The passion and irritation I feel around this topic is certainly rooted in Martial, Aries energy. And with Mars currently in watery, tender Pisces, feeling drawn towards fighting for a more compassionate view and greater meaning for it all, just makes too much sense.
And I do feel a very strong pull towards helping folks see the deeper and more valuable meanings to Mercury retrograde. (And literally everything else Astrological.) I feel super motivated to break Astrology free from the reductive ways it’s being used in popular culture. After all, Astrology is meant to expand our worldview, not reduce it.
And, I’m still working through some thoughts here, but come along for the ride if you like…
I do wonder if part of why we fear the retrograde so much, is because we’re not regularly given much space to embrace retrograde type events and happenings? Our culture is very mess-adverse. We seem to prioritize and reward behavior that moves us along in a linear fashion. We’re not often shown much grace for moving in spiralic and cyclical ways - which feels far more natural and human, if you ask me.
A train being delayed sucks because it probably makes us late for work or an appointment, and that can come with negative consequences. We might get in shit with our boss or we might have to pay a late fee for the missed appointment. And there’s such a lack of empathy and compassion in that response. Where is our forgiveness? Our understanding that shit happens, trains get delayed - even when Mercury isn’t retrograde.
Discovering we made a bunch of errors on a project that we thought we’d finished is annoying because now we have to go back and edit it. Again. And that prevents us from moving forward for the moment. But where is the gratitude for the errors being discovered in the first place? Isn’t that actually a beneficial thing to have happened?
Miscommunications can be embarrassing and hurtful, but they also show us where there’s a breakdown in the ways we interact with others. They can point to where we might need to be clearer with our language, tone, and intentions. Or they might alert us to the fact that we need to be better, more active listeners.
Like I said, the thoughts aren’t fully formed, but there’s something here about prioritizing and rewarding a certain style of thinking and communication over others, and how that does a disservice to all of us in the end.
Perhaps Mercury retrogrades offer us a window into different approaches and perspectives - we just have to be willing to look through.
I’m not a medical doctor and I’m not trying to give you medical advice. I did study nutrition though, and understand a fair bit about the body’s hormonal responses. Still, definitely do your own research!