A New Look At Mercury Retrograde in Gemini in May-June 2008 - What Is It Good For?

by Robert Wilkinson

Over the years many have asked me what Mercury retrograde is good for. We know it's supposedly NOT a good time to sign contracts, make purchases of electronics or major moves or decisions, and we are supposed to hang out with the energies, seeing that things may not be as they appear, and so on. That said, there is much that a Mercury retrograde period is good for, such as traveling, research, and other important things.

I have found that as long as one is flexible, retrograde travel is actually a good thing. So is research, reflection, review, rehearsals, and returns from the past. It's also a great time for reconnecting with old friends, finding people and things thought lost, It's a great time to explore possibilities, as long as no definitive decisions are made and options kept open, since they are usually modified or reversed later on.

It's great for doing things left undone or neglected from previous times. It's good for resuming something from the past, as long as you remember that it may not look like it used to, or requires a different approach than before. It's also excellent for getting new information and perspective that fills in gaps in understanding or activity, and doing things that seem to go in one direction but lead us to entirely new information and understanding.

We can safely resume things begun in previous retrograde periods, or pick up threads we once set aside while other things developed. It's an energy that favors building in a time lag in judging or evaluating whatever you're doing, since retrogrades often show that there are things yet to develop that will ultimately fill in whatever is missing in the present.

The last Mercury Retrograde conjuncted the Solar Eclipse of February 6-7. Since the, we've gotten signs, signals, and communications related to that time of unveiling of mysteries we all went through one way and another. For more info on that very important Mercury retrograde period impacting us the past few months and well into our future, you may want to check out what I wrote then. A link to the first article in that series is at the bottom of this article.

So what can we expect from Mercury retrograde in Gemini? Besides giving a different atmosphere to anything we have in Gemini or Virgo, and the house it's retrograding through will feel more Mercurial, today I'll offer you a bit from my book, "A New Look At Mercury Retrograde," from the chapter on Mercury retrograde in the signs. Here's some of what I wrote about Mercury retrograde in Gemini:

In this sign everything is considered, but no firm ocnclusions are drawn. There is an openness to the "other side of the coin," to other possibilities, and seeing different interpretation of information.

This is the infinite maze of the mind's own self-generated dilemmas overly distracted by endless minutae, resulting in a thousand puzzles to be solved. This position is inquisitive in unusual directions, leading to completely impersonal points of view, and sees unconscious factors as tools to be explored.

Here paradoxes are resolved through oscillation between points of view, revealing factors not previously considered... This position fills in gaps in arguments or dilemmas long held, and reframes old quesitons by asking new questions.

Mercury in Aquarius is in its own 1st sign. Here knowledge reveals itself to itself... All concepts are applied to self, self's experience, and self's prior information first, i.e., "Is this a different take on a previous idea?"

It is also in its own 10th sign, indicating "the culmination of thinking is knowledge for its own sake. This is the fulfillment of the mind, making distinctions... to demonstrate its own authority." Here the mind "claims its right not to decide, or conclude, unless it chooses to do so, and then reserves the right to change its mind when it sees fit." Knowing comes through impersonal explorations, facing the decision, and "taking the leap."

When retrograde in Aquarius, Mercury transits through the sign of its rulership. These are the energies that show what Mercury characteristically is and where it's most comfortable. Relax into the infinite explorations and oscillations, examine all with some degree of dispassion, and keep sharing your communications with others to verify and/or reject what does or does not fit into whatever you're seeking. Learn how to exteriorize what you know or perceive so you can hit the climax of selfhood mentioned in other articles.

That brings us back to something I said earlier: Hang out with the energies and information, pay attention to details while remembering that a lot of it won't make sense for several weeks or months, and don't believe everything you're told. It will be a great time to see to the core of things, taking a wide view of recent entries into a new life, new motive, new feelings, and why certain closures were necessary.

Here's the link to the last January-February Mercury RX in Aquarius conjunct the Solar Eclipse article, part 1:

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius in January-February 2008, Part 1 - Widening Our Communications Within Ourselves and Others Preparing to Launch A Vision

Here are links to what this May-June 2008 Mercury Retrograde in Gemini is all about:

Mercury Retrograde in Gemini in May-June 2008, Part 1 - Integrating Our Intuitions Releasing Our Genius Adjusting Our Possibilities

Mercury Retrograde Astrology in Aquarius in May-June 2008 Pt. 2 - What It Means For Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces

Mercury Retrograde in May-June 2008 Pt. 3 - How Will The Inferior Conjunction in Gemini Manifest?

Copyright © 2008 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Rachel]

i've been having extreme deja vu lately. someone else i know has been experiencing this too, 2 years apart and we're different signs. does the planets have anything to do with this?

[Plurabelle]

I have an unrelated question--what does it mean when two signs combust? In my solar return, Lilith and Juno combust at 16 Sagitarrius, right above the horizon, in the 12th house.

The 12th house is rather small and the 1st house is large, with Pluto retrograde in Sagitarrius and Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Gina]

Hello Robert,
I had been due to give birth to my first baby on June 21st, but the doctor is now saying he might come sooner. Do you know how mercury retrograde affects labor/delivery and/or how being born during a mercury retrograde period could affect my son?
Thanks so much.

[Robert]

Hi Rachel - Yes, the planets do indicate deja-vu experiences. It's usually Neptune and/or Jupiter at work. Remember that Mercury went SR trine Neptune, setting all kinds of echoes into motion.

Hi Plurabelle - Signs cannot be "combust." The term "combust," aka "via combustia," is reserved for a planet within a few degrees of the Sun. It comes from ancient sources, and meant a planet was too close to the Sun to be seen with the naked eye, usually within 11 degrees mas o menos. It is said to mean that the Sun is infused with the qualities of that planets, but the planet's independent qualities are otherwise obscured or "burnt up" by the Sun. Mercury cannot be combust, since it's near the Sun so often, and mind (Mercury) can never be too far from life (Sun). I also do not give much credence to Lilith, since its existence is speculative and I cannot agree to any astrological force as purely "bad" or "evil." The "dark Moon" is such a concept, and derives from a patriarchal interpretation of the Adamic myth. And remember the Solar Return chart must be interpreted in the light of the natal factors, such as SR planetary positions relative to their natal house rulerships and so on.

Hi Gena - Mercury retrograde people inspired my book on that subjects, and are remarkable in their unusual insights into things. I have an entire chapter on how Mercury RX people do their thing differently than those with Mercury direct. In pregnancy, Mercury RX could mean false labor, or labor that starts and stops at strange points, or even that the birth could come early, late, or require a C-section (or if a C-section is planned, then perhaps a natural labor instead!) It could even mean your doctor's estimate is off and that the birth will come when it should. There are really too many possibilities to name here.

[Felita]

Hi Robert and others, As Mercury retro took me back to watch this youtube video that surprisingly my friend had watched when she went to Satsang, I thought it correlated well with Mercury.
A Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte-Taylor one morning had a massive stroke and discovered Nirvana.She talks of the right, left hemispheres of the brain and consciousness. An enjoyable,informative, uplifting story,made me laugh and cry with joy,Thought I'd share some Mercury with you guys. Aum Shanti Felita.

Have a beautiful day/night!

p.s Go to Youtube/ search Bolte.