Oh Tempora! Oh Mercury!

Heavy astrological stuff is going down. That’s the extent of my expertise in things celestial. Yet, you need not gaze at the heavens to know mercury is in retrograde. I have found myself throwing my hands up in resignation several times over the past few days.

It feels kind of like you’re walking in squishy mud sometimes. Or that you’re sailing along fine until you trip over your own shoe laces. Often it’s nothing to do with what is said but how it is said. Fur is ruffled and feathers fly unexpectedly. Communication during a retrograde makes you want to pull your hair by it’s roots, especially when things go south just when you thought they were looking up.

I take a lot of pleasure in technical, hands-on activities during a mercury retrograde. Working with candles, washing a car, organizing your spice cabinet or gardening. Baking becomes a pleasure, polishing wood furniture a joy and cleaning our the fridge a very satisfactory task.

Unfortunately, everything involving the internet involves communication, even if it’s just your laptop communicating with Google’s server. Some folks are taking a break from the interwebs, and especially social media, during mercury retrograde. People curtail their amount of travel and idle chat as well, which makes me wonder: is mercury retrograde the Pagan season of Lent?

What do you think? Do you make sacrifices during mercury retrograde on a regular basis? Do you modify your behavior? Do you notice the difference your change in habits bring?

Pagans on the Middle East and Magic & Religion will continue at a future time. Preferably when the heavens are calm.