Many years ago there was a great Dunkin Doughnuts commercial where a baker has to get up really, really early and all he can do as he shuffles through the house is say, "Time to make the doughnuts!" It was to show how fresh they were, I believe. Well, I feel a lot like that guy three times a year when Mercury goes Retrograde and I have to dispel the rumors about what that means. Many people say, "Don't buy ____________" or "Don't sign__________" or "Don't go______" but the stars incline, they do not compel. As the Bible says, "The Sabbath was made for Humanity, not Humanity for the Sabbath." This is rational, one day out of seven to keep "holy," or a a day to remember one's spiritual nature, I'm fine with that. But persecute someone for driving or walking or talking or farting or whatever on the Sabbath and you've lost me, and organized religions have lost millions of people because THIS IS THE F#@King 21st Century and people are too smart for anything that doesn't help them in their daily life, which is plenty hard to live, despite the modern day conveniences. So if you have to REpair, REplace, REstart, REnovate, REalize that if you have to do this during a retrograde, you have to do it. Period. Just be as careful as you can, be as clear with all involved as you can, make sure that what you said is what they heard, ask them to repeat it, even if it makes you all uncomfortable. You'll be glad you did. And don't talk when they're writing down what has to be done. And if it's you doing the writing, ask people to keep quiet while you write it down. And if you have to sign a contract, be sure to read it an extra time or have your attorney actually read it, not scan it like they do. As I have said many times about retrograde planets, they indicate that our best interest is served by directing the energy of the retrograde planet inward, by being thoughtful and forward thinking. It doesn't take a genius to see the consequences of our actions but it does take the effort to stop one's self from just plunging ahead and, instead, to give a few moments of thought to what can logically be expected to happen if a particular action is taken. Mercury Retrograde symbolizes the need to monitor one's logical mind lest it run away with you. I was born with six retrograde planets, including Mercury, actually Neptune was stationary, symbolizing my psychic gift potential. Retrogrades can be beneficial but only if you are monitoring yourself, examining yourself and your motives and projecting out from your planned actions what can logically be expected to happen. Actually, this particular retrograde might actually contain moments of fun because Mercury is retrograde in Leo until August 19th and so we will have some extra SHOWTIME added to our summer. Could be great! So remember, just be aware and you won't have to beware. Oh, almost forgot, travel plans do change during retrogrades so make sure you budget enough time and money to deal with the inevitable travel crapola, more crapola than is normal with travel, I admit. I think the Mercury Retrograde got its bad rap from the travel mishaps that actually do occur during those times. Face it, shift happens all the time and during the Merc REt, we are more aware of it.
