Archetypes are funny things. They often work themselves into conversations where you don’t normally find them. Years ago when I first started studying astrology,  I rarely ran across any reference to the planet Mercury as a trickster. But as a Gemini, one of two signs ruled by this planet,  and an avid reader of Jung, I realized early on that Mercury is representative of the trickster archetype.

These days, it’s fairly common to see Mercury and the trickster in the same sentence.  This tendency is even more prevalent when the planet of communication and travel turns retrograde, as it does on November 23 at 11:19 PM Pacific time, on November 24, at 2:19 AM EST and at 7:20 Universal Time (UT) on that same day. Its retrograde is in Sagittarius, a fire sign that rules overseas travel, publishing, the higher mind, banks, attorneys, philosophy and religion, your worldview, spirituality, higher education, the law, publicity….well, a lot of stuff.

To start off, find out where this retro is happening your chart.

You’re looking for a symbol that looks like an arrow – that’s Sadge. For me, it’s happening in my second house of finances. Ouch. Big ouch. It means that if I am owed money and it doesn’t come before November 24, I’m probably not going to see that $ until after Merc turns direct on December 13.
For Rob, this retro occurs in his eighth house of shared resources. Another ouch. The money we’re owed is for a joint project.  Good thing we’re not applying for a mortgage or loan because it probably would be mired in red tape.

Yes, we can hope and call and tell ourselves that we  control my own destiny. But when it comes to $, we’re paid by publishers, who are ruled by Sadge, and in the real physical world, we have no control over when they release their checks.  More ouches.

I’m trying to do my Christmas shopping early this year, before November 24 for any large ticket items (over $200) or after December 13. The reality is that I’ll probably be in the return lines on December 26 because in our family, no one really plans for Christmas until the tree is in the living room and the holiday is nearly upon us.

When Mercury is retro in Sadge, you tend to contemplate your navel for the answers about the mystery of the universe, life, and everything else. Your Thanksgiving travel plans are likely to head south quickly – you get pulled over by the TSA for a special body search, spend eight hours on the tarmac in a plane where the toilets are clogged and the AC doesn’t work, you are stranded in an airport in an unfamiliar city and have to sleep on the floor. Fun, huh? But if you’re in an adventurous frame of mind – and that’s the way to be during this Merc retro – then it all becomes fodder for some creative thing you’re doing. You blog about it, tweet about it, update your Facebook page, your blog or website.
In the end, though, the tricksters gets the last heaving belly laugh over your plight, and challenges  you to remember how to just chuckle and go with the flow.

So let’s say you’ve got Sadge in the fourth house – home and domestic life. Oops. Best check into a motel until December 13.

In the seventh house of partnerships? Don’t plan on getting engaged or married. In fact, don’t get bogged down in any contractual agreements at all.

In the 10^th house of career? There may be some setbacks, but it’s mostly communication snafus, not any sort of total meltdown.

Fifth house? Something goes awry with your kids, your creative endeavors, what you do for fun and pleasure, with a romantic relationship.

Always, the best venue is to communicate clearly, to take nothing for granted. If you’ve got appointments scheduled, make sure you’re actually scheduled. Years ago, I was supposed to do a book signing during a Merc retro (bad idea), but had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict. On the night of the signing, when I didn’t show up, the ticked off bookstore owner asked me where the hell I was. She had never received my email. She probably never ordered any of my books again, either!

Stuff from the past has a way of surfacing  during these retros- old issues, former lovers, spouses, friends,  talents and skills you have disowned, personal power you have buried. If you travel during a Merc retro, then it’s likely you’ll be returning to that locale.  If you buy a computer or car during a Merc retro, you may be returning the purchase when Merc turns direct.

When I was younger, I used to alert my friends and family members about Merc retros- and they would sort of snicker and laugh. Then over the years these same people would email or call and ask when Mercury was going retro, they had apparently seen a direct correlation between Mercury’s antics and events in their own lives. Timing may not be everything but it’s certainly relevant in an age when communication is so easy.

When in doubt follow the R rule: revise, review, rethink, re-evaluate, reconsider, rewrite. For writers, a Merc retro provides the perfect  time for rewrites.

One of the things we’re planning on doing during this Merc retro is heading up to Georgia to see the Guidestones that we wrote about here.

We made the plans before Merc turned retro, so we should be okay. No TSA to get through. No planes. Just the car, the dog, and us.  But because Merc will be mischievous, we’ll try to be flexible if there are sudden changes in our itinerary. If there’s synchro weirdness, we’ll post it.

Happy Merc retro!