After being in retrograde since October 28th, Mercury went direct on Friday. With Mercury finally moving in a forward direction again we can all breathe a sigh of relief! As Mercury Retrogrades go, this one was a doozie.

As the planet of communication, Mercury in retrograde tends to breed a certain level of confusion. Mercury rules our "lower" mind - how we perceive and interpret information that we receive from our environment, and how we relay that information to others. By extension Mercury also rules any technology that relates to these areas in any way, which is why computers and software have a tendency to go haywire during a retrograde. Decision-making is challenged too, so we often get frustrated and feel confused. There's a reason why a friend of mine likes to refer to this as the "Mercury Retrofuck."

As I've said before, there is a positive side to Mercury Retrograde that tends to get overlooked amidst all the computer failures, flight delays, and warnings against signing important documents or making any important decisions. And that is the opportunity it gives us to reflect and regroup. Taking the time for some introspection will often yield some very important inner revelations. It may not be easy or even advisable to communicate them during a Mercury Retrograde, but you might as well use the energy for something productive instead of hiding in bed with your head under the covers for three weeks.

This past Mercury retrograde happened for the most part in the sign of Scorpio, which made it an excellent period for getting in touch with our instincts, motivations, and "dark" side. This is something most people usually avoid. Our society discourages us from being too emotional and when emotional conflict affects us we're told to ignore it, get over it, or take a pill for it. We tend to push emotions we don't want to deal with deep within us where they get locked into our subconscious. What would benefit us more would be to face these darker emotions, often thought of as the shadow self, and to work with them rather than fighting against them.

As a witch, one can learn how to tap into the shadow self as a source of power. On a more universal level, accepting the shadow self offers a sense of balance and healing. One of the things that Christopher Penczak teaches in his work on shamanic witchcraft is the practice of "distilling" the shadow self. It's a process of manifesting the shadow into consciousness so that you can deal with it and create a healthy relationship with it. Our constant struggle to suppress the shadow lies at the root of many difficulties we create for ourselves. Facing the shadow can be scary but making the effort to do so can bring many aspects of our lives back into harmony.

What the combination of Mercury Retrograde and Scorpio's influence gave us over the past few weeks was a uniquely powerful ability to explore our more intimate and emotional natures and to reflect on how they affect us. Has anyone else felt an increase in sensitivity or "emotional radar" lately?

Mercury will stay in Scorpio until December 8th. Although Mercury is now direct, this Scorpio energy means that we still have some planetary assistance as we think about our "emotional communication" and work to uncover our shadow selves. Mercury in Scorpio seeks truths in all that is hidden. It will help us to probe, observe, and focus our thoughts. Looking for motivations - the more deeply buried the better - satisfies an intellectual need now. And with Mercury no longer in retrograde, we may find it easier to communicate with others about emotional issues that we've uncovered in the process of our work.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 6:13 PM