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Woo Hoo! Mercury Retrograde is Here to Empower You!

By on December 15, 2023

By Allyson O’Hara-Cribdon

Pre-Shadow ☿ ♑ 25 November to 12 December 2023

☿ 8o ♑ 29’ ℞ 13 December 2023 at 00:09 PST / 03:09 EST

☿ ♑ ℞ 13 to 22 December 2023

☿ ♐ ℞ 23 December 2023 to 31 December 2023

☿ 22o ♐ 11’ Direct 1 January 2024 at 20:37 PST / 23:37 EST

Post-Shadow ☿ ♐ 2 to 20 January 2024

 

Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, has entered the Retrograde (Rx) Phase of his final retrograde journey of 2023. Although many may blame our winged friend for miscommunications (what was that emoji really saying?), for travel delays (that’s all we need during the holiday season!), and for technology having unexpected issues (the wifi is on the fritz again?), I am excited about the learning journey that Mercury Rx provides: these next few weeks will reveal amazing opportunities to create more empowered, authentic modes of communication.

Basically, Mercury Rx invites us to reflect over our lives so far to reveal what we may have overlooked in our past and provides us with the magnificent opportunity to realign, course-correct, or shift where we need to in order to become the best communicators and the highest versions of ourselves that we can become.

Energetically, even though we seem to be traversing over old ground during this retrograde, the Cosmos not only encourages us to become more alert, flexible, and clever but also invites us to take the risk – the leap of faith – to show up as our authentic selves. The Universe inspires us as a collective to raise our vibrations with honest, authentic communication in all our relationships and encourages us to be open-minded and alert in all situations, gaining clarity as we embrace what we discover during the first half of this journey and implement these insights during the latter half.

Truly, the more honest and open we are with ourselves and others during this period, the more effectively we can navigate this time. How well we embrace the unknown path that is unfolding before us with the potentiality of a higher vibrational, empowered future determines our success. How Magical!

As a note, I believe that Magic is Applied Wisdom. During Mercury Rx, we gain wisdom from many sources, including our interactions, experiences, and intuitive hits. We each can choose whether or not to put the knowledge that we receive into practice; however, when we indeed apply it, Magic in all its amazing forms results.

What is Mercury Retrograde, really?

Briefly, Mercury Rx is an optical illusion that occurs when Mercury appears to move in reverse motion of his orbit around the Sun. However, the Earth, in fact, briefly laps Mercury in his orbit, causing us to observe an apparent reverse orbit formed from our perception on Earth against a fixed star background of the night’s sky.

From an astrological perspective, how we experience Mercury Rx depends both on the themes and characteristics that are associated with the planet and on the Zodiac sign(s) through which he travels on his journey. Whilst certain themes are universal, our personal birth charts showing Mercury’s placement in a specific House with a particular sign will reveal an additional layer of how a particular Mercury Rx will impact our lives.

In addition, during the pre-shadow period over the past few weeks, we may have observed certain personal themes – often revealed through repetitive thoughts or people coming to mind – which we will address and upon which we will gain clarity during this phase of Mercury’s retrograde travels.

Themes Associated with Mercury

Mercury, the ruler of Gemini and Virgo, symbolizes our thought and communication processes, the ways that we access, organize, and analyze information as well as make decisions, focus on details, and express ourselves. Mercury enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together again: he likes changing and leveling things up! We will be engaged in exactly this process during his retrograde journey: we will be assessing our modes of communication, seeing what works and what we can discard, and creating an authentic, empowered mode that we will implement moving forward.

Since we generally associate Mercury with communication and mental processes, intellect and wit, technology, and travel, we can expect these areas to be taken apart only to be joined back together in a unique way. Knowing this, we can feel empowered in navigating this time: we can avoid miscommunications by being clear and concise with our language, by exploring new ways of getting our points across. We can make effective decisions by applying both our rational and intuitive intellect, checking all paperwork thrice. We can engage our patience genes when tech goes awry (pause for a minute and take five deep breaths then repeat) or travel delays loom (time to savour an aromatic cup of tea).

December’s Mercury Retrograde: Travels through earthy Capricorn and fiery Sagittarius.

During his final retrograde journey this year, the Messenger of the Gods begins wearing his intellectual, determined, earthy Capricorn suit and invites us to reflect on how well we are embodying personal responsibility and wisdom about which we have been learning throughout 2023. He encourages us to consider our work/play/life balance, reassessing if we are planning and using our time effectively. Since Capricornian Mercury emphasizes structure, responsibility, and long-term intentions and goals, he invites us to revisit our inspired intentions, current strategies, and the way that we convey our goals and intentions.

He then dons his optimistic, truth-seeking, & adventurous Sagittarius suit and invites us to consider the way that we pursue additional learning, adopt the role of teacher or wisdom-giver, explore unique cultures, study the philosophic essence of life, embark on adventures, and celebrate life. The Sagittarian Mercury challenges us to implement what we learnt when he was wearing his former outfit and to embrace his present dynamic, fiery energy to move passionately forward in an authentic, empowered way, confident in our new patterns of communication, organization, and expression. He encourages us to trust our inner guidance, to adopt an optimistic outlook on life, and to embody flexibility and spontaneity as our intuition guides us.

The Astrological Aspects

Mercury’s interaction with other celestial bodies creates an overall auspicious energy as we travel through our learning journey.

Even though Mercury’s relationship with Neptune ♓, the God of the Sea, might cause a few waves of confusion and potential miscommunication (time to triple check our maps), this harmonious environment begins with Mercury’s partnership with the God of the Sky, Jupiter ♉ ℞, and the Love Goddess, Venus ♏, the classic benefics whom the Ancients considered as bringing forth prosperity and good luck; opportunities definitely exist for amplified joyful communication in positive relationships, for the absolute letting go of unsupportive relationships, for our creativity within the aforementioned Mercury Rx themes to be energized, for financial good fortune from our attention to detail, and for taking an honest introspection of ourselves.

We also have the wonderful opportunity to engage in a healing journey with an experience mentor and to impart and/or wisdom as the Messenger of the Gods partners with the Shamanic Shapeshifter and Transformational Healer, Chiron ♈ ℞, and the Goddess of Discord, Eris ♈ ℞, formally known as Xena in relation to Persephone. Empowered transformation through breaking down structures, sifting through the rumble, and building up anew with authenticity is in the air.

General Suggestions by Zodiac Signs

All Signs: Take some quiet time each day to breath, connect with your inner self and Spirit, and consider your sign’s suggestions. Also, take a look at “Tips to Avoid Overwhelm during Mercury Retrograde” for some quick guidance tips.

The Fire Signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): Self-discovery is your keyword. Reflect on who you authentically are, connect with the essence of you, and align with your deepest passions and core beliefs.

The Earth Signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): Intentions and Career are your keywords. Reflect on and align with your inspired intentions and core values, note who or what supports you, and be open to a new perspective on your destined career path.

The Air Signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): Relationships is your keyword. Reflect with curiosity on those individuals who surround you, release those who are unsupportive, and welcome in those who align with your authentic self.

The Water Signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): Emotions and Transformation are your keywords. Reflect on your innermost feelings, note where healing may need to take place, and embrace the treasures that appear as you align with your true nature.

Closing Remarks

Mercury Retrograde provides a magical time for us to reconnect with our authentic selves through deeper self-discovery and reinvention as we evolve and expand as spirits enjoying a human adventure.

Remember that we attract the vibrational frequency that we transmit. If we feel worried that certain challenges will happen during Mercury Rx, for sure, we will experience resistance and discord. If we feel optimistic that we can successfully navigate any issues that arise and that we can celebrate our wins, we will surely experience ease and joy.

The decision of what you wish to experience is up to you and you alone: choose wisely from an empowered stance and enjoy the festive season!

 

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Allyson O’Hara-Cribdon is the Founder of Alchemist’s Magic Ink (editing with a magical twist), The Oracle’s Magi, The Angels of the Zodiac (astrology), and Crystal Moon Magic Circle (crystal therapy).
She is a creative imagination and empowerment mentor, sacred magic author and editor, mage, channel, crystal-practitioner, and astro-oracle card intuitive, guiding and inspiring all generations toward living and expressing their passions using ancient wisdom and intuitive magic.

At Alchemist’s Magic, Allyson assists emerging and seasoned authors with their creative projects by collaborating not only with the authors but also with their Spiritual Community (guides et al). Ancient Wisdom meets Intuitive Magic at The Oracle’s Magi and its branches, The Angels of the Zodiac and Crystal Moon Magic Circle. Through The Oracle’s Magi, Allyson channels personal messages from The Magi (a collective), Metatron, & other interdimensionals. She also offers services, play-dates, and courses including Angels of the Zodiac Astrological Reports, Crystal Chakra Re-Harmonizing Sessions, New and Full Moon Lucid Meditations, and Intuitive Readings.

Allyson currently lives with her husband, two children, and three cats in Vancouver, Canada.

www.theoraclesmagi.com

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