Mercury in Scorpio/Libra--The Art of Paying Attention

Photo by Patricia Herlevi

So often when people say that they communicate, they refer to the talking part.  However, communication involves listening too and listening on a deeper level.  With Mercury in Scorpio, the energies ask us to stand back and listen deeply as well as to pay attention to hidden communication.  I remember a saying about keeping silent and carrying a big stick--seems appropriate now.

The communication styles of Libra and Scorpio offer us amazing contrasts.  When Mercury travels through Libra, we all act like the life of the party and even the wallflowers dream of joining urbane conversations.  We flit over serious sentiments and try to maintain balance even when others strike a blow or we hear bad news coming our way.  We focus on the superficial and talk about things that bring pleasure and beauty to the world.  When Mercury enters Scorpio we feel like someone snuffed out our lights.

Mercury now transits in Scorpio and turns retrograde on October 4 and heads back into Libra on October 11, traveling backwards to 16 Libra on October 25 when Mercury goes stationary Direct.  Now, a lot of people throw their arms up in the air in frustration when Mercury goes retrograde (which it does three times every year).  But for those of you who know and understand the Law of Attraction, focusing on what could go wrong creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Yes, when Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio a lot of muck comes up that we choose to avoid.  But avoiding this muck (or secrets surfacing now), we prolong the ascension or transformational process.

It's true that if we sign contracts or leases during a Mercury retrograde we have could encounter problems 6 months later or find that our contracts were less binding than we originally thought.  But it is also true that old jobs and clients could return now or even old friends could show up at the door or through e-mail correspondence offering new opportunities.  We could return to old manuscripts and rewrite or edit them now.  Old projects experience rebirth at this time or we refresh old partnerships once we sift through that dark stuff in our subconscious minds that cause us to sabotage opportunities.  Rebirth of something occurs at this time, like a phoenix rising from ashes.

Then Mercury transits into Libra where it spent time in August.  Issues from August resurface or lost opportunities present themselves.  We experience second and third chances to get it right.  Or a job that we interviewed for several months ago that was given to another person returns to us.  A resume that we had sent out over six months ago returns as a job offer and so on. 

On the romantic front, singles could reunite with a lost partner on a new level.  Perhaps during the last round in the relationship both parties lacked maturity for a true soul to soul relationship, but after years of growth, reunite.  The Beatles song "We Can Work it Out" plays in my thoughts as I type these words.  On the other hand, those of us who don't practice the art of clear communication could find ourselves on the end of a lover's quarrel.  We could learn that expecting perfect partners only ends in tears.  No one is perfect in the earthly sense but all of us are perfect in the eyes of God. 

Look for Libra and Scorpio on the cusps of the houses in your Natal Chart and this is where the Mercury retrograde theatrics play out in October.  Look for aspects to other planets in the Natal Chart and these planets play major and bit parts in the transit drama or comedy of errors, depending.  Remember Mercury is a trickster planet and when he's retrograde expect the unexpected and don't forget to apply a sense of humor.

I'm reminded of a story of two of my friends who attended a wedding on a boat.  Mercury must have been retrograde at the time because my friends boarded the wrong boat (which was a small ferry that sailed in Elliott Bay in Seattle).  My friend did not recognize the bride or the groom then she realized they boarded the wrong boat.  Still she and her husband had a sense of humor about their situation and so did the bride and groom!  This is the sort of thing that can happen when Mercury in Libra goes retrograde.  When Mercury in Scorpio goes retrograde it's harder to find the humor, but it's there possibly around sex.

In any case, a Mercury retrograde lasts three weeks and if we go into it with our heads on straight, we sail through it unscathed.  As always, clean out unnecessary files from your computer, back important files up on other disks, and keep your security software up to date.  If your car is having problems, take it to the shop and listen more than speak at this time.  Pay attention to hidden messages and body language of others.  And with Mercury in Scorpio tune into your intuition.

I regret that I'll have to sign a lease for a new apartment or home during the retrograde.  However, I'm prepared to move again in the next six months.  And if I accept any job offers during this time, I know that surprises will come to me down the road too.  Yet, I'm not going to worry about any of this because perhaps the Mercury RX is part of the Divine Timing.  However, I advise putting off signing any contracts that can wait for three weeks.  Follow the path of the planets.  When they move backwards don't push forward.  We all require time to reassess and clear up misunderstandings.  Use this Mercury RX to clear out the old to make room for the new which comes at the end of October or early November.

I am an astrologer and intuitive coach in Bellingham.  Sign up for readings at Metaphysics for Everyday Living.