When most people think about Mercury Retrograde, we think about all the disasters we can conceive of, primarily in communication. And, while we should be leery of getting into heated conversations, signing contracts, or purchasing electronics during this time. We can also find ways to lean into the slowing of the planets and not just tucking and hiding until it is over. 

The last Retrograde, the root chakra, had come into play for quite a few of my clients, and here's how I think that happened. In spirituality, we talk about healing and higher-level concepts like our divine aspect and more connection to spirit. But these things are not genuinely possible until you accept yourself as a soul. 

In considering acceptance, many are being forced at the beginning of the year to face where they are still seeking approval and belonging and the circumstances that trigger those emotions. In this way, the slowing down of Mercury gave us enough pause to consider where we have forgotten the wounds that represent a threat to our safety and security. 

Retrograde got you triggered?

All of us can be triggered by anything that remains unhealed within us. But, we must face anything that poses a threat if we expect to open up our higher level chakras and experience a deeper connection. Our emotional triggers somehow always put us in a place of fight or flight, our fundamental desire to survive. Hence, we must explore our root chakra during this time. Truthfully, Mercury Retrograde should not trigger survival but balance and openness. Mercury Retrograde offers a unique period several times a year to be open-hearted, not realigning our foundation. Though we are not balanced as individuals generally, we often default to survival mode in times of stress, delay, and forced to face our daily instability and insecurities. 

Our last retrograde period put us on the pathway of Valentine's Day, which triggered the relationship aspect of many people's journeys. Singles may have had thoughts of loneliness or anxiety--loads of stress. Last Retrograde ran into the universal day of love and had many ideas about past relationships and traumas experienced from those more negative connections. The past retrograde season had many clients considering worth and value from a relationship aspect and behaviors they had settled for without consent. 

How did consent as a human practice get mixed up in Retrograde?

 I've never been a big part of the consent conversation or heavily involved in any traditional form of activism. But, I certainly support those that do partake. Consent is complicated, and it shouldn't be.  Do I think a person should consent to anything that will impact their lives? Absolutely. I think my problem with consent is that the conversations start too late with others because it starts too late within ourselves.

Retrograde forces us to consider who we are in the most uncomfortable situations. I couldn't help but observe, in our first Mercury Retrograde of the year, that the client's I have that desire connection and romantic partnership were the ones revisiting the relationships that caused emotional pain and physical pain.  If we are the trauma victim, it is impossible to look at this from a place of the fault within ourselves. Still, we are constantly directing our energy even in doubt, inconsistent self-worth, especially when we are insecure. Our energy attracts what we energetically transmit. I find it interesting that consent came up more than a couple of times in our last Mercury Retrograde because it coincided with deeper awareness about our energetic regions in the bodies for the clients that revisited physical pain. Our root chakra reminds us to affirm our safety and remember our core values, including solidifying our worth to ourselves and our potential partners. Does that mean it will absolve you of physical trauma or an attack? Well, unfortunately not. But, clarity in all aspects of our lives helps us to get to a more objective place more quickly in our lessons for growth. 

On a more personal note about consent: My parents didn't teach me consent; they taught me to obey. Honestly, my husband taught me some huge lessons in consent when our first child was born. As a newborn baby, he would always tell her what he was doing and show her the diaper and show her the bottle and talk to her about every little thing. I imagine that if I had been treated that way by my parents, I would have been less accepting when it came to dealing with discomfort from boys as a teenager. I would like to believe I would have valued myself more and in depth conversations about agency over my body could have helped me navigate coming of age in way that would have prevented trial by fire.   Practices of intention must begin earlier so that we lose less of ourselves through trauma. 

 My hope for both of my children is for them to have the ability to practice using their voices from an early age and having the ability to begin making individual choices.  In doing so, they are clear about the fundamentals of energy and need not over consume the spiritual practices of their day decades too late. The knowledge and practices  we pass on should help to create independence and promote clarity from a young age. 

So, what about this season of Mercury Retrograde?

The first Retrograde of the year was daunting. I don't think I ever realized how much retrograde interferes with life until I found myself working from home in a pandemic and a winter storm. Like what in the entire world?! 

Though I predict this Mercury retrograde will indirectly affect romantic relationships and center on the value of personal freedom and choice. After being locked in for so long during the pandemic, many people will weigh the pros and cons of getting back to a more normal life as this summer season unfolds. Many will run to decisions that allow freedom, while others will contemplate and overcome wounds and fears to experience life more fully. This Mercury Retrograde asks us what we must surrender to or sacrifice to experience more openness, and to create space for ourselves.  

Mercury Retrograde is not a single doomsday but a season of life slowing down your expectations enough that you can determine what is truly aligned and what is serving as a distraction. Though almost no one ever welcomes Mercury Retrograde, we need forced periods of contemplating the deeper meaning of the things we deem critical and to foster a more profound connection to our inner world. How else will we fully process our emotions and desires at regular intervals? Will we think deeply about what a single desire means for us until we delay achieving satisfaction from it?

At this point, we should, as a global community, reshape our perspective of Mercury Retrograde after over a year in a pandemic. If the "panny" taught us anything, we should release our expectations for all aspects of life. On the other side of our initial quarantine, disappointment should be less about loss and more about why we need to experience specific emotions to accelerate our soul growth.

Mercury Retrograde forces us to connect within, but it is up to us as individuals to answer a higher calling to consciousness. We cannot allow unfulfilled desires to blind us from creativity, inspiration, growth, and the soul lessons we must face to achieve ascension.

We can hate Mercury Retrograde all we want every time it comes around. Still, I wonder if we accept its challenges with grace and without expectation, what lasting progress could we achieve on the other side of Retrograde?

I believe the most extraordinary achievement at any point in our journey is to heal our wounds and ascend to the most optimal state of being we can in this incarnation. To do this, we must be mindful of who we are, we must be unafraid to explore our wounds; we must be light in our energy to receive the greatest gifts from the Divine.

If you would like a deeper look into what spiritual guidance could offer you this Mercury Retrograde and beyond, schedule a private intuitive session here. 

And check out these episodes of the podcast:

What are the Akashic Records?

Juneteenth: Africa, where are you?

Surrendering to the Intuitive Possibilities