Mercury in Retrograde

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Holly & Jacques

Is it as bad as it’s made out to be?

Transitions in life are inevitable and bring about change whether we are ready or not.

How we go about approaching these transitions determines how gracefully and unscathed we move through them….do we fight, or do we give ourselves over to the experience, looking at it more as an adventure? Mercury in Retrograde is just one of those times where life will be affected and the only thing we can do is embrace and allow.

What is Mercury in Retrograde? It is when Mercury laps Earth, which is approximately every four months or three times a year. Planets closest to the sun move faster and those further away move slower. In this day and age, it is common knowledge that it is impossible for planets to move backward, it’s merely an illusion. Essentially, whenever you have two planets orbiting at different speeds there is the appearance of a planet moving backward when one laps the other. It stands to reason that there would be an effect on us earthlings when we are being lapped by Mercury, much like static on our phones or radios when we go whizzing by a county mounty. I can think of a most recent example when this last M/R began, Verizon phones were out all over for days and it was well over a week before we saw any consistency return.

Quick moving mercury~ the smallest planet in our solar system is ruler of Gemini and Virgo, has dominion over areas of communication and connection, intelligence and imagination, money and how we accumulate wealth. Organs of the human body governed by the Mercury are the abdomen, tongue, lungs, bowels, nerve centers, bile and muscular tissues. The anatomical structures governed by the Mercury are nerves breath, air cells, sense, perception, hair and mouth. Understanding the rulership of Mercury can help us understand the areas in our lives that will be impacted.

Mercury governs the 2^nd chakra, located in our abdomen. The 2^nd chakra is responsible for digestion, and creativity, it strengthens the mind-governing it’s capacity to think, complexity of thoughts and concepts as well as practical applications. This is interesting when we look at how the 2^nd Chakra Swadisthan, works to break up fat cells to be used by our brains while foods feed our bodies. Given that this area is also referred to as our second brain, we can make the leap that Mercury oversees the 2^nd chakra or second brain. In this matter, Mercury in this chakra concurrently synthesizes, converts and disseminates food, information and processes.

Historically Mercury has been known as ‘Messenger of the Gods’, associated with the winged footed Hermes who had one foot in the physical world and one foot in the unseen realms. Hermes was also responsible for guiding souls to the underworld or through transitional periods in our lives.

Where Mercury rests in our personal charts as well as the astrological sign M/R occurs affects our intellectual self-expression, what fascinates and enchants us, directs where our minds focus, things that we want to take apart and put back together from a sense of curiosity. Mercury is also associated with the Magician in the tarot, linking it to languages, communication, spells, mantras, travel and logic.

Mercury energy is cold, objective and unemotional. It is the child who feeds its curiosity and creativity by pulling apart of things so that it can analyze, sort, group like parts and figure things out. It’s one of the many ways in which we process and make sense of our experiences and the world. Quicksilver, as it’s also known, can be tossed across the surface where the beads of mercury will scatter, but it always somehow finds a way back to itself and all its other parts. This is very much akin to the gathering of all the different facets of our lives to process and redistribute to build something new. In this, we can see Mercury is also about the symbols-the detailed parts that create a whole. Languages, details, thoughts and technology are data bits of symbols with an endless number of combinations.

The facts are that all of the planets are in retrograde at some point in the year. However, Mercury rules not just internal processes, but our physical lives as well. Navigating Mercury in Retrograde is to remember that we are to slow down. In this day and age, everything seems to be traveling at the speed of light, with life coming at us faster than we can process. In understanding the rulership of Mercury, we can apply to areas in our lives where this will be the most impactful such as travel, crossed communication, sending messages to the wrong people, errors in texts, emails, contracts, the missing of details, our minds and bodies not moving in-sync and causing accidents. We have brain fog where it seems as if a veil has been pulled during the taking apart and resorting of our internal world. Sometimes we can experience lost communications or often have old texts, emails and letters pop up out of seemingly nowhere.

It feels somewhat akin to the Dark Time period that happens around our birthdays. As in all things in life, there are cycles that bring about transitions to propel us forward. For myself I have found that when Mercury is in Retrograde, I very much feel the need to slow down and be more mindful. I am a person who is racing 100 miles a minute, I make decisions quickly and act swiftly. I definitely find myself impacted by brain fog and details that elude me which can be a source of frustration. I have to be mindful to be patient with myself and others as we are all experiencing a bit of a challenge in clear communication. The wires in our brains get crossed and symbols are not always appropriately interpreted which directly impacts verbal and written communications. With the Venus influence, M/R cycles often spontaneously bring up old ideas, details from past relationships, interactions and experiences.

During these times I feel like a Crow… a new detail or thought has caught my attention like a shiny object bouncing with sun. I can’t quite make it out so I stop to pick it up and examine this detail from all sides and ask, is there something I missed or is there some important detail here that will change an outcome or my perception on a matter? What is the connection here? Though life doesn’t stop for us. As I stop to become completely absorbed by this seemingly stray thought, the momentum of life keeps moving and I am buffeted by the sea of people flying past all around me until someone invariably knocks into me. Being unable to take that time internally causes great anxiety.

However, when we do not listen to what our internal barometers are telling us we are unable to benefit from the cycle of M/R and instead find ourselves dealing with that the darker side of Mercury/the Magician which thievery, trickery, tall tales, lies, deception, manipulation and gambling at life. We open ourselves to these things because we are not paying attention.

For this reason, we need to make the time to take that time. The timing of Mercury in Retrograde is felt more than ever since we started the transition into the Age of Aquarius where the whole of society and its systems are in upheaval. Just as Helios brought information from the Gods/the Sun to us, M/R slows things down so that we can pause long enough to align with that information. This knowledge informs our spiritual practice and the types of magic we weave.

In order to make the most of a M/R cycle double check your correspondences, perceptions, social engagement and travel plans. Limit the number of activities and commitments you put on your plate so you can actively carve out the time you need for processing, reflection and ritual. M/R has the talent for muting the majority of thoughts and guiding our attention to those unresolved pieces that have come loose for whatever reason. You will find there is a pattern that emerges.

When I start a ritual for M/R I tune into what pattern has emerged with the ideas or thoughts that have caught my attention and made me curious. If I don’t have the space to process, I will write it in my journal for later. I then set my intentions to be open to what rises to the surface guiding me in what I need to reassess and integrate in this new internal order. For instance, this last M/R has seen patterns emerge around little bits of stuff I no longer want to pack around because they are no longer important as well as doing away with making comparisons. I have also been more willing to take the time with having things be less perfect and feed my science-minded curiosity through experimenting whether that be with my clothing, my art or the way I plant items in the garden.

In the most general terms, I will set an altar with those items I am guided to use-mercury being reflective in nature guides me to use mirrors or silver gazing balls. Mercury reflects aspects needing further examination, bringing them to the forefront so that our awareness can focus. I will use an altar cloth of black, violet or sunset colors. I will bring in stones and depending on the time of year decorate the altar with herbs and flowers as well as create an incense. The moon phase will determine the type of rite and spell worked, with the final aim to recalibrate the new internal order accordingly.

We are curious to learn how you experience Mercury in Retrograde. Please share!

Blessed be my Witchy Brothers and Sisters

Mercury Correspondences

Herbal Helpers-Almond • Alyssum • Anise • Crocus • Fennel • Hazel • Heather • Honeysuckle • Lavender • Magnolia • Marjoram • Mulberry • Mullein • Parsley • Pelargonium • Peppermint • Rosemary • Southernwood •Vervain

Stone/Mineral Helpers- •Moss Agate • Aventurine • Carnelian • Citrine • Mercury • Mica • Muscovite • Opal • Sodalite

Colors-Orange, yellow, violet

Symbols-wings, feathers

Tarot Cards-Magician, VIII Wands, III Cups, V Pentacles, X Pentacles, VI Swords

Dark Days & Keeping it Real ~orienting ourselves in trying times…

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Holly & Jacques

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.”

― John F. Kennedy

erry Meet Pagan Peoples! I think one thing as a country we can all agree upon (for once) is the trying nature of our current health crisis. What will define us as humans and the character of our country will be how we move through these seriously trying times.

Let us grab a cup of our favorite nerve-calming tea (mine is honey ginger crystals as we speak) and have a chat witch-to-witch in an attempt to orient ourselves appropriately. As previously mentioned in The Magic of 2020 and the Cancer Full Moon blog posts, this year would bring many challenges both in issues of material scarcity and our relation to social systems. The writing was on the wall for some sort of swift change to take place, however, I don’t believe any of us could know how it would play out.

The Kennedy quote starting this piece was chosen due to its simple and pared-
down truth…..our planet, our country and our communities
Crisis are in danger crisis and there is no escaping it. I cannot speak for everyone’s experience, but from my own, I have seen people on both ends of the spectrum. From seriously freaked out to casually not thinking it is that big and everything in-between. The panicked energy in the streets and in the stores is palpable, which for us empathic and intuitive types is toxic and immobilizing in of itself if one is not on-guard. Though one need not be psychic or intuitive to feel the fear. At one end we have people bogarting toilet paper and bleach to the other end where college kids are at the beach carrying on like it’s nothing.

Anyone with a modicum of sense realizes that we are truly in a place of danger and as a community, it is everyone’s responsibility to keep each other safe. As in any other situation, we can choose to respond or react. This choice will determine our success.

In these times it is normal for people to freak out, become fearful and overwhelmed or shut down and become depressed. People may feel alone and isolated, confused, lost, suicidal and unsure of what to do. I, personally, have experienced all of these emotions and situations in my life at one time or another and I am sure I am not alone in this. However, having gotten this far in my life, I also know that as in all else, those feelings and situations are temporary, I do possess the ability, intelligence and power to move beyond it. The downfall leading to most failures in such situations is feelings of depression, helplessness, powerlessness and overwhelm. The way to combat these emotions and be successful is always forward movement of some kind, even if it’s incremental. This is where magic and practical mundane living go hand in hand-both need a plan, idea or need and a jumping-off point or an initiator spark. We are witches for goddess sakes-we know how to make a spark!

The first order of business is to STAY CALM for ourselves and our family so that we can keep a level head about us and Find Our Bearings!

~FIND (ONE’S) BEARINGS-to recognize or determine one’s orientation, position or abilities relative to one’s surroundings or situation.~

In finding our bearings we must first identify the situation-which we all understand to be the ‘Virus that Shall not Be Named’ (in actuality we know its name but I don’t want to have this piece blocked, so just in case…) and arm ourselves with factual information. One of the most important acts we can do is to take care of our health. This means getting quality sleep, safeguarding our immune system against inflammation and bacteria (such as making Immune Booster Brew) and mindfully processing stress. I say mindfully process because there is no way around the fact that this health crisis will impact every person on some level. Stress causes an inflammation response in our bodies which leaves us susceptible to illness.

The second thing to do is to determine our position and abilities. This is where opportunities arise and will look different for everyone. We must take into account fiduciary responsibilities, family members, health, age, housing, personal strenghts and level of preparedness. This is not a time to judge yourself or others, it is simply a time to look at the facts and take stock. Inform yourself with quality information-the podcast with R ogen is pretty informative.

Armed with the facts about your situation will lead to the third step of creating an action plan asking ourselves: what do I need to do now, what can I do in the short term and what needs to be planned for in the long term?

For my family this has translated into ‘business as usual’. What does that look like in the real world? Knowing what was written in the stars coupled with the fact that we are so far from a store, my family did put up some supplies-though little did we know TP would be such a hot commodity, LOL. In addition to our business Euphoric Naturals & Apothecary, I also work as a teacher. This meant preparing kids at school on our last day and finishing up paperwork this last week, before being sent home to self-isolate. Now, this wasn’t part of our plan as I didn’t foresee being off work or my child being home for five weeks, which equates to the use of more food and TP. My husband is still commuting to work. As with many businesses, they want everyone working from home, but we are in a dead zone and lack the internet speed (insert heavy sigh and eye roll here). It means I still get up early and see my husband off, do my workout and have a cup of tea or coffee to enjoy the quiet before my handsome son blesses me with his presence. I am diligent about wearing amethyst and black tourmaline to protect my auric field and combat the vibes of rising panic (especially when I go out for supplies or converse with others.) I sit at my planner and review what tasks I need to accomplish for the day.

For the now- we spent the weekend getting grocery items and building supplies to fill in any gaps. I have a teenager which meant conversations around going to the school to getting learning packets from some of his teachers as well as expectations around the structure of his day which will include time out of doors, exercise, reading and working on educational things, not just video games all day. For us, it also meant a conversation around food-making sure he didn’t skip breakfast and would result in wanting to eat more lunch and dinner foods that might not be available due to long term meal planning.

In the short term, it meant reaching out first to my family members, friends and coven mates to check on them. Next, because we are all in this together, it meant reaching out to my community and school to assess needs and see where I could be of help. As a counselor and ordained minister, I am able to offer assistance to community members and since I have a car I am able to be a meal runner for our schools. This, of course, could change as needs arise on our social media forums. The opportunity for family time is wide open-game nights, puzzles, cooking lessons, dirt bike rides, etc. Setting a structured plan for my son’s time, much to his chagrin, that doesn’t include video games all day is a pretty high priority, because….business as usual. Next on the list is to attend to our sacred space and home with a deep spring cleaning with Florida Water to clear out all the winter bogies and allergins, followed by a thorough smudging. Black Obsidian is stationed under our beds, couches and both doors. It is important at this time to keep the energies in our home clear of stress and panic. At this time we start getting the garden ready and now have time to take seeds we blessed at the previous full moon and get them potted up in the greenhouse. It’s also a good time to practice some candle magic. I have a lavendar and cedarwood oiled orange candle for courage burning during the day and a blue peppermint candle burning for peace in the evening.

In the long term, it means acknowledging this is something that could have long-lasting effects on product and food production. For my family this is asking how do we manage our dollars and what does our skinny budget look like? How can we slowly put aside a few staples here and there? If you have the ability to grow your own food, then do so. If you already grow food how can your ramp up food production to take your family further through the year as well as help your community? We are ramping up what we grow in our garden this year and preparing to save seeds. It’s time to dust off the to-do list of projects that take longer than a few hours and start chipping away at it, whether that be house and yard maintenance, cleaning out pantries and closets, completing some Book of Shadow pages, learn a new skill, revive an old skill, try out a new recipe, learn more about your favorite element, divination method, god or goddess, meditate, take time to slow dance, organize, read that stack of books that have piled up and reconnect with ourselves and the land. Make plans for different ways to celebrate family. It means at our new moons and full moons we are striving for protection of family, health, finances, and community while manifesting abundance and balance.

The time at home with family is unprecedented but has given all of us such an opportunity to pull together as a unit and a community. The choice is what we do with the time and situations as they arise. For us it is focusing on family, helping each other stay positive, being gentle with ourselves & others and most important of all-keeping our sense of humor.

From our family to yours, we wish everyone balance, safety, abundance & sanity!

“Every test successfully met is rewarded by some growth in intuitive knowledge, strengthening of character, or initiation into a higher consciousness.”

― Paul Brunton

How are you making the most of your time?…..we would love to hear from you!

Understanding Pisces New Moon 2020

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Holly & Jacques

t red

he year of 2020 has seen a transition from Pisces to Aquarius and with it a shift in our personal alignment to higher spiritual wisdom coupled with our relationship to social systems. In February the powerful Leo Full Moon illuminated the dark hallows shielding blockages that contributed to our suffering as well as stood in our way of stepping into our personal power. This last esbat NM in Pisces allowed us to unpack emotions regarding our path and aspirations.

Keywords for Pisces are:

*Dreams *Creativity *Psychic *Divination *Intuition

In the body, Pisces rules the feet, toes and lymphatic system. (The lymphatic system works primarily to carry infection-fighting white blood cells while also working to rid the body of toxins, waste and other unwanted materials).

Feet are vitally important in carrying us on our path and foot ailments can manifest when we are not walking our truth. Our ability to navigate the terrain becomes compromised and we often ‘lose ground’.

The magical and spiritual workings for the year will focus on balance and our place in the world. January and February had us honing our inspirations, adjusting our ambitions and assessing our material resources. Thusly, seeds sown these last two months will help us navigate our relationship to monetary restrictions while meeting our fiduciary responsibilities Additionally, we have begun the process of digging deep to discover what drives us, what closely held values do we believe at our core and how does this contribute to the creation of our most authentic self as the month of March brings forth a shake-up of society structures. (This can already be seen as a vying for power and position in politics commences with the impending elections).

Themes around the questions of ‘who am I and who do I want to be”? continue to be explored as we work in the challenge of adapting and adopting a way that is integrous and balanced. The seeds we are growing will empower and nourish our authentic selves without giving into the consensus trance of what is right or useful according to society?

This Pisces NM offers us the opportunity to look at our internal landscapes. We are assessing where we currently stand and as with any new moon, where do we go from here?

In order to arrive at an answer, one must assess where we spend the most time physically, emotionally and mentally. All three are driven by wants and needs. Everyone has basic needs requirements, however, it is important to travel beyond survival mode to develop and grow. In order to understand deeply held motives and desires driving our behaviors and actions, we need to look at our needs and wants objectively without judgement. This by no means gives cart blanche to act upon all wants but simply illustrates in a quantifiable way what is truly driving our powers of manifestation in both the concrete realms and the craft working realms.

In an effort to counteract greed, our culture has attempted to differentiate between a want and need, with wants having had a lot of negativity attached to them. Needs are generally focused on survival where wants are frequently seen as wasteful or unnecessary. With these ideas in mind, the next step is to evaluate our relationship to wants; in a lifetime it is next to impossible to single out every defining moment that has shaped how we value ourselves and our relationship to what we want. Many of us have been taught that what we want for ourselves is bad or selfish, wants are all about ego or not being grateful for what one has or, my personal favorite, if you want more for yourself you are ungrateful and therefore it will all be taken away. In reality, how can one ever really know who they are in life without unpacking wants, needs and dreams for good or ill?

We can spend so much time judging the rights and wrongs of needs and wants that we quit dreaming. Evaluating and picking apart every aspect kills it all. Ultimately this Pisces New Moon was about dreaming and creating without judgement, allowing our intuition to be our guide.

Our New Moon Vows were centered around this motif. Between this Pisces New Moon and the Virgo Full Moon, take time to unpack your wants and dream in the healing light of the goddess as we ready ourselves for attracting good vibes in March.

Merry Meet and Blessed Be!