Mercury as Connection and Communication

Our world is becoming more and more mercurial. Being connected through technology, sharing data and information, and communicating are a huge part of how we organize and work with one another. The speed with which information and events are shared is faster than ever. This process is Mercurial: that something can go from one side of the world, through satellites and signals to our phones. The algorithms which determine what we see. The data and how it is presented and interpreted.

Many would say that this advances are helpful to being able to organize for change. However, what is at the root of many (if not all) of these technological conveniences and supports? Genocide of humans and the land. And are we more active in organizing because we have better access to information? In some ways yes, in my opinion overall, no. This is also Mercurial, this many things true at once, and the ability to move in between.

I would say that in our world as it is currently, Mercury has become so relegated to the realm of technology and so much of our communication and sharing uses technology, we've forgotten the ancestral ways Mercury would have been tapped into.

Mercury is about commerce and trade, which includes how do we give and receive resources (mutual aid?) movement and distribution of resources, and how this process is negotiated or decided on. Talking with one another about our schedules, what we are doing, how much time we need for tasks, this is all Mercury. Sharing information that people need to know for survival, for thriving, to keep each other safe, this is all Mercury. I see Mercury as inherently about movement, sharing, flexibility and data.

Regarding communicating, if we are planning and strategizing towards a specific goal, we have to be attuned to how we do share and receive data. What is working? What is not working? Are we being fluid and open to change? We cannot expect all people to communicate the way we do and being as nimble as possible to shift how we share and receive information is very important.

Mercury especially can be part of navigating nuances and complexities because it is so liminal, not tied down to one set way of being. Mercury is the planet that bucks binaries and fitting into a box. How are we learning from this? Where are we becoming too rigid and set in one or two ways of being?

I think of mycelium networks with Mercury, or the fascia. These are networks of tissues that are a complex web over everything. Fascia wraps around and supports the body. Mycelium is the hidden part of fungus and is a root system.

Many of us know about Mercury Retrograde, that it is when things go awry. But it is more than that. It is our ancestors coming through and showing us where the cracks in our communications are. It is a humbling process to see that we are not perfect.

While we need Mercurial processes to function in the world today, we can also take the time during Mercury Retrogrades to question our dependency on certain types of communication, connection and information sharing.

This is not a cue to “rest” but a cue to ask if the methods we are choosing are producing the results we want.

For example, perhaps we are encountering conflict in some relationships. Mercury Retrograde is a good time to sense into those conflicts, to ask ourselves what opportunities there are for shifting how we speak, text, or share.

If the results we want are not being met, Mercury helps us to change, to see new opportunities, and let go of what isn’t working. Often we can sense Mercury with our minds (mental chatter and thought life) and our nervous systems (anxiety, breath, heart and pulse).

This does not mean that our nervous system is necessarily telling us the truth of what is happening. ie. What is unsafe and what is discomfort? But noticing our nervous system’s responses and our mental responses is a first step to making change. Our nervous systems are tied to trauma, which is real, but we have to be able to parse out (a Mercurial process) if that same trauma is happening in the present moment or if it is not. Mercury has the benefit of being able to look at things from a more "neutral" stance. While I don't believe it is ever possible for a human being to be "neutral" I think that Mercury being a planet that can move between worlds, can help us have a wider lens of a situation that we may be tunnel visioned in on. Our responses to situations are real and we should listen to them: that is data and information. What we do with that information is also part of our responsibility and is under Mercury's purview.

Mercury goes retrograde three times between Winter Solstices this year, all in water signs: signifying a more emotional, internal process of looking at how we communicate. This Fall we are retrograding though Scorpio. Previously we retrograded in Cancer and Pisces. It is definitely painting the year with a theme of needing to reflect on our emotional processes.

This could mean that the process will be even stickier than usual, with water signs being less direct and linear. But it can also produce CREATIVITY and ways of communicating that we hadn’t thought of before. Water communicates in emotional ways, which is important but also difficult.

In Scorpio, we are in Fixed Water, ruled by Mars. This means Mercury is going deep, it may be cutting, wanting to get at what isn't working and surgically remove it from your life. Mercury in Scorpio is going to tell the truth (as it sees it) so it is important you sit with, is this really what I believe to be true or is this my ego? Is this really what I want to say or is this an old wound of mine I'm projecting on people who did not cause it? Is this my feelings being hurt or am I truly being harmed? Scorpio wants to look at power, so you may need to examine the power dynamics between yourself and others in situations and how communication is altered because of it. Are people not comfortable telling you how they feel? Why is that? Is that something you want to change or are those relationships needing to end? Depending on your chart and where things are at for you, Mercury Retrograding Scorpio could be asking you to look at ways you've given up your power, and ways you've taken too much. Both are control. (Giving up our power is a way of control because then we don't have to think, we don't have to get into conflict or differing opinions, we control the environment by letting other people dictate to us. What most people call "people pleasing" is just selfish-ness. It is usually coming from a place of controlling how others see us, ensuring we are seen as "good" people.)

If you can avoid travel and signing contracts during these times, do. But with the work we do these things can be unavoidable. So be extra careful of protecting marginalized people, and cautious of security measures during these times.

Also just be aware that during the Retrograde period there may be decisions made or things communicated that will later in the shadow period be ironed out or changed.

If you can wait to launch something important outside of the Retrograde period, do. If you can schedule periods of reflection for your groups and projects during these times, do. Taking time to reflect perhaps in non-linear ways could be useful.

Scorpio Cycle

Oct 4th Retrograde Shadow

Oct 24th Retrograde

October 30th Mercury Retrograde square Mars in Leo

November 4th Mercury conjoins the Sun in Scorpio

Nov 13th Direct

Nov 29th Retrograde Shadow

We cannot separate this Mercury Retrograde from the Venus Retrograde as Venus starts her journey in Scorpio as well. Additionally, Mercury goes Retrograde on the same day that Venus conjoins the Sun at the 0 degree of Scorpio. This is the midpoint of the Venus Retrograde which is 40 days, and the Mercury Retrograde is 20 days, both going direct on November 13th.

Whatever you believe, this is auspicious. Even more of a reason to take this reflection period seriously. These are the two planets closest to the Earth, the personal planets. It may be uncomfortable but this is a time for us to use to review what we have been doing. We need to be willing to let go of everything, to scrape away our insides.

This whole retrograde is ruled by Mars in Leo, which will also be conjoining Jupiter November 15th, slightly after Venus and Mercury go direct. Mars and Jupiter together could be a moment of something explosive, decapitating, inflating, making big moves. Especially in Leo this can be a moment to claim what is ours, but also remember that those in power will be doing the same.

General Tips: Remember to take an hour or a day before Mercury goes Retrograde to go through some of the boring things you've been avoiding, answer emails, do paperwork, send letters. Commit yourself to some somatic exercises, breathwork, movement. Sit with conflict, try to approach it from a different way than you have in the past. Say no to some things. Write things down, connect to a notebook or journal. Walk around your neighbourhood. Notice how people around you communicate, notice how you communicate. Look into security measures for your online life. Break up with AI, Google, Meta, any other online platforms. Think about one thing you can do to change the way information is shared in your groups. Be prepared for technology to fail and to be late for things, for scheduling to be confusing.

Mercury can help us find solutions, brainstorm new ideas, see things from a perspective we hadn't before, change our views, or release old thinking patterns. All of this is needed if we want to continue with the work of organizing for change. But Mercury is not just about what we believe, it is about what we practice. Repetition. This is the time to create new habits.

I hope that you are granted space and ease, the specific tools and resources you need, and the change in thinking that will move you where you need to move.

Email: slowmotionradical@proton.me

Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/slowmotionradical

Sign up for my newsletters:

Mutual Aid Newsletter

Kara Bullock lives on the Unceded Territory of the Sinixt People. Learn about how the colonial government has declared the Sinixt Extinct and support the Autonomous Sinixt here.