Incoming: Moody Mercury Retrograde

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Let’s get dark and moody: Mercury retrogrades in Scorpio from the 14th October and doesn’t station direct at Libra until 3rd November. Meaning, we’re in for a treat of broody energy under the water sign for the next three weeks. Bringing those dark vibes in time for Halloween, at its worst Scorpio is known to be suspicious, possessive, paranoid and untrusting. However, to balance that out, it is honest, intuitive, passionate and deeply sexy. 

‘Messenger of the gods’ Mercury rules communication, travel and technology; be prepared for retrograde to do a number on us in these areas. Expect suddenly uncomfortable text exchanges, cringeworthy emails, late trains and potentially even the accidental double-tap of your ex’s summer 2016 beach shot (and for the record, yes they do notice that you watch every story but don’t like a single post… until now). Here is the good news though, not only is Scorpio represented by the scorpion, but the mighty phoenix is also a symbol. Rebirth, renewal and second chances are at the heart of this retrograde. 

With renewal in mind, Mercury retrograde in Scorpio provides us with the rare chance to delve into ourselves much more closely than usual. Scorpio’s nature as a water sign is often accompanied by deep penetrating emotional clarity. It is no coincidence that Sigmund Freud, father of the concept of the unconscious, was born at a time that just so happened to be experiencing a Mercury retrograde under a water sign. He theorised that our behaviours stem from our unconscious-selves. What is hidden deep down at the core is responsible for our public selves. With this in mind, and the fact that Scorpio is the king of maintaining an insulated core, during this retrograde focus on understanding yourself at a primal and unconscious level of your being. This is not the time to be gentle; get real with yourself and examine the less-than-pretty parts. To ease in, perhaps start surface level: Did you really need to make that comment to your sister or were you just being a bit of a b**ch? Don’t stop here. Given Scorpio's level of intensity, Mercury in Scorpio demands you examine the origins of these feelings. Don’t let it down by half-arsing it, be bold and courageous. Channelling Freud, are you battling back and forth with perhaps the masculine or feminine parts of yourself?  Have you been silencing your true desires? If your inner desires have not been brought to life in some time, use this phase of rebirth to understand your unconscious programming and focus your energies into transforming it. 

This will be a time of rebirth in who you are at your core and how you communicate that to the world. During this retrograde, you’ll have the opportunity to let go of outdated, futile ways of communicating and find newer, more suitable methods. There is a catch though, the people around you will also be feeling these powerful forces of self-examination and change. Excuse the Halloween pun, but if there are any skeletons lurking in anyone’s closet they will definitely be coming out during this time. You’ll see people for who they really are, good and bad. Try not to let Scorpio’s paranoia get a hold of you and keep your inner circle close (I mean unless it turns out someone does literally have a skeleton in their closet, then you might want to call someone about that).

As we come out of this phase in the first few days of November Mercury will be in Libra, thankfully restoring much more balance to our lives. Before this calmer energy comes it’s going to be uncomfortable and somewhat chaotic, but we have an opportunity under the combined forces of Mercury and Scorpio to embrace our shadow side for chance of a regeneration of self. 


Words: Holly Westwood

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