Turn
Mercury is in retrograde.
Yes, that notorious astronomical and astrological event where the planet closest to the sun goes renegade, deviating from its path, going off track, and appearing to turn back on itself.
Astrologists warn that Mercury’s apparent retrograde motion ushers in chaos for us here on Earth. Technology will fail, plans will crumble, and our earnest attempts to communicate clearly with one another will be jeopardised. Words, the very substance of language itself, become vulnerable to misreading, misinterpretation, and misunderstanding.1
Whether or not you or I believe in astrology, Mercury’s astronomical illusion allows us to reflect on what it really means to change directions, to orbit, to revolve. After all, Mercury doesn’t actually alter its course. It is just a matter of perspective; from here on Earth, it looks like planets occasionally change trajectory, but actually, it’s due to our relative position and speed (…or something like that!).2
So, how do we know when we’ve changed course or turned a corner? Are we sliding backwards when we thought we were moving forward? And is our desire for narrative so strong that we’ll look for any signs that give shape and meaning to all of the chaos?
As the end of November draws us closer to Christmas and the promise of another cycle around the Sun, I want to consider what it means to turn.