12 Oct Scaremongering ~ Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio – October 13th-November 3rd, 2020

The third and final Mercury retrograde of the year is finally here, spanning from October 13th until November 3rd, 2020. 

It begins in the dark waters of Scorpio, initiating a labyrinthine journey into the depths of the soul.

Who’s in the bunker?

Your soul will find its reflection in the collective soul, initiating a time of great suffering that is also blessed by an immense opportunity for growth.

The dark waters of Scorpio rush through the subterranean tunnels of the underworld, and though it will be an unsettled and emotionally turbulent time, Mercury’s retrograde will uncover the hidden power of the immense currents that move individuals, groups, and nations towards tremendous transformation. 

Let me hear both sides.

On October 27th, Mercury will retrograde into Libra, breaking through some of the darkness with a light that breathes beauty back into your soul.

Mercury will station direct on the US election day, November 3rd. Whatever the outcome of that fateful day may be, your soul will have a deep communion with the Anima Mundi—the world soul.

Mobiles squerking.

Mobiles chirping.

In astrology, the planet Mercury represents language and communication. This makes the Internet, this endless hum of interconnectivity, a sacred temple of Mercury. 

The word language itself is derived from logos, which refers to the Divine Word or the ordering principle of the world. Look at the glyph of Mercury. This is an ancient magical symbol that reveals so much about this ordering principle. 

The cross of matter connects to the circle of spirit, crowned by the crescent of receptivity. Mercury is the connection between matter, spirit and higher consciousness.

It is Mercury that weaves internal imagination with external perception, synthesizing two qualities of experience to empower knowledge and learning.

Mercury represents this inter-dimensional fluidity of human consciousness—the miraculous ability to translate memories into images and ideas into words.

Mythologically speaking, Mercury is described as the psychopomp, a messenger between the overworld and underworld, the conscious and the subconscious.

In the Information Age, the speed and efficiency of communication and commerce continues to exponentially increase, making Mercury the supreme deity of our age. 

During Mercury retrogrades, the consensus seems to be that the reliable rhythms we come to depend on start to skip a beat, communication breaks down and technology becomes unpredictable.

The more dependent upon the algorithms of technology you are, the more fragile you become. In a world that moves this fast, any unexpected ripple in the stream of data is considered to be an unholy aberration.

This is really happening.

The overall mood of this Mercury Retrograde is elegantly evoked by the music and lyrics of Radiohead’s “Idioteque” from their 2000 release, Kid A—an eerily prophetic work of experimental agitpop [sic] that was released 20 years ago this month.

The flurry of Idioteque’s impressionistic encryptions evoke something frantic and war-torn. When combined with the nightmare fever dream of Dada poetry and apocalyptic visions that comprise its lyrics, you get the feeling that “Idioteque” was a riddle to which 2020 is the answer.

Take the money and run.

A smooth path is not forward.

Mercury retrogrades are retrospective and contemplative times when you can strengthen your sense of history as well as respond to unexpected challenges.

Anyone who has a modest understanding of neurological function knows that intelligence demands flexibility, otherwise known as neuroplasticity.

Rigidity is the beginning of decay, so it’s best to think of Mercury Retrogrades as opportunities to stretch our minds and keep things nimble. The strange warble of Mercury retrogrades is inspiring.

There is nothing to fear about Mercury retrogrades except that they ask you to face the shadow side of your society’s great technological progress, where the soul has been lost in an echo chamber.

It is important to remember that Mercury is not just the god of technology, but the god of human intelligence in all its dynamism.

His retrograde periods are not malfunctions, but represent rippling moments of growth, where a supple flexibility of mind is re-awakened. From this perspective you can learn to appreciate Mercury Retrogrades as a nimble exercise, keeping your eyes bright and your mental reflexes sharp.

Things become less precise and more emotional…more stream of consciousness… when worlds spill out freely without forethought…the unadulterated flow between sensation and memory… in the flow being, does it allow one the afterthought to discover the many hidden rivulets oscillating between destructive energy and creative entropy?

I have seen too much

I haven’t seen enough.

Whether magic, mysticism, or the stream of consciousness, Mercury’s retrograde in Scorpio is all about tapping into the underworld and exploring the hidden powers within.

When Mercury is retrograde, he moonlights as the psychopomp, literally translating to the soul conductor.

In mythology, Mercury was said to conduct or guide the souls of the dead into the underworld. Because he was the only god able to freely travel between the overworld and the underworld, he was tasked with the duty to be the messenger between worlds.

Think of the overworld as the conscious mind of everyday concerns, and the underworld as the subconscious mind of primal imagination.

When Mercury is retrograde, he is thought to be traversing the underworld. This means that during Mercury Retrogrades, your mind is getting closer to your soul— that your conscious awareness is more in touch with your primal subconscious. 

Mercury retrogrades seem to have a disorienting effect because a wide stream of your conscious energy becomes submerged in the murky realms of the subconscious.

As the light in the mundane world dims, the imagination lights up, luring you to wander deep within.

To put it simply, this is a time to get back in touch with your soul.

We’re not scaremongering.

This is really happening.

The evolutionary purpose of Scorpio is to initiate the exploration of the unknown depths of experience through the death and decay of common knowledge.

Mercury’s retrograde in Scorpio is an underworld journey that penetrates into the hidden depths of the soul for a tantric union with the shadow.

Scorpio rules sex, death and transformation. Mercury’s retrograde journey through Scorpio dredges up the dark waters of emotion, churning with repressed memories and ancestral burdens. As the psychopomp, Mercury will shine a light upon things that have long been submerged.

The darkness arises, hidden complexes emerge. The shadow of deceit and manipulation falls over your life. But this is what it takes to heal, to transform. Your soul needs you to confront these things so that you can grow.

It is very common to experience social or relationship problems during this time, and many will have the feel of a broken record, that pattern that just seems to repeat over and over.

Ice age coming.

Ice age coming.

Throw it in the fire.

Throw it in the fire.

On October 18, Mercury will oppose Uranus, initiating a time to release yourself from these loops. In order to honor this period of deep introspection, release your attachments to bad memories that are distracting you from the path of discovering your Higher Self.

While some of this rawness is certain to be uncomfortable, the currents of this Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio are all oriented towards purifying your mind of distractions, deceptions and delusions, creating more space for truthful conversations, deeper thoughts and intimate connections.

Here I’m alive.

Everything all of the time.

In alchemy, Scorpio is the process of putrefaction, the Dark Night of the Soul in which the false self rots away for the spiritual gold of the Higher Self to illuminate the horizon, signaling the dawn.

This process of putrefaction will be felt most apparently on October 25 when Mercury enters the heart of the Sun at 11:22am PST. There will be a merging of conscious and unconscious, offering a quiet moment of reflection on the mortality of the lower self before the peacock spreads its tail to reveal the true and eternal Higher Self.

Ice age coming.

Let me hear both sides.

On October 27, Mercury will retrograde into Libra at the same moment Venus enters it. Along with the pleasure garden of Taurus, Libra is one of Venus’ signs of rulership.

When transiting her rulership in the fixed earth sign of Taurus, Venus is Hathor, the primeval fertility goddess from whose clay all others were shaped. But in the cardinal air sign of Libra, Venus assumes the role of Maat, the Egyptian goddess of truth & justice, balance & harmony, law & order.

An ideal myth to contemplate on this day is the Weighing of the Heart.

In the Egyptian underworld, the hearts of the dead were weighed against the Feather of Maat in the Hall of Two Truths. The feather was considered an essential distillation of all that Maat ruled over on the earthy plane: truth, justice, balance, harmony, law and order.If the heart was lighter than or equal to the weight of the feather, the departed was said to have lived an honest and just life, in harmony with the laws of nature and the order of the cosmos, and would be permitted to pass into Aaru, the heavenly paradise presided over by Osiris. But if the heart weighed heavier than the Feather of Maat, it was eaten by the demon goddess Ammit and the soul was condemned to remain in the underworld for eternity.

In The Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Weighing of the Heart is overseen by Anubis, the jackal-headed god who ruled the underworld and served as psychopomp, guiding departed souls into the land of the dead.

In the Hellenistic era, Mercury’s Grecian counterpart Hermes was syncretized with Anubis due to their shared duties as soul conductors and the god Hermanubis was born, who had the head of a jackal (like Anubis) but also carried a caduceus (like Hermes).

The synthesis of two gods from separate pantheons invoked in the creation of the god Hermanubis is a thoroughly Mercurial undertaking. It’s especially pertinent to reflect upon during the retrograde, when the limits of reason are pushed beyond comprehension and the brain’s natural desire for neuro-plasticity creates new connections through which new ideas are born from the decomposition of old and outmoded thought-forms.

We’re not scaremongering.

This is really happening.

When Mercury stations direct on November 3rd, it will be the day of the Presidential Election in the United States of America.

It will be a collective Weighing of the Heart not only for the U.S. but the entire world. When Mercury stations direct, the Anima Mundi—the world soul—will be weighed against the Feather of Maat.

In order to prepare the collective for that fateful day, it is your duty to release resentment from your heart.

Thank your enemies, for challenging you to improve yourself and make the world a better place. Forgive your friends and family, for all of their trespasses are just reflections of your own shadow.

And above all love yourself, for you are a divine child of heaven and earth.