One of these days I'm going to have to see if there's an astrological reason why I sometimes go days without blogging. I know Mercury was retrograde for a while and it seemed to effect me by making me lethargic. The moment the planet went direct, it felt like I got new energy. What's retrograde, you ask? Or maybe you're asking, where'd I leave my beer? (Where were you doing just before you sat down to read my blog? That's where your beer is.) For those of you who are able to focus and remember the retrograde question (and where you put the beer), NASA has an explanation here.
Basically, retrograde means a planet appears to be moving backwards relative to our vantage point, just because of the way orbits and distances from the Sun and stuff is. Astrologically, it means the planet's expression takes a more indirect route than usual; it also means going over old ground. That means a Mercury Retrograde period is great for getting rid of paper clutter (I did do that), but planning for or acting on the future needs some extra caution. Many astrologers believe that retrograde planets in a birth chart show issues from a past life that need re-working in this lifetime.
Any planet can be retrograde at some point but the Sun and Moon can't. They never appear to be moving backwards. Mercury is retrograde about 3 times a year, and so is Venus, since both orbit the Sun very closely.
Anyway, I'm feeling energized these days. Tomorrow I'm going to give two strangers astrological readings; it's a "practice run" for my participation as an astrologer at Bergen's New Age Fair in March. I've never done this sort of thing before, so I'm very excited and a bit scared. I wonder if the butterflies in my stomach like beer? I hope so. They're getting some.
