Mercury retrograde in Pisces; return to the source

Continuing Mercury's retrograde cycle through the water signs, Mercury is slowing down and will turn retrograde in Pisces in just a few hours time, just after midnight on February 17th here in the UK. This retrograde period (lasting until March 10th) takes us back to the source, to the wellspring of the unconscious, in the final sign of the zodiac cycle. It asks us to dive down, to swim through the depths - and then asks us what we bring back to the surface. Much of the action may be unconscious, difficult to grasp, just out of reach. We are reminded of the great power of water, its ability to move mountains, one drop at a time. This is a slow flow, gentle movement. and also the power of the flood, the wave that overwhelms and sweeps us away. Boundaries and barriers are softened or completely washed away and we are called to surrender, to let ourselves be carried along wherever the water wants to take us.

There's a lot of water around lately, it's been a mild wet winter here in the UK. The paths through the parks and greenways of north London where I go running are sodden, more like streams than paths. Mercury retrograde in Pisces may have the same effect of turning what is solid and reliable within us to churned up mud, the waters of our feelings refusing to be buried any more.

More than that, Mercury retro in Pisces reconnects us not only with our personal emotions but also with universal consciousness. We are carried on the currents back to the source not just of ourselves but of all of humanity, all of life on earth. We are all one. This transit has the potential to wash away some of the separation obsession of the strong Capricorn energy which is unavoidable right now, reminding us that there is no "them and us", simply "us". It may leave us vulnerable, bereft of the comfortable walls we've erected around ourselves, used to justify our separation, the walls of "that's just how it's always been". Mercury retro in Pisces says no, it's not. Once we were connected. We are still connected. But we've lost sight of the connection, ignored or even denied it. And so we find ourselves feeling confused, aware that something isn't quite right but unable to grasp what it is or how to change it. Mercury retrograde always shifts our perception of reality but what if that reality has become too much, too sharp? This could be a head in the sand kind of transit, cosmic idealism and spiritual bypassing which are so much easier to deal with than the harsh reality we live in. As with all transits, it's up to us what we make of it, how we use the energy available to us. Mercury retrograde in Pisces asks us to swim to the very depths of our souls - and pay close attention to what we find there.