Mercury Retrograde Decoded: Secrets of the Cosmic Trickster

January 29, 2021 0 Comments

Mercury Retrograde Decoded: Secrets of the Cosmic Trickster

Mercury Retrograde Decoded: Secrets of the Cosmic Trickster

by Sara Timms / Art by Victor Moatti

 

Mercury Retrograde gets blamed for everything from unread text messages to cancelled flights. But what if we could make these celestial shenanigans work in our favor? In order to do this we’ve got to understand the nature of this dear vilified planet, and why his inherent nature is so problematic to us down here on the Earth. 

Mercury, also known as Hermes in Greece, and Thoth in Egypt, is indeed the Trickster of our planetary family. He takes on varied forms ranging from an Ibis headed man, a baboon, a magician, and even an attractive Greek statue. He rules the astrological sign of Gemini, the dual natured twins, and the element Air and as his association with Quicksilver would imply. He is both quick witted, changeable, and dangerous if you’re not paying close attention. He will whip by you like a gust of wind, and if you’re not grounded and centered within yourself, you’re sure to be pulled into his tornado! 

And therein lies one of the great keys this Master of hidden knowledge brings to us every Mercury Retrograde period: we have no control of the outside world! I know this is not a popular statement among witches, magicians, and magical folk, but as you all know, we can assert our magical will until the cows come home, but if what we want is out of alignment with the Universal Will, we can see it explode in our face or simply fall short of accomplishing what we have commanded. This is the “fun” work of being a human and not a God or a demon. 

So, what is the trick that this trickster teaches us with his ever so frustrating retrograde phases? How does a God best exert his will upon the Earth? Well, he works with the natural world for one, as well as the planetary phases and their influences upon us humans. Do you realize how much power we intentionally give to Mercury when we blame every single delay and hiccup on him during his retrograde? All Mercury is doing is being himself, fully aligned with the cosmos. So, it must be us whom are not fully aligned with the cosmos when we find ourselves pulling our hair out when that very important package is lost in transit! 

Are you ready to be more like a God, and less like a frustrated human? Well, this one might push your moral compass into questionable territory, but that is precisely why the early Christian Church detested the Father of Hermetic Wisdom, Hermes. He wished not to control us, but to lead us to direct communion with the divine. There are many rules to be broken! 

 

RITUALISTIC INSPIRATIONS

Become an Agent of Mercury Retrograde, Rather Than a Victim.

Try the below ritual with our Mercury Retrograde Deluxe Ritual Kit! Contained inside is everything you will need for a purposeful, heartfelt ritual designed to align with your higher self while grounding your perspective to help get through the retrograde cycle!

Try This

✨ Cleanse your ritual workspace with our ethically cultivated White Sage

✨ Place upon your altar the included stones: Labradorite, Quartz, Tourmaline

✨ Add some symbols of Mercury: a caduceus, baboon, any traditional Hermetic Book, The Magician Tarot Card, wings, sandals, silver, Ibis, rooster, tortoise, satchel, palm tree, goat, Hermes, Thoth. Feel free to print, draw, or write these various symbols or names down if you don’t have any of these figurines or representations.

✨ Write the retrograde period dates on a piece of paper, and under that write, “I align my will with Mercury for these dates”. 

✨ Use the Lemongrass Oil to anoint yourself, placing oil on the third eye, the temples, and the inside of the wrists, as well as on the image(s) or object(s) you’ve chosen that symbolizes Mercury. 

✨ Light the black candle and use your finger to trace a clockwise circle of light above you 3 times, calling in all of your guardians and protective spirit guides. Imagine the circles floating down around you to the ground and back up like floating hula-hoops. 

✨ Place the lavender as an offering to Hermes as well as anything you intuitively feel you want to gift to him. Save a few sprigs of it for yourself to use to close the ritual, and to use later during the retrograde period to restrengthen your intentions.

✨ Light the gold candle and say:

“I quest for the alchemical gold of inner divine wisdom. In my seeking, I call upon the Great Spirit of Mercury-Hermes-Thoth to assist me on my path. In order to learn the hidden magic of Mercury Retrograde, I offer myself as an agent of you, Mercury, for the period of January 30 to February 21. For the good of all, and with harm to none, this spell is done.”

✨ Burn the paper you’ve written your will upon and contain the ashes. Let the candles burn until they are gone, OR relight for an even amount of time each day during retrograde until they are gone.

✨ Thank and release Mercury and all of the protective guides you’ve called in. 

✨ Use the extra lavender at this time to seal in your spell, followed by the Palo Santo to cleanse and reset the energy of your space as well as to ground. 

✨ Release the ashes outside into the air, the element which Mercury is at home in. 

 

Now, you must remember that Mercury is the trickster so you best keep a sense of humor about all of this, and trust that he is giving you the lessons that are tailored to your highest growth and power in this lifetime! Stay centered and grounded with the extra sprigs of lavender periodically throughout the retrograde, because even when you are the agent of Mercury, the communication- short- circuit- tornado still spins. However, when you are in the calm eye of the storm it barely touches you, and it might even return a few beloved things you thought had been lost, or he may simply give you an amusing show! 

 

Click the image below to shop our handmade Mercury Retrograde Ritual Kit!

Mercury Retrograde Kit

 

 

 

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Read more on astrology, horoscopes, occultism, magick & ritual on our blog, Esoteric Insights!





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