Lifestyle

What Mercury Retrograde Can Tell Us About The Current State Of Politics

by Rosey Baker
Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images

Mercury Retrograde is known for the way it gets in the way of our everyday lives, our communication, and our daily plans. It's a pain in the ass on an individual level, but we never really associate it with an all out societal fallout. There are miscommunications that occur between our significant others, our bosses, and those in our inner circle, but what about, say, our government? It turns out, Mercury Retrograde could influence politics a lot more than we might think.

Mercury is the planet that rules the sign of Gemini, so this sign is especially affected when its ruling planet goes retrograde. If you didn't know this already, Gemini is Donald Trump's sign, and when the president gets f*cked with by Mercury, we ALL get f*cked with by Mercury. And that's not the only way Mercury is jumbling things up.

Here's what the retrograde has to do with all the massive changes happening right now.

The Press Conference At Trump Tower

Yesterday's press conference, when Trump wildly started equating anti-racism protestors with torch-bearing, neo-Nazi white supremacists, left all of us not only speechless, but furiously angry and in fear for our safety and the safety of those we love. Even those who have made an effort to work with Trump in his cabinet looked ashamed and terrified. There was nothing that could be done to make sense of the stream of sh*t pouring from the president's mouth.

Republicans today are most likely scrambling to decide how to proceed, as a damning tweet against the president will simply not be enough. This is a classic moment of Mercury Retrograde, however -- a moment when relationships between individuals, or between a president and his nation, or his base, are to be re-examined, and possibly thrown out.

The Removal of Confederate Statues

Mercury is a time to clean house, to look through old things from the past that no longer support us in our personal or collective growth. Releasing remnants of our past, including both material objects and beliefs is part of the purpose of Mercury Retrograde. It's a time for taking a personal, spiritual, and business inventory. What do we need to rid ourselves of? Where is the demand? What do we need to supply? During this retrograde, it seems the answers are prejudice, justice, and equality, respectively. The confederate statues clearly have a long history that is deep-rooted in racism, and the removal of them definitely runs deeper than anything Mercury Retrograde could influence. But the theme of "removing the past," is definitely present here.

Signs that glamorize slavery, and those who fought to keep it, are not what this country stands for. We can achieve more through love and respect for all than through division and classism, which is why these statues continue to come down in spite of those who oppose their removal. Which is why the effort to repeal Obamacare continues to fail, in spite of Republicans having a majority in the Senate.

Those who cling to old ideas will burn down their own efforts. The more you fight and cling to the status quo, the faster it will slip through your hands. The longer you cling to separation and hatred the longer you will be in pain. Throw your old ideas out the window. Let them go. See what it is you have to lose, and what that loss can usher in; because all loss provides space for growth.

Previously Strong Relationships May Get Rocky

One thing will always be made clear during Mercury Retrograde is old relationships. During this time, relationships that are not sturdy and that do not have a solid base will fall to pieces. They won't stand up to the re-evaluation that this planet requires during this time.

Regardless of how good of a job you think the president is doing, Mercury Retrograde (in the sign of Virgo, the sign of health and service to others) is doing its job incredibly well. We are healing, and it's important to remember that healing is never pretty, because sickness is the way a body rids itself of disease.

And make no mistake about it: Racism is a disease. It needs to be condemned and called out at any opportunity. We are at the beginning of our journey of healing from the aftermath of Charlottesville, but now is the time to be united against hate.