Mercury in Retrograde

I'll admit it: I kind of have a thing about astrology.

(Also: I tend to watch Armageddon-prediction shows on the History Channel, on the edge of my seat. 2012! The Mayan calendar STOPS. Think about that one.)

So, here's the deal.

Mercury is in retrograde right now.

As it turns out, Mercury does not actually spin backwards (no planet ever does). But we have an illusion here on Earth that it stops, then spins backward. It's just because our traipse around the sun goes at a different rate than that of Mercury. (28 days for Mercury.)

But. Still. Here's what I get out of it.

Things are going to be kinda chaotic for all of September--the retrograde lasts from now (it's already started) until the 27th.

In this time, I'm supposed to enter a phase of pretty intense introspection (has Mercury been in retrograde all of 2009? Srsly.) Despite all this introspection, I'm to avoid big business decisions, which includes everything from signing contracts to making any decisions to starting businesses. I'm also supposed to be extra careful with money.

Retrograde can cause all kinds of chaos everywhere, especially for people who work as writers. Luckily, Sagittarians are able to diminish some of Mercury's power. I'm not exactly sure how that works.

Communication is supposed to also completely haywire. Misunderstandings abound. Items related to communication, like e-mail, computers, etc. are known to break down. People misconstrue what you say, travel can become rife with problems.

The good things, my online astrologers tell me (no, I don't have a direct line to LaToya Jackson, or any personal one, I just ask Google) are that introspection and reflection can often bring a longstanding frustrating stumbling block to light. I could gain new insight on a wide variety of things. And, i'm under no pressure to make a decision until Mercury "goes direct" once again. Heightened inner awareness makes for prime situations for journaling or otherwise reviewing the past.

There have definitely been periods in my life where I've felt the pull of an outside force. I don't believe everything about astrology, but I also think that many of its claims can't be dismissed as pure luck. I've always felt I match pretty closely the profile of a Sagittarius--and William that of a Scorpio. I know that we tend to read things that are labeled "This is You" with our minds primed to agree, I still feel that it's so close.

This is just one of those times in the astrological calendar where the events are really aligning with my thoughts and feelings. Where it really resonates. Really really. Expect updates...I've been (for a long time) holding on to a couple personality tests and astrology reports for future blog posts. I'm also going to try to focus my writing around some of these topics as the retrograde wears on. Perhaps some retrospectives and reflection on the last year will be on point.

What do you think? Do you get into astrology? I'm curious what you all think.