Mercury Retrograde in Cancer: Your Inner Demons May Actually Be Your Inner Children
By Tom Jacobs
We’ve had more than a week to get into the personal effects of the current Mercury retrograde period. It’s traversing through Cancer, the sign of emotions, needs, nurturing, the child, as well as ties to family, heritage, tradition and nation. Any retrograde period turns inward the function associated with the planet in question. As Mercury at root represents perception, thought and communication, we’re talking about an inward review of emotional issues and thought patterning based on them.
Everyone regardless of natal planetary placement has the opportunity to review lingering issues related to these areas of our lives. In most cases, we’re learning things we didn’t know about ourselves and how we let our past and emotions shape us: why we persist in certain patterns, where in our lives unseen patterns based on outdated emotional realities run the show, how sentimental reactions define us in (probably) unexpected ways. The opportunity is to see in new light or the first time how these things are working, and to let them go if they don’t serve us.
My experience during this retrograde has centered on giving voice to a younger part of me that felt unable, unsupported, and unsafe to express intense emotions (Scorpio Sun, Pluto in the 12th, Uranus-Mars in the 1st here). A few weeks ago I did a miniregression on myself, taking the 34 year old Tom back to have a chat with a 7 year old Tom, the point being to reconnect to this subconscious part of me that thinks that everything’s wrong all the time (because, well, it isn’t, and I think I’d prefer to live in the here and now). I made contact, even hugged the little guy and told him that things aren’t the same, agreed to take care of him. But I didn’t listen to anything he had to say those few times I made contact, and a couple of weeks later my jaw began giving me trouble. Via a reading with an intuitive friend, I was given imagery of my back turned on that 7 year old, and his jaw moving constantly, apparently trying to tell me something. So, this retrograde period for me is about learning to listen to this part of me that’s so needing of attention.
Natally I have Jupiter at 6 degrees of Capricorn in the 3rd house. As I began writing this post, thinking about Mercury retrograding into opposition with it from my 9th house, I realized that I’ve never been challenged with regard to all the big ideas I have (and there have been many…). So, this retrograde period could be a good time for me to challenge myself (and if I don’t, it WILL come from an external source – it’s going to happen one way or the other because that’s the energy on tap). In the next few days the opposition will be exact, and I know that my critical eyes will be extra sharp and I’ll be extra careful in proofreading and editing both an article I’ve written for publication and my query letter for it. Last night I began to have questions about my idea of the article’s structure, or if how I think the best way to communicate the story is truly the best way, and how much information is enough (my Jupiter in the 3rd likes to give a lot of info). With transiting Jupiter conjunct my natal Moon-Mercury conjunction in Sagittarius in the 3rd house, I’m keeping in check the urge to finish the letter and article as soon as possible and send them off.
If you’re having a rough time during this retrograde period, patience is called for, as is a willingless to feel what’s happening instead of simply emotionally reacting to it. Listen to the various emotional parts of yourself and what they have to say. When things break down and communication is sketchy, at best, take the cue to listen to yourself on a deeper level. I guarantee you that there are parts of yourselves tripping over themselves to be heard during this particular Mercury retrograde period. Give them some air, and you’ll learn some critical things about yourself and how your overall reality is in fact shaped by your emotional reality.
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June 26, 2007 By Tom Jacobs