(My obeisance to Sage Parasara who gave us the treatise Brihat Parasara Hora Shastra; Sage VarahaMihira who wrote the Brihat Samhita Hora, and the current astrologers, Dr. Arjun Pai, Joni Patry,  Komilla Sutton, KRS and a host of other experts who have made astrology comprehensible to the layman. I am attempting this essay only because of them. Any errors are only mine)

It’s a busy time in the skies right now as I had mentioned in my previous article – what with the solar eclipse round the corner. This article is about Mercury going retrograde in this period from June 18^th – July 12^th and I had mentioned about it briefly, in my previous article too. However, this retrogression warranted a separate piece.

In Vedic or Sidereal Astrology, Mercury is the messenger of gods and is called Budh, which means wisdom. It is the Lord of the Gemini and Virgo signs. Mercury is said to govern:

• Communication
• Information & Data
• Organizational systems
• Mobile devices
• Transportation

Mercury is also about quick thinking, quick wit, opinions, reasoning and the ability to rationalize things. It is also about short trips. Speaking, writing, books, online communications and learning are all within Mercury’s domain.

Mercury is closest to the Sun and takes about 88 days to orbit it, and hence has a special connection to it. Mercury is also said to be the prince among the nine planets of the solar system- and hence Mercury represents youth. Mercury is also combust from 22^nd June to 7^th July. Combustion of a planet is a phenomenon which is said to be caused when a planet comes within a certain degrees of closeness to the Sun. When it happens, the planet which has come close to the Sun may become comparatively weaker, as the Sun may absorb some of its strength. So during this period Mercury, loses some of its strength by virtue of being too close to the Sun- and this may have repercussions.

Well, Mercury goes retrograde every year, so what is special about this retrogression. This year Mercury retrogrades in Gemini – more specifically in the nakshatra of Ardra and is going back towards Rahu, right at the yoga tara (single star asterism) of Ardra . The presiding deity of Ardra as you know from my previous article, is Rudra and ruling planet is Rahu. So, the planet of communication and communication devices is in a destructive and volatile nakshatra.

In addition, Saturn and Jupiter are retrograde in Capricorn so they are behaving as if they are in Sagittarius. In addition, both these planets are in the rebellious Uttara Ashada – the nakshatra when a war like the Mahabharata started. It is interesting to decipher what this mean for the common man, or what is the advice for us.

For starters, stay away or limit social media- like Twitter and Facebook. What you write may be misunderstood and taken out of context. Astrologers say that the words or even simple vocabulary may have the capacity to start a destructive war – just like the Mahabharatha.

The rebelliousness is keeping people on the edge and post the eclipse it is bound to intensify. A simple picture or a statement may get misconstrued. Mercury, as I mentioned is about youth too. Which means youth will be engaged in obnoxious and unorthodox communication. Since Mercury is retrograde even adults act as an immature youth.

Mercury in retrogression would also be about media wars and contrasting information. There could be censorship- specifically in social media. As mentioned in my earlier article, the media will be instrumental in bringing in divisiveness. We have to guard against frivolous and irresponsible journalism too.  So – it would be better to be extremely careful of the news you read or hear. A good month to do a detox of TV news channels and also social media. Astrologers warn that one has to be careful of what you ‘forward’ when you text, as in the age of digital media, the digital footprints will be indelible and may cause trouble later. It is a volatile situation and in such a situation, the quieter you are the better it is for the world. The various global situations will continue to unfold and there is wisdom not to stoke the fires further. As mentioned in the earlier post- restraint will continue to be advised. Travel is to be avoided too, till Mercury turns direct on July 12^th.

However, Mercury’s most important role has been the breaking of the Kala Sarpa on May 28^th, 2020 in Gemini and we are no longer in the control of Rahu- that has kept the world in tenterhooks for several months now. It is important to remember that this period is a blip in history and will eventually resolve.