As we
reach the half-way point of Mercury's retrograde period, take a
moment to reflect on what's happening here. Mercury (and Venus)
being between the orbit of Earth and Sun appear to behave differently
from the other planets. They have phases, like the Moon, and indeed
if you're lucky enough to get a look at them through a telescope at
certain points of the cycle, they appear as crescents rather than
full disk.
Dane
Rudhyar divided Mercury's cycle into four phases. The waxing phase –
from inferior to superior conjunction – he called Promethean; the
waning – from superior conjunction back to inferior – he called
Epimethean. Prometheus was, of course, the Titan who stole fire from
the gods and gave it to humans; his less famous brother is really
only remembered through the story of Pandora's Box, so he's not
looked upon very affectionately. Their names mean 'forethought' or
'foresight' and 'afterthought' or 'hindsight' respectively, although
I don't think these terms fully explain the different manifestations
of Mercury.
A waxing
Mercury is adolescent: impetuous, eager and impulsive, but somewhat
immature. They act first and think later. However, a waning Mercury
is more reflective: they're concerned with long-term objectives and
they like to weigh up all the evidence before making a decision.
At the
beginning of the Mercury retrograde period, Mercury and the Sun are
moving towards each other, to meet again at inferior conjunction.
This is bringing a cycle of roughly four months to an end, using the
insights gained to construct a new vision for the future. The
nineteenth century mystic Ramakrishna, who taught that all religions
led to the same goal – God – is an example of an Epimethean
retrograde Mercury. (He had practised several different faiths
himself, including Christianity and Islam).
Following
the inferior conjunction, the still-retrograde Mercury begins to draw
away from the Sun. As it does so, it looks to the future, eager to
break free from social conventions or whatever else might seek to
restrain its enthusiasm for the new. Aldous Huxley, author of 'Brave
New World' – where anything old was considered to be of no value –
is an example of a Prometheus retrograde Mercury.