This and That
and astrological upheaval
Good Words
"The number of hours we have together is actually not so large. Please linger near the door uncomfortably instead of just leaving. Please forget your scarf in my life and come back later for it." —Mikko Harvey
It’s been a week. I hadn’t been keeping my eye on the astrological situation, but I started feeling like something was way off on Monday so I decided to check. Of course, mercury retrograde started that very day, June 29. It goes through July 23. And it’s in my sign: cancer. And not only that, it’s intense for all four of the cardinal signs, not just cancer. It’s got capricorn, aries, and libra in its grip too.
I decided to stay as still as possible for the duration.
If there’s anything I know, it’s that I have only a little bit to do with what happens around me, if that. I’m at my best when I’m completely fine with not knowing others’ business and have so much tending to my own matters to do, I don’t have time to ruminate on anything but that. It’s true, for me, that idle hands are the devil’s workshop—I like to say I’m like a Border Collie—if I don’t have a job to do I end up eating the furniture. Not good.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m not making this up. I wasn’t even aware that mercury retrograde was on the horizon, much less that it had started that day. But once I got that figured out, the tension I was holding in my body from a fraught day eased. Remembering my own powerlessness is always the route to calm for me: the universe knows, I do not.
Mercury retrograde sends us back. From what I understand, it’s an opportunity to do a few things: get a second chance at something you got wrong, or prove how much you’ve grown when your past shows up and you manage not to choose it again. Otherwise, things don’t hook up. Your bluetooth won’t connect, your calls will drop, your emails won’t load.
So, I’m staying with the being still thing.
I’m making no unnecessary movements. This is a two-for-one right now because it’s too hot to move anyway, unless it’s from the swimming pool to the cooler. Except for this: it’s a good time to declutter, so my sister and I organized my bookshelves this evening and the get-rid-of pile is pretty impressive.
Of course, I consulted Tasya van Ree’s Elemental Tarot Deck.
This was a past, present, future pull.
Past Dynamic: Desert. ADAPT. “Desert’s extreme climate forces you to adapt. There is often a gap between the recognition about a need for change and the perfect timing to initiate it. Change will come. Meanwhile, make yourself comfortable by working amicably with your circumstances. The benefits of doing so will extend beyond this window of time. Just as certain Desert animals survive by burrowing into the earth or growing thick skins, your adaptation skills will open the door to lifelong satisfaction, no matter what’s going on around you.”
Present Circumstance: Waterfall. LET GO. “Waterfall says that nothing is permanent, and so grasping is pointless. This is actually good news. It takes so much effort to hold on tightly, and doing so rarely yields the desired result. Imaging you are thirsty and have only your hands from which to drink. If they are fists, the water has no place to rest long enough to make it into your mouth. But if you open your hands gently, a natural reservoir forms, and you will be able to quench your thirst. Take a cue from Waterfall and release what you have in your fists. Just like her trajectory, that of your destiny is unstoppable. What is truly yours will come without constriction.
Future Outlook: Crystal. SELF-HEALING. Crystal sends the message that self-healing is under way. You can amplify this progress by visualizing your wholeness and aligning with the curative frequencies freely given by Earth. Self-healing is a powerful choice. When its visualization is married with intuitive listening and a commitment to self-kindness, improvement becomes inevitable.
Well, okay. That’s pretty pointed. I asked for clarification.
I pulled Praying Mantis. MEDITATION. Praying Mantis appears when the medicine of meditation is most required. The more complex life gets, the more you will benefit from the truth offered by your inner sage. The price for this wisdom is to immerse yourself in the calm waters that exist beneath the waves of worldly distractions. Make space for the voice within to speak. Praying Mantis will guide you toward stillness and clarity: this is her territory.
Exactly! Make no unnecessary movements. Stay Still. Listen.
What does all this mean to me?
I don’t take any of this verbatim, first of all. I use tarot cards to prompt my thoughts, to send me down busy little rivers of bright ideas. But they are often spot on, or, I’ve gotten good at tailoring the messages to fit my life. Today, I’m going with this: my soul already knows the way and I can trust in that. I clearly see what’s behind me, I don’t really need to worry about anything that’s happening now because if I stay true to myself and let go of outcomes, my actions will be aligned with my intentions and my rightful path. And the crystal tells me I am whole. I have everything I need if I keep good counsel.
The praying mantis is underscoring what I started with: don’t make any unnecessary movements. Think deeply, move slowly, stay cool.
Something I love
Farm stands. There’s one about ten minutes from our house that has the best Cherokee Purple tomatoes and peaches. I went this morning and got a pound of purple hull peas, which my sister and I cooked for supper this evening. We made some white rice to put them on and sliced one of those tomatoes to have on the side. Divine. Simple and divine.
The Sugar Baby watermelons are out. Cantaloup too! As miserable as the heat can be, there’s something I love about deep summer—garbage can fruit (so ripe and juicy you eat it over a garbage can), long days, nights suffused with the sound of crickets and the sweet glow of fireflies—it awakens the most youthful me.
So, back to the retrograde thing. Expect delays. Communication is whack. Don’t sign anything. Don’t start anything new. It’s a time for review, for reflective energy, for reviewing old feelings.
John Henry and I will be going to Colorado next week for his annual adventure camp. The timing could be better in terms of travel, but we’ll do our best. I’ve had to tackle a lot of fear about making that trip with him (the first time I did it, unprepared, sent me into a nervous breakdown that took a few years to repair), but I’m a different person now than I was in 2022, when he and I made the three-hour trip from Denver to the Roaring Fork Valley in a rental care with a half-flat tire. WHOO! Life is an adventure. There’s a first time for everything and if we’re lucky, a fourth time, during which we know a lot more about what we’re doing.
I’ll be writing from there next week. Y’all stay safe.
Peace. Love.
Allison
MRG…Don’t forget to read the fine print!
The ordinary places matter: the kitchen, the sickroom, the workshop, the porch at dusk. A soul can be repaired in plain rooms with bad lighting.