[original post 2005-03-26] If you haven’t got the flu you’re probably feeling Mercury. Mercury is currently debilitated, retrograde and afflicted. The only thing it isn’t is eclipsed – that comes in a couple of weeks time, but fortunately Mercury will be half a sign away by then so may escape the worst effects.
Mercury is debilitated because it is in the sidereal sign of Pisces, where it is at its weakest. All the planets have locations where they’re strong and locations where they’re weak. Mercury is a quick and airy planet, it dislikes water. It’s never at it’s best in any water sign, it’s rather fuzzy in Cancer and Scorpio, but it’s most weak in Pisces, the vaguest of the water signs. Mercury in Pisces is like a bird trying to fly underwater.
Retrograde is when a planet appears to go backwards due to the relative motions of earth and the other planets. Planets don’t really go backwards, but from our viewpoint they sometimes appear to and it has the same effect. Things don’t work properly, events which were proceeding on track get stuck.
Mercury is the most notorious retrograde in astrology since Mercury rules business, communication and computers and so lost phone calls, computer and network down time, and failed contracts are all symptoms of Mercury retrograde. A planet is afflicted when aspected by malefic planets. This generally weakens them.
Mercury is currently aspected by Saturn and Ketu, (and conjunct Rahu), and although its also aspected by beneficial Jupiter and Venus, so far that isn’t cancelling out the weaknesses.
