The Gifts of Mercury Retrograde in Taurus
ear Miracles,
Mercury is retrograde from April 28th – May 22nd in the sign of Taurus, the Bull, associated with the second house in the natal chart. First, off, for those of you who dread Mercury in Retrograde I want to remind you that I have a very popular service for this time of year – the Mercury RX Survival Kit. Many of the same people participate in it season after season because it is a lovely, inspiring, and magical way to connect to this special time of year.
Some of you may be scratching your head and saying Mercury, what? For those who do not know what Mercury in Retrograde is, I refer you to this post. Most of my readers do know what Mercury in Retrograde is and are familiar with the typical advice to engage in any “RE” activities, as in: reassess, restructure, repair, return, redo, etc. But there is a deeper way to think about the retrograde period of any planet, and that is to understand that during its retrograde cycle, the planet brings its energy, in combination with the energy of the celestial body it is moving through, to descend into the Underworld; and look at the unseen, untended, and usually ignored/disregarded areas of a specific area in one’s life.
With this in mind, let’s talk about Mercury RX in Taurus. Personally, I imagine this as swift footed Hermes riding the Bull down into the Underworld. What will he find? What does Mercury and the sign of Taurus typically ignore or not look at or not see during their daily routine? What unique gifts can this retrograde illuminate?
Here are a few to consider:
Care for the Body: this is a wonderful period to invest in some deep care for your body. Whether it’s the massage you have been putting off, the hair appointment that always gets rescheduled, or the visit to a health practitioner for a check up, Taurus loves and encourages right relationship to our physical body. Think about what you tend to ignore or look over or deny your body – it can be anything from regular exercise to enough water to a more beautiful and comfortable pair of shoes – now is the time to ask what is behind that neglect or choice to ignore, get clear on the answer, and take action to remedy it. One of my favorite ways to jump start paying attention to your physical body is by blessing it each and every day.
Care for the Home: Although the physical home is strongly associated with the sign of Cancer, the Crab, and the fourth house, Taurus loves its domicile and has a very domestic side. Taurus is also, as the first Earth sign in the zodiac, concerned with all foundational things and our homes are one of the most foundational aspects of our lives. This is a great time to get estimates on any kind of home repairs or remodels (there are those RE words again)!
While I wouldn’t advise starting new projects during the retrograde itself, getting estimates and planning out jobs is a great use of the time. You can dive a little deeper and ask what parts of your home feel good and in alignment and what parts do not. This is a lovely time to buy fresh towels, linens, pillows, and bed coverings as the Taurus vibe is most happy when comfort and home intersect. One of my favorite home routines to do every single Mercury Retrograde is to look at the “unseen” places in my home – under the kitchen sink, the hall closets, the cabinets above our fridge, and bring order and cleanliness to them. I have found over the years that as I cultivate a relationship with the physical unseen places around me I also deepen my relationship with the spiritual unseen places. Spiritually cleaning your home and vehicle are ways to honor this Mercury RX and to protect your property at the same time. Do be aware that during Mercury RX in Taurus home equipment (think washing machines, dishwashers, and microwaves) are more likely to be glitch or to break.
Care for Money and Finances: Taurus rules money, specifically our cash, cash flow, and salaries or wages. Pair this with Mercury’s association with electricity, communication, and transactions of all kinds and you can see where you might hit some financial snags during this period. Double checking bank accounts, making sure deposits and debits go in and out as they need to, and expecting down time due to tech glitches in your online banking are all good ideas. The gift here is the opportunity to really get clear on your thoughts when it comes to money, what you are earning, how you are saving it, and what kind of cash flow you are working with. The clearer your thoughts can be around these issues the stronger your actions will be in supporting and manifesting the level of wealth you aspire to. Taking some time to look at the aspects of earning and finances that you would usually rather not dwell on will be well rewarded now. Unsure about where to start with “money stuff”? I love Bari Tessler’s work.
Care for Intimacy: Venus-ruled Taurus is interested in all acts of love and pleasure, so no Mercury Retrograde in Taurus would be complete without recognizing that awkward moments, hurt feelings, and miscommunications around all forms of intimacy, including but by no means limited to, sex, are more likely to occur. Feeling into what intimacy looks like and feels like for you, acknowledging the places in your life where intimacy is present as well as the places where deep, intimate connection may be missing or degraded is well-supported at this time. Looking at your connection to pleasure, especially pleasure as it is felt and experienced in the physical body, is also good to do right now. Taking time out of your routine and schedule to have a long love fest is an ideal way to spend part of this particular Mercury RX. A fun way to ritualize this aspect of Mercury RX is to make a honey jar with your lover.
Going with the Flow: Finally, Taurus is really about flow and feeling good in all areas of our life. This means that this Mercury RX will most likely interrupt your normal flow and routine in various ways and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The key is to pay attention to what is happening around you here and now, we note these celestial cycles because they are a source of information, but we participate in them by putting the information we receive to good use.