Valentine Blunders?

2.12.07


The infamous Mercury retrograde—when communications go haywire—returns in time for the official greeting-card-deemed occasion for romance, Valentine's Day.

Will we say what we didn't mean to say, but actually meant? Will our loving tidings come out all mangled, dooming us to a solo overnight on the basement couch? Or will we get swept up in the moment and whisper 'sweet nothings' that'll get us into trouble once the champagne wears off?

Mercury begins its retrograde tomorrow (Feb 13) in Pisces, a sign that makes the messenger planet highly susceptible to the mood of one's companions and surroundings. When Mercury's in Pisces, we may easily think or say things that we desperately want to be true—whether or not they actually are.

Great for imaginative envisionings or poetic elaborations. Less ideal for bluntly stating the hard, cold facts. (Read more about Mercury retrograde in Pisces here.)

Mercury retrograde periods are notorious for the snafus they throw at us wherever transmission or delivery are concerned—for example, with important paperwork, electronic equipment, local transportation systems or any 'fine print'.

But as I've said before, we are often our own worst Merc-retro enemies… with our frantic rushing to meet deadlines that aren't as important as everyone pretends, our impatience with brief software glitches that'll fix themselves if we just wait a couple minutes, or our refusal to just follow the orange 'detour' signs and our insistence on finding our own 'shortcuts', only to end up wasting an extra hour trying to get ourselves out of 'em.

For those who follow astrology on any regular basis, Mercury retrograde is a familiar phenomenon. Some of us freak out about it; some hardly notice it's there. I suggest treating Mercury retrograde with an open mind, just as I described in this essay about it from last summer.

With Mercury retrograde in Pisces—along with Venus in Pisces, sextiling Mars—for Valentine's Day, there's a very high possibility of our minds and mouths falling way under the spell of romance. That's a promising thing, no? Maybe for the time being… until Mercury pops back into Aquarius on Feb 26, when we may rethink all the mush-gush and seek some distance.

Personally, I'm not big on self-censorship, especially when it involves obstructing the natural flow of data angling to pour out our free-flowing mouths. So what if Mercury retrograde in Pisces sets us up for a couple Valentine blunders?

The best Valentine plans must be subject to change, or frustration could swallow the evening. If the maitre d misplaces your dinner reservation, just enjoy another glass of bubbly and wait it out. Dateless or flaked on? Don't let your mind play tricks on you. It's far better to be alone than out with the wrong person.

Mercury returns to direct motion on Mar 7.