Mercury Retrograde

If this message is interrupted or otherwise misses the mark, it’s not my fault (or yours either). It turns out that we are in the middle of a Mercury retrograde. This is the astronomical phenomena whereby the planet Mercury, as viewed from Earth, appears to move backwards in its path across the sky. According to Astrology.net, this happens three times a year, lasts for about three weeks and has a significant impact on our communications. I learned about Mercury retrograde from a friend who, complaining of spotty voicemail, asked if being a rabbi kept me from believing in such things.

I do not usually give much thought to astrology, but I never rule out the mystical or spiritual explanations. The rabbinate has shown me enough things that can be explained only by searching beyond reason. When this friend told me, “communications get mixed up under a Mercury retrograde,” I felt a puzzle piece fall into place. First, my “smart” phone malfunctioned about two weeks ago and I “upgraded” to a BlackBerry. I have been untethered ever since: calendar mistakes, contact info lost, to-do lists vaporized. I’ve been more than anxious. Then, I bought a new laptop in this same time period. Right of out the box the computer refused to recognize its AC power adapter. The two devices refused to communicate even though they fit each other like a hand in a glove. I had to ask about a third puzzle piece: “Does Mercury Retrograde affect people or just our technology?” She told me, “No, it affects your interpersonal communications big time. Has that happened?” It has. Big time.

Accordingly to astrology, Mercury rules over the mind's processes especially related to communication. When Mercury reverts back on its own course, our minds likewise turn inward. This is good for meditation and reworking old problems but bad for examining new subjects and bad for communication with the others or outwards interactions. Astrology.net warns: “Businesses, travels and communications tend to experience delays and different problems. Computers and other processes that work with information may experience crashes, unexpected failures. Don't enroll in [new] courses, don't buy expensive Mercurian items (books, cars, mobile phones etc.), and don't sign important contracts…”

Mercury retrograde? I wouldn’t rule it out. Jewish tradition includes attempts to read meaning in the heavenly bodies. The word “mazel” means “sign,” as in zodiac sign. When we say “mazel tov” we mean “congratulations” but we literally say “it’s a good sign!” When we say, “you should have lots of mazel…” we mean, “you should have lots of luck and good fortune” but we literally say, “you should have a good sign over you.” God had Abraham look to the stars to count them as a symbol of the abundance of the divine promise. Joseph dreamt of the sun, moon, and stars as symbols of his brothers and his ascent to power in Egypt. The Talmud, Maimonides, and Ibn Ezra all explained astrological meanings from the signs. We lost this tradition (or was it co-opted by the horoscope page?) and our tradition’s sensitivity to mazel. It’s about time to get back on track with understanding the stars and planets. It’s important. Without it, our communications could be inter…….