Mercury RX

Can Anyone Say “Mercury Retrograde Shadow Period”?

by Nefer Khepri, Ph. D.

!!!AYE, CARAMBA!!!

 
It’s been INSANE here today!!!!
 
Friends
The furkids: best buddies Bluestar & Sheila

I have 2 animals I have to medicate & cook special food for because on Thurs – Friday (while my husband was in the hospital with sudden heart issues & no history of problems) they both came down with serious digestive issues (not related to one another). Vet bill of $457 for the 2 of them on Friday.

This morning I’m giving the dog her medication first. The cat decides to go CRAZY & she rushes Sheila trying to get the piece of bread from her! They are both on a restricted diet, limited food intake so obviously the poor kitty is starving. The dog BITES HER IN THE FACE!!!! My cat’s ENTIRE FACE WAS INSIDE THE DOG’S MOUTH!!!!!!  I’m screaming as Sheila PICKS  THE CAT UP BY THE FACE & tosses her to the side! Blue lands on her side. I’m still screaming at this point. The dog finishes her medication that’s inside the bread. The cat sits there looking appalled. The main thing was that she is fine, praise the gods!!!!!!
 
If that wasn’t enough, I had a load of clothes in the dryer. I’m going about my business & just as the lawn guy shows up I smell something funny. Something BURNING. 

You know how your mind can work a million miles an hour in an instant as you go over the possibilities? Was it a candle? That is always my first thought. I run up to my office before realizing I currently do not have any candles burning for my family or any clients. The smell was gone so I went back downstairs realizing it’s not coming from the stove and track the smell ….

…. to the DRYER!

I quickly open it not knowing what I’ll find. Evidently, something went really WRONG with the heating element. The smell was so bad I slammed the door shut & made sure the power button was in the OFF position. That entire load of clothes is ruined.

There went my brand new David Bowie t-shirt a friend had juspurple shirtt sent me. And it was
purple!! My favorite color!! POOF! 

My husband comes home (he got out of the hospital Friday night after a battery of tests) to tell me his car died & he had to get a jump from someone … while a massive downpour was occurring! At least he’s home even if he is soaked to the skin. This is going to be the SECOND brand new battery he puts in his car in a month. I told him last time, something is wrong with the terminals. I just “know” things because, well, I’m psychic after all. Does he EVER listen to me? NO. He’s convinced he bought a dud battery.

Then I have to tell him his favorite jeans are probably smoked. Hubby is now a most unhappy camper & decided to pull all the burned up smelling clothes OUT of the dryer & he proceeds to stink up the ENTIRE HOUSE!! My cat is very sensitive to smell. She gave out a little squeal and ran up to my office. I found her in her litter box, which has a lid so it’s like a little cave. Good thing I had just changed out all the litter last night. Having her entire face in the dog’s mouth didn’t bother her, but the stink of the burned clothes sure did.

Meanwhile, hubby is downstairs cussing up a storm over the clothes. He’s yelling, “OMG! NONE OF THIS IS SALVAGEABLE! MY JEANS! OMG!! YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FOR ME TO FIND A NICE FITTING PAIR OF JEANS!! SHIT!!! %@&^$!($&+@#^!!!”

I yell down, “SHUT UP! Remember your HEART!”

He quiets down & says to me, “And NO, you are NOT going to run off to Kohl’s to replace all these clothes! We can’t afford it!” I tell him I have no intention of doing that while thinking to myself, “hey dude, most of them are YOUR clothes, so I’m not too bothered over it except for my new Bowie t-shirt I shall now never get to wear.” I kind of snicker to myself.

Sometimes you just gotta laugh or you’ll cry.

My husband comes upstairs to change out of his soaked clothes glowering like you would not believe. I stay in my office & follow my cat’s lead. Too bad I couldn’t crawl into the litter box with her to avoid what was coming next.

Oh yes, it gets WORSE, my friends!!! MUCH WORSE!!!

The lawn guy is outside mowing our grass. We both have severe grass allergies to the point we can’t go in the yard for 24 hours once the grass has been cut, so we have to hire someone to take care of that bit of yard work for us.

Dave’s out there mowing. He loves doing yard work. Being a retired school teacher he says it keeps him busy. Meanwhile, I hear thunder off in the distance …

About 15 minutes later it begins to rain. I hear more thunder. I think to myself where there’s thunder, there’s lightning and Dave is out there pushing a lawnmower made of METAL!!

He never stopped. That crazy man finished our yard. I had told him earlier on the phone if it’s raining when you get to our house please come back another day because with all the thunder & lightning we’ve had lately it won’t be safe. So he knew it was okay by me for him to leave mid-job and come back another day. Instead, he risked his life to complete our yard. By the time he was nearly finished lightning was close by. There was maybe two seconds between the thunder claps and the lightning flashes. Meanwhile I’m in the house with my phone literally in my hand with the 9 & the 1 already dialed so I can hit the other 1 for the paramedics.

Luckily, Dave completed the yard without incident, but that is one crazy man!! We couldn’t afford it, but I gave him a $10 tip anyway. He was most appreciative, but I did have to scold him and I told him DO NOT work with metal lawn equipment in the middle of a storm! No one’s yard is worth your health or your life. He pretended to listen to me, but I knew it was going in one ear and straight out the other since I often see that look on my husband’s face.

I go in to deal with the nasty clothes and I’m running the ceiling fans in every room trying to get the stench to do something besides hang out in my sinuses.

Stuart goes out to the garage to get himself a frozen dinner from our chest freezer. He comes back in the house laughing hysterically with a frozen dinner in his hand as he tells me, “Nefer, you won’t believe this, but our chest freezer? I think it went out!”

WTF????????

I go out there, check it out, and yep, the darn thing not only went out, but by my best estimate it went out about 24 hours ago, at least! The food in the center up top is not only completely thawed out, it’s barely cold at all.

So!!! Now I’m telling Stuart to bring me garbage bags as I start pulling out the fish, the steak, the chicken, all the while thinking wow, an entire load of clothes have to go in the trash and now we’ve probably lost most if not all the food in our chest freezer!

I was too busy dealing with the food to even feel stunned. I went into autopilot mode.

I filled 3 full-size garbage bags full of food in various states of temperature from room temperature to barely refrigerator food temperature. THREE BAGS. Meanwhile I’m thinking, “OMG, all this money! First the clothes, then the necessary tip, & now all this food!”

I managed to salvage ONE garbage bag worth of food. ONE. The kid will be upset. She’s addicted to fudgesicles. Well, they’re all in fudgesicle heaven now, which unfortunately is not her stomach. Today’s the first day of school. She ALWAYS has a fudgie (as she calls them) when she gets home; and, my kid is a creature of habit and when the habits change for any reason, well, let’s just say it ain’t pretty.

Meanwhile, we’ll be going vegan for the week! We have plenty of frozen vegetables, but no meat! We’re on a very strict budget since my husband lost his job last October & I had just bought groceries Thursday morning. When it rains, it pours, I guess. Meanwhile, it was literally pouring outside. A regular monsoon of end-of-the-world proportions.

Then I realize it’s been storming here for a week now, what if the chest freezer didn’t go out? What if it was merely the circuit breaker into which it was plugged in? I check it, press the little button …

HUMMMMMMMMM ………………………….

The freezer kicks on!

Eureka! Something actually worked out today!!!

I manage to fit the food I was able to save into the kitchen freezer by some miracle. I’m standing there looking into the freezer with a smile on my face feeling damn proud of myself.

I then turn around to discover the dog had peed on the floor. In all the confusion neither one of us had considered she was overdue to be let out in the yard, plus she hasn’t been feeling well so we’re having to let her out more frequently than usual.

I stand there looking at the puddle of dog pee as I estimate this job is going to require at least half a roll of paper towels. I open the cabinet to get a roll out. No rolls. No paper towels!! I spin around to find only HALF a roll on the stand in the kitchen. I had to use every last paper towel to clean up the dog pee, but hey, at least that got done, then I disinfected the floor while Sheila watched me looking quite forlorn. I did not yell at the poor creature. She was so sick the past few days, but she felt guilty all the same.

When I went out to the garage to throw that mess out what do I find? A brand new package of 8 rolls of paper towels! I had forgotten they were out there, but I’m glad we have them.

All of this occurred today starting at 10:45 AM. It is now 1:40 PM. I sure hope it’s all blown over.

The house still reeks & my cat is still hiding.

Mercury retrograde shadow period, anyone???

Anyone???

I so NEED a vacation!!!!!!

Mercury Retrograde Dates for 2015.

by Nefer Khepri, Ph. D.
(C) Nefer Khepri, 2012. The god Mercury, Palace on the Island of Corfu, Greece.
(C) Nefer Khepri, 2012. The god Mercury, Palace on the Island of Corfu, Greece.

The planet Mercury rules over Travel, Technology, and Communication. Three to four times a year it appears to the naked eye to be traveling through its orbit backwards. This is actually an optical illusion, however, when this does occur it appears that here on our little planet things can start to go askew.

During Mercury retrograde periods we experience more snafus and screw ups than usual. If you’re traveling your luggage could get lost, flights can suffer lengthy delays, and reservations can be mysteriously canceled without your prior approval. Also, as I found out the hard way last June, you can also suffer very bad accidents when traveling during a retrograde period. This is something that I will never ever do again.

Mercury rules over technology as well and you can experience more vehicle, electrical, & computer problems during a retrograde period. We have an icemaker in our refrigerator/freezer that always knows the very DAY Mercury goes retrograde. It decides to become jammed and will repeatedly jam throughout the retrograde period. Once Mercury goes direct again the icemaker suddenly decides to exhibit stellar behavior; that is, until the next retrograde period when it suddenly decides to once again misbehave.

Computers can be badly affected so I do caution you to be sure if you are planning a backup of data or pictures to do so BEFORE the retrograde period begins. Never attempt to do any major backing up on your computer during a retrograde period. I had a friend who did this (despite my warnings) and she lost ALL her vacation pictures in the process. Play it safe and do such work when Mercury is behaving.

Mercury retrograde energy can cause appliances to go on the fritz. Unless the appliance is absolutely broken, try not to worry & work around it. In most cases the appliance will begin to operate properly once Mercury has gone direct. This happens to our icemaker EVERY time.

Vehicles can be adversely affected as well. Should your car need some work done on it try to do this before or after the retrograde period, never during. This is when screw ups occur and your mechanic may do something wrong that causes even more problems. If at all possible, wait until Mercury goes direct. My husband lost control of his car hitting a pothole. It was the first day of a retrograde period. He had no choice but to have his car worked on since his little accident had caused him to go up on the curb and it caused damage to the undercarriage of his car. It was repaired, but the car was never the same again and he ended up trading it in within a year. Now, was that due to just a bad mechanic? One he still uses to this day who always does a fantastic job? Or was that due to the energy of the Mercury retrograde? We will never have a definitive answer either way, but play it safe. If your car can wait, then let it wait.

Do not make any major purchases during a retrograde period. This is another thing I did before I knew any better. I actually bought a car right in the middle of a retrograde period, but I didn’t know about Mercury retrograde back then. Three months later that car was in the shop. The starter had gone out. A few months after that it was the alternator. Then the starter again, then the alternator again. In the end, after having the car only 3 years it had gone through 3 starters and 4 alternators. That must be some kind of record. I will never buy a car during a retrograde period again.

People tend to suffer from miscommunication and misunderstandings during retrograde period. This is why I recommend to my clients that they not enter into any binding contracts during a retrograde period. I’ve seen many cases when the fine print has been either misunderstood or missed completely, the person signs anyway and is in for a lot more than they initially bargained for. Also, relationships do tend to suffer from this as well. Every relationship is dependent upon good communication. When Mercury goes retrograde people assume they know what their partner is thinking when they really don’t or they make other assumptions or totally misunderstand something and arguments can result.  Be careful how you communicate with others, and by all means try to avoid texting at this time. So much gets misunderstood in text, email and online due to the fact that facial expression, vocal tone, and body language is absent. Call the person instead.

That is pretty much the Do’s and Don’t’s of any Mercury retrograde period. If you can stick to these guidelines you should not suffer from any major issues unless Mercury is in your sun sign of your astrological chart. For example, I’m a Gemini with Mercury in Gemini. Plus, the sign Gemini is also ruled by Mercury. Retrogrades can hit me particularly hard so I always do a protection spell for myself and also for my family prior to the start of every retrograde period, except for the one that occurred last June. That one snuck up on me and I felt the aftereffects of that until just a few weeks ago when I took a very bad fall when on vacation that resulted in six months of pain. My husband had a lousy boss who only gave him a small window during which he could take a vacation so we had to travel during a retrograde period, otherwise we never would have done it. Afterward I told him if we’re ever in that position again we are having a stay-cation and staying at home. I absolutely refuse to travel during a Mercury retrograde ever again. We didn’t have any flight or reservation problems, but the fall I took ruined the entire vacation and my birthday for me. Never again. EVER.

I wish you all a safe and Happy Mercury retrograde period. Please make note of these dates & follow my simple guidelines so that Mercury hopefully doesn’t upset your plans too much, if at all. Above all, remember to maintain a positive attitude. Should things start to go wrong remember one important thing:

The effects of a Mercury retrograde when it causes things to go wrong are usually temporary. It will pass and things should return to normal once Mercury goes direct. Try not to get all wrapped up in what’s going wrong. Instead, focus on the countdown to the day Mercury goes direct.

One more thing: Mercury retrograde energy can often be felt 1 – 2 weeks prior to the actual start date of the retrograde period and also 1 – 2 weeks after the end date. This has to do with the shadow of Mercury and how it moves, so do beware of that as well and proceed with caution.

Wishing you all safe, happy, and harmony Mercury retrograde periods for 2015.

Nefer Khepri, PhD., R. M-T.

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Mercury Retrograde: I’m Grateful it’s NOT Contagious!

by Nefer Khepri, Ph. D.

It’s funny how you can be driving around town and suddenly, right before your very eyes, Mercury Retrograde is doing its thing! This happened to me today, but thankfully it did not involve me.

I was driving to my physical therapy appointment (May 30th my husband & I were rear-ended by a drunk driver & I have whiplash). I have to drive halfway through a large medical complex to get to the building that houses my new orthopedist and the physical therapy department. The speed limit through this area is 30 mph.

So there we all are going only 10 mph & I’m stressing knowing this will make me late for my appointment. Since there is a large Chevy van in front of me I am unable to see around it. I have no idea why we’re driving 10 mph in a 30 mph zone.

The car in front of me makes a right-hand turn and I see a small Chevy that looks new, BUT there is a LOT of smoke rising up from under its hood! That car was the reason traffic was crawling along. Instead of pulling over to check their car they were continuing on their way. By the time we went another 2 blocks the smoke was so thick I was wondering how the driver was able to see to drive and weren’t they afraid the engine may be catching on fire???

They finally pulled over and I said a prayer for them and their car. I continued on.

Some guy then cut me off, which is par for the course here in Houston when you’re being legal and driving the speed limit. As we’re tooling along at 30 mph suddenly he slows to 15 mph and turns on his hazard lights. I manage to pass him and am only 3 minutes late for my appointment. I have no idea what was going wrong with his car, but he was obviously having some sort of problem that caused him to reduce his speed by 50%.

I have NEVER been behind TWO cars that suddenly developed car problems like they did today. I gave thanks for my vehicle and how reliable it is, plus it’s such a comfortable ride. The rest of my day continued on nicely and without incident. Tonight I also am grateful that Mercury Retrograde did not mess with me.

Mercury goes direct July 1st, but it will take Mercury another 1 – 2 weeks to settle its energy and begin to play nicely again. You all be safe, and definitely be more vigilant than usual when driving. There have been more accidents than usual around here. I don’t know if people are just being more reckless than usual or if it’s Mercury up to his old tricks. Stay alert & drive safe.

Blessings,

Nefer Khepri, PhD., R. M-T.

Magickal-Musings.com

IsisRaAnpu@gmail.com

The Top 10 POSITIVE Things About Mercury Retrograde.

by Nefer Khepri, Ph. D.
The Fool card, from the forthcoming, Magickal Musings Tarot. (C) Nefer Khepri.
The Fool, from the forthcoming, Magickal Musings Tarot. (C) Nefer Khepri.

The current retrograde period runs from June 7 – July 1, 2014. The next retrograde period will be October 4 – 25, 2014.

10) If you have an altar in your home, this is prime time for cleaning & re-dedicating your sacred space.

9) View Mercury Rx as “down-time” regarding self-

care. Focus on self-spiritual cleansings for yourself, chakra balancing, and self-healing.

8) It’s a great time to sort through old papers, books, photographs (hardcopy or on your comp), re-organize your filing system, & deleting old files off your computer.

7) House cleaning always seems to go quicker & easier during an Rx, or so I’ve noticed over the years.

6) Mercury Rx is a good time to get rid of belongings you no longer use. Donate them to the Salvation Army, one of the

The Sun card, from the forthcoming Magickal Musings Tarot. (C) Nefer Khepri
The Sun, from the forthcoming Magickal Musings Tarot. (C) Nefer Khepri.

very few charity organizations that do not pay their CEO’s hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in salary. Take old books to a book resale shop. Many give store credit or will even pay you cash for your books, like Half-Price Books, if you have one in your area.

5) Mercury Rx is a great time to lay low & just RELAX. Cut back on social activities & just focus on YOU.

4) Practice cord-cutting with those who have blessed your life with a toxic relationship. Mercury Rx is great for clearing your life of negative energies. I have a simple, but highly effective cord-cutting method posted on my blog.

3) Focus inward & perhaps try meditation for the first time, or a new method of meditation. Past lives & the meaning of dreams can also be focused upon at this time with better results than usual.

The Death card, from the forthcoming Magickal Musings Tarot. (C) Nefer Khepri
Death, from the forthcoming Magickal Musings Tarot. (C) Nefer Khepri.

2) Remember loved ones who have passed. Light a candle in their memory.

And the Number ONE POSITIVE thing about Mercury Retrograde is …

1) it will be over in about 3 weeks!!! WOO HOO!! 😀

 

All images copyright Nefer Khepri, 2010. Reproduction is strictly prohibited. My forthcoming deck, “The Magickal Musings Tarot” will be available in 2016. I invite you to join my Facebook group dedicated to my decks, Soul Portraits & Manifestation Mandalas so you can keep up with developments as they occur.

MERCURY RETROGRADE August 30 – September 22, 2016: How to get through it.

by Nefer Khepri, Ph. D.

Mercury Orbit What it is ~

Mercury appears to move backwards in its orbit to the naked eye.  The planet does this strange loop thing that I have never understood. This occurs 3 times a year & can have devastating effects on us all, so here are some tips.

What it does ~

Mercury rules over Communication of all kinds, Travel, and Technology.  Therefore, during Rx periods communication, travel, appliances, cars & computers can be affected badly.  Mercury has the effect of causing things to backfire on us.  What you expect ends up not happening at all.  Things don’t work out.  Plans are cancelled.  Flights are cancelled or rerouted, luggage is lost, worse case scenario: plane & train crashes, also a great deal of car accidents.  More occur during Rx periods than at any other time of the year.  Miscommunication and misunderstandings seem to rule the day, therefore, many relationships break up during Rx periods.

Who is affected ~

Mercury retrograde road signEveryone.  Mercury does not discriminate; however, if you have Mercury in the astrological house of your sun sign, you may be affected more severely than other people.  I am a Gemini, which is ruled by Mercury. I also have Mercury in Gemini so for me, retrogrades can be really bad news.  This is the main reason I pay close attention to when retrogrades occur.

What you can do ~

Our ancient ancestors often made note of the planets and stars looking for favorable signs in order to plan important events.  During a Mercury retrograde it is unwise to embark upon any endeavors that are under Mercury’s planetary influence.  If possible, please limit your activity in the following areas:

  • Travel, especially by plane, but also ship, train, & car for long distance drives of several hours.  This should be avoided, if possible.
  • Driving – please be extra alert and careful.  More accidents occur during Rx periods than at any other time of the year, with the possible exception of Memorial Day weekend in the US.
  • Paperwork – do not sign any important documents during an Rx.  It can get lost or be misinterpreted, which can lead to major problems
  • Appliances & Vehicles – you should not make any significant purchases during this time or the item has a good chance of being a lemon.  Also, if your car needs work, get it done before the retrograde begins, otherwise try to wait it out unless it’s an emergency.  Mechanics often botch things up during retrograde periods.  Above all, do not purchase a new car at this time. I did once.  That was before I knew about Mercury Retrograde. NEVER again!
  • Communication & Relationships – please think before you speak.  People are going to be naturally prone to misunderstanding and misinterpreting one another during a retrograde period.  Also, be extra patient with others, especially your mate and children.  These are the people you love the most, the relationships that are the most important in your life, so be sweet, loving, and patient.  Know that all this will pass in a few weeks.
  • Pets – they are also affected.  They can become more mischievous than usual or they can just be downright naughty.  Please be patient with them as well and remember to show them your love and compassion.
  • Teenagers – I have a teenage daughter & I can tell you all, based upon her experiences during retrograde periods, the little teen dramas of her friends loom ever larger during an Rx and these kid attempt to sweep as many other kids into their self-created dramas as they can, so parents, be forewarned.  Retrogrades are the time we all have to be more vigilant than usual and keep an eye on your children’s texts, Facebook, Twitter, & emails.  This is when a lot of online harassment can occur.

In conclusion, know that all this passes in about three weeks, but when things go wrong during a retrograde the effects can be long lasting, even permanent.  My husband lost his job during a retrograde and ended up unemployed for four scary months and we nearly lost our house.  Relationships break up during retrograde periods, but once Mercury goes direct such effects can be life-long and the couple never reunites.

So be careful out there, and if anyone would like an enchantment to help smooth over teh tumultuous energies, I am performing them for clients for the upcoming  retrograde period on Thursday, August 25th. Please use the secure PayPal link at the end of this paragraph. The price is $40 per person. My soy votives burn 30-35 hours and you will receive a written report detailing how your candle performed & will include my psychic interpretations of any remains your candle may leave behind.  This is a single votive enchantment, usually $45, discounted to $40 for Mercury Retrograde.

I wish you all a safe and blessed Mercury retrograde period, and remember, PLEASE think before you speak.  Consider your words carefully.

Eat Chocolate keep calm

Here is additional information about the current Mercury retrograde period from astrologer Amy Bird’s blog.  It’s quite informative.

Upcoming retrograde periods for the remainder of 2016 are:

December 19, 2016 – January 8, 2017.

I will be performing an enchantment for that Mercury retrograde period as well and if you order I require payment by December 10th with the Enchantment being performed on December 12th, 13th, or 14th.

 

Blessings!

Nefer Khepri, PhD., R. M-T.

http://www.magickal-musings.com

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