Today is the last day of Mercury retrograde, and I for one want to throw a party. When Mercury goes retrograde, it appears to be going backwards. It stirs up the energy around us, and can screw up technology, plans, and just about anything you want to go right.
Usually, I don’t worry about Mercury retrograde (as that would allow it to stir up more stuff for me), and I come out of it pretty much unscathed. Not this time.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a ton of disconnected calls. Events unexpectedly got canceled. My TV is malfunctioning. And my mail? Just this week two packages were delayed and one was lost. (Thanks, Mercury.)
In an effort to research the lost package. I was given a number to call for the post office. When no one answered, I did a reverse look up and found it was the number of someone named Martha (not a post office). (Thanks, Mercury.)
So when I went to the post office on Tuesday to figure this out, a nice man searched for my package in the back. While waiting, I saw an elderly man with a strong tremor in his hand trying to address a package. He looked frustrated with himself and I offered to help. As I was addressing his package, the postal worker told me my package was at another location, but should be at the post office in the next two days…maybe.
Then I heard that Wednesday there would be no mail delivery to honor the passing of George H. W. Bush, so I figured I had no idea when my package would get to the post office really.
Next, I raced off to the subway. As I approached the MetroCard machine, a woman who spoke no English urgently handed me cash in a plea to buy a card for her. It was clear she didn’t know how to use the machine, so I did it for her.
The next day, Wednesday (no mail day), my lost package arrived. This is the absolute last thing I expected to happen. (Thanks Mercury!)
And today as I started to write this blog, my mom called to tell me her online order for a Christmas present got royally messed up and then canceled. She spent tons of time on the phone with the store, and ended up getting the original order, plus 70% off and a $100 gift card for her trouble.
So what if sometimes chaos needs to happen in order for good things to come? If my package weren’t lost, I wouldn’t have been put in front of the man who needed help writing, nor even that woman in the subway. It’s pretty clear my mom benefited from the chaos thrown her way.
I once had the pleasure of watching Neil deGrasse Tyson on TV go on a total rant about how Mercury going backwards is a total illusion from the Earth’s perspective.
So what if snafus, inconveniences, and things breaking down were actually opening a path to growing, learning, expressing love? What if Mercury retrograde is showing us all what the illusion really is—that things appearing to go wrong are really making space for things to go incredibly right?
To that I say, thanks, Mercury.
It’s all about the magic. 🙌