Mercury is in Retrograde!

According to Astrology.com:It's that time again: Mercury turned retrograde on March 2, and will continue its apparent backward journey until the 25th. Better dust off all the standard Mercury-retrograde cautions: Back up computer files and go the extra mile to express yourself clearly. When the Communication Planet is in reverse, it can feel like productivity is in park! But no two retrogrades are the same -- and Mercury's latest move makes this a crucial time to strike new balance.

Mercury retrograde is always cause for introspection -- even more so as it takes place in Pisces, the imaginative final sign of the zodiac. The Fish swim through deep, dreamy waters, so pay close attention to your subconscious cues for the next few weeks. Reason may be particularly obscured, but as typical modes of communication become tricky, we'll all benefit from indulging those creative sides!

Of course, the planets love a good curveball: On March 4, Jupiter, ruler of values, also turns retrograde (until July 6). With Jupiter's social aspects highlighted -- and its typical grandeur toned down -- now's the time to realistically reevaluate your belief system: What's crucial to your role in the bigger social picture ... and what's holding you back?

Put it all together, and what do you get? A golden opportunity not only to immerse yourself in your dreams, but also to season them with a pinch of reality.

Eureka! This explains everything. Miscommunication of all sorts has been happening this past week. Well, I'm taking a deep breath and will be sure to be extra careful in this respect.

I started working through The Artist's Way this week. It's a 12 week process to recover your creativity. A big part of the program is Morning Pages. It's three pages written in longhand each morning - a journal that I'm not supposed to re-read for eight weeks. It's about getting all of the crap out of the way, so I can then focus on my writing. Of course, the three morning pages are probably the most I've actually written in the past few weeks, so I feel pretty good about it. Another important step is taking my inner artist out on a date once a week. Just the two of us. So, last night, I bought my inner artist the Pride and Prejudice DVD, and we watched it together and ate Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate cookie ice cream. I think my inner artist liked it.

But there is the problem. With this Mercury Retrograde thing happening, how can I possibly be sure?