Mercury Retrograde and Songwriting

 Sooooo... I'm gonna go all woo woo on ya for a minute here. (Just a minute? Maybe longer.) Anyway...

Before I start, I'm gonna come right out and let ya know that I know just enough about astrology to be dangerous. Years ago when I did my Ayurvedic training, Vedic astrology was probably the most difficult thing for me to learn. And that's even with the fancy schmancy computer programs we used to do the calculations and generate charts for patients. 

But Mercury retrograde seems to have become more of a thing in pop culture, and more people are starting to notice when it rolls around a few times each year. Some people just FREAK THE EFF OUT when Mercury retrograde rolls around, but honestly, it's nothing to worry about. (Especially if you don't believe in astrology, but yeah, whatev.)

Anyway...

What is Mercury retrograde?

We all know that our planets revolve around the sun in somewhat-circular paths called orbits. And each planet revolves at a different rate of speed than the others, and no two orbits are exactly the same length. We calculate our years based on the time it takes our planet Earth to make one revolution around the sun. Relatively speaking, a planet like Pluto that's waaaaaay out there in the solar system takes 248 Earth years to make just ONE revolution around the sun. 

So, you see, time is relative. 

But that's for another blog. 

Now for the woo part. There are times throughout our Earth years where it looks as if the orbit of certain planets are going backwards in comparison to the trajectory of the Earth's orbit. Think of the optical illusion you see when you're sitting on a train that's not moving, and you see another train pass by. If you sort of shift your perception, it'll feel/look like you're moving backwards, or the other train is moving backwards, even though you're perfectly still and the other train is moving forward. 

Make sense?

So now for the astrology part. In Western astrology, Mercury represents things like communication (including mail, email, and phone), thinking patterns, reasoning, mental processes, decision making, education, journalism, writing, and travel. It's named after the winged god Mercury, who was a messenger for all the other Roman gods, and was said to be the most intelligent and cleverest of all the Roman gods. 

So in astrology, when Mercury starts to appear as if it's moving backwards relative to the orbital path of Earth, you can expect some things to get a bit...wonky. Like communications. (Ever send a big important email to a thousand people without the very important attachment?) And travel. (Getting a flat tire on the way to a very important appointment or job interview.) 

But seriously, there's no need to freak out. 

What some of my favorite astrologers advise during Mercury retrograde is to take this time (usually about three weeks with a few days of "shadow" before and after) to take a pause. (Something that we struggle with in our ridiculous capitalist country.) It's a good time to just slow the eff down and ask yourself some questions like:

• What's currently not working for me? Any outdated thoughts, beliefs, habits, etc. that might be making things harder for myself?
• What changes can I make in my life to make things easier and/or better for myself?
• Where am I rushing things?
• How am I not fully expressing myself due to the fear of what others will think/say?

It's also suggested during Mercury retrograde that you don't make any big decisions, start any big new projects, and if it all possible, avoid making a significant purchase or investment. (Ironic, since very often during this time you might notice that appliances like washing machines and refrigerators go on the fritz, or you might encounter a big car repair.)

But what the hell does all of this have to do with songwriting and music?

*************************************************************

For a few months now, I've been meaning to take stock of all the songs I've written over the last couple of years. One of my songwriting teachers suggests putting them all into a word processing document for ease of editing. I have something called the SWURNL: Songwriter's Journal where I keep my notes and lyrics, and once a song is "finished", I put the lyrics and chords and any performance notes in there. 

So instead of really plunging ahead with any new ideas, I'm using the next few weeks to collect all the songs I've already written and organize them. (Which is a great idea, since this particular Mercury retrograde is happening in the sign of Virgo, which is the sign that's all about getting your isht together and getting organized, and also happens to be where Mercury feels most at home.) 

I realized that I have about a dozen songs that I started and then stopped when I got blocked at the "What The Hell Do I Do Now?" stage. This is the perfect time to go back and edit them, play with them some more, see where they might want to go, look at what parts work and what parts don't work. 

It may even be a good time to record songs, or to just practice them so you really **know** your songs. (That's the stage I refer to where the song and I get to know each other better.) 

Even if you don't write songs but you play an instrument, this is a good time to go back and review the songs you've learned, look for places where you can make improvements, and work on your technical skills. 

**********************************************************

Who woulda thought that astrology and music would be so good together, eh?

(P.S. If you want your very own personalized SWURNL: Songwriter's Journal, just click the link and order your own on Etsy!)