Conscious Harmony

Conscious Harmony

Wrestling with ideas, and how to deal with Mercury in apparent retrograde motion? A simple phrase came to mind, and it’s the result of some exposure to the stoic’s thought, like me some Marcus Aurelius¹, and then, some vaguely Buddhist doctrines, sprinkled with a Taoism, and lord only knows what else.

Practical experience? I move in concert with the direction of the planets, and the thought, might be half-baked, might be incomplete, but it is the genesis of an idea, a way to explain how I work — successfully — with Mercury in Retrograde.

I was in a meditative state, and an answer to my question, what action, what direction, what way to handle situations, what was the best way to call this, add a label, what should I strive for?

“Conscious harmony.”

Conscious Harmony

More so when Mercury is in apparent retrograde motion, does this term come to mind. Elsewhere, there is the usual list of “things one shouldn’t do when Mercury is Retrograde,” and while I like the idea of warnings, how does one navigate forward in uncertain times?

1. Don’t buy electronics,
2. don’t buy a car,
3. don’t buy a house,
4. don’t sign a lease,
5. don’t get in a fight with a mate,
6. don’t get in a fight with offspring,
7. and don’t argue about anything.

My question, is, does any of that really work? My answer is “Yes,” and “no.” A good solid, “Maybe.” Some life events, some lifestyle situations can’t be avoided when Mercury is Retrograde, and the oldest of my examples, staying locked up at home? Then a roof flies off, and something drops in to ruin the existence. Can’t run² from everything, now can we?

Living in concert with the motion of the planets, and learning to dance around the little upsets? It’s a measure of one’s humanity.

Conscious Harmony

Conscious Harmony

The original image is from hand-written³ journal I keep, especially useful during wartime, pandemics, and retrogrades, because it affords me a moment’s pause to write something down. That one was more fun, as there was sticker on the previous page that included a maniacal skull, and old name tag on that page itself, sort of an afterthought footer.

I was someplace with a name tag, and it stuck to me.

The other notation is a simple accumulation of data points, and while my working title was the “Naughty Aughts,” it is a document with all of the double-zero years in it, Y2K through 2009. Both source and data, collected.

Conscious Harmony

The term, to me, “Conscious Harmony?” It means moving with the disruptive flow of information, and understanding that there are interruptions, intercessions, and interests that cause a moment’s pause, errors, or even apparently drastic disturbances.

I refuse to suggest it is “bad.” But I do understand that I am better served with patience, on my part, and an understanding that this might — probably — won’t go as planned.

For me, conscious harmony includes a reminder from — I got this from a series of novels — but the axiom holds up:

“No plan survives the first contact with the enemy.”

We can plan all we want, but the planets and their apparent errata, serves as a cosmic course correction.

Good luck.

the Portable Mercury Retrograde

1. Marcus Aurelius in translation. ↩
2. The Portable Mercury Retrograde. ↩
3. Bullet journals and realigning goals. ↩