Started with a reminiscence, a thought about the first time I heard Stevie Ray Vaughn and his guitar, probably on the radio. Radio was real influence, then. The morning drive jock had a motorcycle my buddy worked on, the bike a gorgeous machine itself. I can recall details, year, linage of the motorcycle, and I can’t remember the DJ’s radio name.
The next mention from Stevie Ray was a radio bumper, “This is Stevie Ray Vaughn from Oak Cliff, Texas.”
Finally, watching Stevie Ray do two video hits1, most notable, “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” with gallons of water splashing across his visage and holding that guitar. I would be standing in a seedy club before the doors were officially open, “testing” the sound system. Then came “Cold Shot,” possibly one of the first videos to feature old Austin, narrative, and amusing story-telling. First of the MTV generation?
There’s still an archive image of me in front of the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue on Town Lake. I passed there daily for years.
Watery Mercurial Confusion
Pursue a single objective for long enough period of time, like, write weekly horoscopes for more than a two-dozen years? Certain patterns emerge. While each micro-managed observation is encapsulated within a single weekly horoscope? An annual pattern is emergent, as well.
Watery Mercurial Confusion
Now, currently, Mercury is retrograde for almost all of Pisces while the whole retrograde pattern is contained in Pisces, just as a kicker. Pisces: mutable, water, associated with Neptune, now in Aries.
Watery Mercurial Confusion
Mercury will be retrograde in the summer, for almost all of Cancer, the sign of the crab, stretching from a shadow period during summer solstice, and extending to almost the end of Cancer, the sign of the Moon Children. Cancer: cardinal, water, associated with the vagaries of the moon herself.
Watery Mercurial Confusion
The final mercurial passage of note in this set? For almost all of Scorpio, Mercury will be retrograde in Scorpio. Halloween through the Ides of November? Scorpio: fixed, water, associated with Mars (traditional) and Pluto (modern).
Watery Mercurial Confusion
The water signs are highlighted and this isn’t the first time, but what it does spell out? Emotions. While I’ve long-learned to “Trust my gut,” my own emotional content can be easily misleading.
It’s an old trick, but the rhetoric was to lead by feeling. “I feel like this is a good idea,” which is a situation that can be completely devoid of facts. What something feels like, and how that stated position is not supported by facts? That’s what to watch for. Emotional content as opposed to what’s really at stake.
“They’re eating the pets.”
An excellent example of the emotional rhetoric used with no factual evidence. Quite the contrary.
A “gut check” is always a good idea, but this series mercurial retrogrades post to pattern where fact-checking helps.
“But it feels true.”
Therein is Mercury’s watery message.
It splits us from what feels true to what is true. Facts are facts and, usually, can’t be renegotiated.
the Portable Mercury Retrograde
- Couldn’t Stand the Weather and Cold Shot come to mind, no links. ↩
