Shadows, Shadow Play

Toying with a simple pen and ink depiction, I was trying to convey the messages of Mercury in its apparent retrograde pattern, and what that means, how it plays out, and what the future holds by way of looking at the past.

The timing is what interests me. The messages have largely been familiar, and while my earliest teachers talked about how “Mercury in retrograde is bad,” I’ve grown to understand it is a natural time, and can be useful.

The image, I started with a simple line drawing of the alchemical glyph for Mercury, the symbol I associate with the planet. It looks like a Venus — or female — symbol with a little set of horns sprouting from the head. It is supposed to be a winged helmet, associated with Hermes, the messenger of the gods, later known as Mercury. Although somewhat distanced, Loki is similar in form and function. Personally, I like the character Puck from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream as a mercurial fellow. That symbol, though, a simple line drawing, small circles, stick coming out the bottom, a cross bar, then, the little ears on the top, again symbolic of Hermes’ winged helmet. Mercury had wings on his sandals.

“Fly monkeys, fly!”

Sorry, wrong mythos. Anyway, the glyph? Venus with little antenna, for communications.

Shadows, Shadow Play

June 13, Mercury arrived at 16° Cancer. Mercury crawls up to 26° Cancer, turning retrograde on 6/29. Mercury retrogrades back to 16° Cancer on 7/23, staying at 16° until 7/28. Mercury doesn’t arrive back at 26° Cancer until 8/24 (coincidental with the Sun going into Virgo).

Shadows, Shadow Play

I’ve got a pepper plant thriving with my abuse, overwatering, drought, too much attention, no care, and similar inconsistent behaviors. It’s about two feet tall, and the shade in the direct sun is negligible, but as the afternoon light dips lower on the horizon? That plant can cast a shadow up to a few feet long if only for a short time. The shadow is ephemeral yet still exists. It can appear longer, taller than the object causing the shadow itself. The shadow of Mercury can extend well beyond the known limits of the actual, observed retrograde. This Mercury in Retrograde?

the Portable Mercury Retrograde

Prose before Hose

Been many long years since I’ve made political or economic gestures, commentary. As divisive as it can be, I try to steer clear, not wishing to offend anyone. Recently, though I got to where I needed to purchase a garden hose. The old one has spent too much time in the sun and was rotten at the ends, spending more time spewing and less time directing a steady stream.

Happens with age.

So that meant I stepped into a local box-box retail giant, possibly the largest retailer in the world. Looked in the outdoor section, no luck, asked where the garden hoses were, “Inside, row three, righthand side.”

Sure enough.

But walking out? I passed an aisle display of personal toiletry items. Small deodorant sticks, tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner, little bars of soap, and assorted sundry items, all in “travel size.” All on sale, $4 each. I used to buy such stuff at the dollar store, and not so much, the days. I used up a fairly large stash of such travel products during the pandemic lock-down, and I never really replaced much. I’ve been using a regular size toothpaste, shampoo, and assorted other toiletries in their normal containers, just easier these days. Besides, I don’t travel as much.

I leave a bag packed — in case.

Those are purely convenience items, first-world price point problem. But cost has increased, quadrupled, over the last year. Was a dollar, now costs $4.

Inflation.

All of this, I wouldn’t even be there, but I needed a hose. Graphic illustration of how prices have skyrocketed. One of my fishing buddies was busy texting me images from the coast, him posing with a number of undersized fish. I was looking for a hose. Like Shakespeare said?

Prose before Hose

Prose before Hose