| What I know about astrology can be summed up in one word: Capricorn. That’s my sign. As a Capricorn I am supposedly ambitious, persistent and reliable. Are these labels actually true? Are all Capricorns ambitious? Maybe, maybe not. I just figure astrological signs are fun to explore but not necessarily something you bet the farm on for accuracy. Yet, when my internet seems to have decided it wants to work only at a snail’s pace and my phone apparently has determined what apps I am allowed to open I think, “Oh, yeah, this is what everyone has been saying. Mercury is in retrograde and that means electronics and things having to do with electronics, like emails and the internet, go haywire.“ Really? Maybe Capricorns are skeptics too because I decided to look up what retrograde actually means versus making an assumption. For the record, I thought it meant that the planet Mercury was moving backwards in its orbit and this shift in direction was causing a shift in energy that was impacting electronics. Kind of makes sense. What Retrograde Really Means According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the word retrograde comes from Latin meaning “backward step”. Scientists use the word to describe when a planet appears to be moving backwards in its orbit. In fact, the planet is not moving backwards, it is simply an optical illusion created by the positioning of earth and the planet as they revolve around the Sun. Yet, my electronics are haywire and Mercury is appearing to move backwards so maybe there is something to this idea of a time when, even though nothing is really different it can feel like things are going haywire. Or moving backwards. Or not moving at all. Your Career In RetrogradeWhile pondering this idea I, oddly, heard a poem attributed to a famous Astrologist from the 1930’s and 1940’s, Grant Lewi. This poem felt like the perfect wisdom when you feel like your career is in retrograde. (I modified the pronoun because it just felt better😊). She was relaxed in the saddle of fate.
She did what was required of her.
And she kept her ear cocked for the
Sound of the bugle to advance. This is what having a career in retrograde is all about. It is the time when it appears like nothing is happening. Perhaps your best efforts are thwarted. You are not making any forward movement. Yet, this could very well be an optical illusion. You are actually doing what you need to do. Adjusting as you need to adjust. No big things may appear to be happening in the moment, but you are ready. You are listening for that idea. You are waiting for that feeling that says, “Now! Now is the time to move”. Is your ear cocked? | 
