It’s been an interesting Mercury Retrograde so far, hasn’t it? Lots of old issues coming up for review, reassessment, and release….emotions, ghosts (and people) from the past showing up, so we can again remind ourselves what is most loving for us, what is for our highest good and the highest good of all concerned.

We often associate Mercury Retrograde with electronic or mechanical malfunctions or communication misfires or glitches. But think of the “re” in the word retrograde which means again, or redo; when a planet is in retrograde, it appears that the planet is going backwards in its orbit, which of course, it doesn’t actually do (this will explain: http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-retrograde-motion).

To understand what retrograde means for us, think of some words that begin with “re”. Revisiting, reinventing, reassessing, review, release, renew, reconcile, reconsider, even remind. This Mercury Retrograde (which ends August 1, and then the post-retrograde shadow ends August 15) for me has been about re-experiencing old emotions, particularly anger . . . an old familiar friend. The thing to do with all the old baggage that shows itself once again is to recognize it as old remnants of energy, breathe into the present moment and check in with what is actually happening right here and now, and then be willing to release what no longer serves us with a sense of kindness and compassion for ourselves. No matter what old pattern or way of thinking or behaving arises, we recognize and we release with love, focusing on what is really true about the present moment.

When I do that, I realize I can vent the anger safely without verbally hurting anyone; I can process it and then release it – which may take some time. Anger is a very old pattern from when I felt helpless, controlled, trapped and disempowered, which is no longer true. When that powerful anger rises up that is out of proportion to the situation at hand, I can eventually replace it with the truth of the present moment, if I have enough kindness and compassion for myself. It’s upsetting to realize we can still go to those places of anger, fear, abandonment, powerlessness . . . you name it, we can go there. It takes the utmost loving kindness for ourselves to bring ourselves back to the truth of the present.

Remember, things rise up when for resolution when we are filled up with enough good feeling to handle what is rising up. Then we can use all of that good feeling that we have built up in our moat or reservoir to surround that old pattern in Love. We have infinite capacity to love as our Higher Self because our Higher Self is infinite love. In our human form, we usually don’t remember or feel this essential truth.