Mercury Retrograde: Winter 2016

Another new year, another January starting off with a... no, wait... hold on, ah, yup. Let's slow things down. It's another Mercury Retrograde at the start of the new year, and for extra fun, it's squared to Mars. Oh, boy.As always, here are some resources if you'd like to dive deeper...As Astrobarry writes "Need I tell you again new years don't automatically start out with a crisp, clean, refreshing vibe? Even when our mindset is all gung-ho, page-flipped, or resolution-oriented, the actual astrological energies of a new year's opening weeks aren't necessarily dutifully in sync." He is very clear to not over-dramatize MR and instead asks us to consider that MR time is "offering a chance to revisit, revise, or reconfirm".Mystic Mamma's round up is always a good place to start. Lots of great info here. From what I understand, the quick summary is MR will be challenging all things Capricorn: structures, public-personas, work ethics, group efforts, community and how we truly feel about these themes.Make Fear Your Apprentice, Not Your Boss:"If you want this Mercury-Mars combination to work, let the truth surface and sit with it until you know what the appropriate course of action is for you. This is the kind of combination that won’t let us rest with half-baked truths but much of the information that we would usually have access to is withheld from us during a retrograde. Make room for not knowing. Make room for discovery. Make your fear your apprentice, not your boss."Mercury retrogrades for 2016 on Astrology Horoscope Readings. Here it's explained that MR occurs at two levels: our dealings with other people and our dealings with ourselves. There's "not much you can do with the actions of others, except to be more conscious and prepare for delays and errors by double checking." However "introspection and inner work is very supported. Take advantage of Mercury Retrograde by clearing your own tendencies to get caught up in your own shadows and those of others." You can also read how MR may affect your Sun sign in the Sun Signs menu on the top right.Mercury Retrograde In Capricorn: Transforming Our Goals And Structures"Traditionally, Mercury is the planet of ‘Alchemy,’ and during its retrograde periods there are circumstances that occur in our lives that are trying to get our attention to help us make necessary changes and transformations in our own ‘alchemical process.’""Mercury is revisiting and making the necessary changes and adjustments in our structures, goals, ambitions, and the overall the way we manage our lives so that we can pursue our ideas, innovations, and ‘forward thinking’ agenda that may be of service to a particular group and/or community, whether it is large or small, international or local."Here's an interesting visualization technique to try when Mercury is retrograde.Darkstar Astrology's write up.Revisit, review and relax - MR in earth signs sounds like just the refocus on practicality that I'm looking for.