About the Mercury Cycle
Astrologers look at the position of Mercury to analyze the current mental chemistry of human beings.  Mercury tells us about how the day-to-day details of life will be handled and how office relations will go.  When Mercury is fast, such things proceed swiftly with few obstacles.  When Mercury is retrograde there are obstructions and snarl-ups.  Mercury forward (which astrologers call “direct”) is for forward motion and starting new projects; Mercury retrograde is for rest and contemplation and cleaning up old projects.

Every year Mercury goes through its normal cycle three times.  This cycle has several parts:  first we see Mercury race forward ahead of the Sun.  Then it slows down and turns retrograde, or backwards.  The Mercury retrograde period lasts for about 3 weeks, during which the forward-moving Sun will pass backward-moving Mercury, and they will greet each other in a day of illumination.  After another week or so, Mercury will slowly turn and start moving forward again.  Then it will speed up and race to catch up with the Sun, greeting the Sun as it rockets past.  Finally, it will slow again and turn retrograde.  The whole of Mercury’s cycle lasts about 4 months, while the retrograde part of that is only 3 weeks.  Naturally, this means Mercury goes through this cycle 3 times a year.

Mercury’s Current Status:  Efficiency is High
During February and March of 2010 Mercury is moving forward at a swift pace.  This helps us handle details smoothly and stay organized.  It’s a great time for meeting deadlines, planning long-term projects and generally getting a lot done.  You won’t find yourself facing the kinds of snarls that come up when Mercury is retrograde.  This condition continues through March, until Mercury slows down in the middle of April, preparing to turn retrograde on April 17.  But that is then and this is now, so enjoy the easy ride by getting as much done as you can and by handling and clearing as much paperwork as possible during February, March and early April.

Epiphany Day—A Day of Illumination
In mid-March, Mercury’s headlong scamper will cause it to catch up to and then pass the Sun.  The day this happens, March 14, will be a day of illumination.  It will be a day when breakthroughs are possible, new understandings emerge and mental clarity and focus are at their height.  I call it Epiphany Day.

This is like a natural peak on a wave.  The weeks leading up to it are a great time to push into that day of natural epiphany.  To surf this wave and take advantage of its rhythm, set up your current projects so that a peak in mental clarity that day would be advantageous and well timed for you.  Schedule your hardest, most detailed work for the beginning of March, right up to March 14, and spend the rest of the month and the beginning of April responding to the events that happen around that peak.  Once mid-April rolls around you’ll want to start winding things down to prepare for the fallow Mercury retrograde period beginning April 17.