Mercury's in Retrograde, or whatever.

The astrology folks say that Mercury's in retrograde now. As someone who thinks the celestial bodies have better things to do than worry about the lives of hairless bipeds on a tiny green planet, this means a whole lot of nothing to me.

But what can't be denied is the collective shift in energy that we're all feeling this July. It is unearthing the demons we've long since buried, and exposing the weaknesses we've kept so desperately hidden. It's putting us through the wringer--stripping us down to our core, leaving us raw and forcing us to look our ugliest reflection in the eye, so that we may make peace with our most flawed selves.

And it's not fun. Not one bit.

Mercury's retrograde (or whatever the hell is going on here) is placing us back into battles we thought we'd won, opening wounds we thought had already healed, and showing us that there is still much work to be done.

It can be daunting, seeing all your old challenges be reintegrated into your life again. It can be frustrating, feeling like you're running in circles with a problem that you just can't seem to shake. But you're not being shown your weak points so that you can feel sorry for yourself. Mercury--the universe, God, your subconscious, or whatever you want to call it--is showing you the holes in your ship so that you can patch it up for your coming journey.

Being shown just how incomplete you are enables you to see, clearer than ever before, what you need to complete yourself. So don't think things are getting hard because you're getting soft. And don't think things are getting rough because you're doing the wrong things with your life. That's not at all the reason you're being tested.

These challenges that you face are mere echoes of a harder time being put in your path, just to see if you'll make the same mistakes.

Every problem in your life right now is one that you've dealt with in the past. The strained relationships, the stagnation at work, the reappearance of nasty thoughts, the discomfort with your body--you've seen it all before.

And know how to handle this.

Mercury, as I've read, apparently carries trickster energy. Be careful not to let it get the best of you with its illusions of hardship. Show it that you've learned from your failures and that you're ready to move forward, then watch yourself progress in ways you never thought possible.

Now, look. This could all just be a bunch of jargon that the astrology nuts have dreamt up, but I think there's some truth to it. I may not necessarily believe that Mercury's position in orbit is to blame for all the internal chaos we're feeling on Earth, but it sure is a crazy coincidence, don't you think?

Anyway, it's your call. You get to decide if it's all related or if I'm just grasping at straws.

Interpret this how you want, and remember: Mercury's in retrograde all month.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride.