The use of this cycle alerts us to the unconscious rhythms of reflection, and attunes us to our inner clock by dint of knowing where concentration and introspection are most needed. When to consider and reconsider ideas, projects, relationships and lifestyle according to one's own unique timing is the greater purpose of Mercury retrograde.

The entire cycle of elemental focus is repeated approximately every six or seven years. For example, the Fire trigon is highlighted beginning in 1978 and then again in 1985 and so on through each of the elements over a period of eighteen months to two years -- a long-term cycle that repeats that elemental/natal house focus every seven or so years.

(Editor's Note: The Mercury retrogrades June 2001 through October 2002 were in the element of Air, whereas the ones from January 2003 through August 2004 are in the element of Earth.)

The cycle indicates that our entire planet, the collective, experiences retrogression according to the element, but that the individual brings it into personal focus through the lens of his or her own chart and refines the experience within the houses that contain those elements.

In this way, Hermes/Mercury is a teacher. Within the subtle movements of the retrograde cycle we can learn much from this tricky god, but we too have to play the game. The retrograde cycle is part of the archetypal journey from a known place, or from a set of values which are suddenly thrown into question. Then follows the transition from that place of certainty down into the place of the unknown, where we battle with unseen or strange forces. It is in this liminal place that the wisdom of the unconscious is allowed to loosen and float to the surface giving instruction from that most intelligent source, the intuition.

When we struggle against the inevitable, or strive to alter the unavoidable timing of Mercury, we oppose the tao of existence. Therefore, understanding the principles of transiting Mercury retrograde as it moves through the elements maximizes potential within a natural rhythm. That rhythm is best expressed in a question form, and as each element in your horoscope is highlighted, a question arises that can act as a meditation guide.

Mercury turning retrograde in Water signs (Feb. 2000 - Feb. 2001) is an opportunity to rethink old habit patterns and emotional responses to life challenges. The desire to retreat is strongest when Water is the element that is being emphasized over the two-year period. There will be between three and six opportunities to experience interior reflex responses and to comprehend them consciously.

The unconscious mind constantly influences daily life; visceral responses are body-memories of the early home environment, many of which are pre-verbal. Mercury retrograde in Water is the best time to analyze patterns based on inherited psychological traits. The houses that contain the three Water signs will present situations in which one finds oneself needing to resist overreacting to moods, feelings and free-floating anxiety. Subliminal messages in the environment signal what requires attention, and often one becomes more sensitive to the psyche/soma balance. One's psychological needs and their physiological manifestations are particularly in synchrony during the years of the Water retrogression cycle.

Dream analysis and journal writing is particularly effective over this time. By noting closely the symbols that arise spontaneously from the unconscious, one can become aware of emotional issues that remain unresolved. Water represents the greatest depths and also the stagnant ponds of our most sensitive, private places. One's emotional needs in relationships with others could also probably use some revising, though only through time will the complex web unfold.

Retrogression in Water signs activates the feeling function, and our ability to trust the intrinsic value assigned to our life. If this aspect of our nature has been ignored, it will now demand attention. Circumstances arise in life in relation to the house transited by Mercury that require careful examination for their contribution to the quality of life. The last retrograde cycle of Fire did not allow for much introspection into the nature of feelings.

Emotional and mental balance are challenged. Forthrightness in relationships is recommended because if one attempts to escape from emotional responsibilities during this time, they surface later with increased complications. Out of the past may come old associations, representing who one was in the past, provoking an evaluation of emotional growth and change. This is one of the best times for self-evaluation. Emotional and spiritual growth become pressing issues, though they may be disguised as practical matters. If one probes deeply enough, it becomes apparent that the source is deep within and related to the submerged past. This will be the time in a six-year period when this particular overhaul can be performed in synchronous balance with one's own inner timing.

When Mercury turns direct, these issues may be left behind for a few months, but any unfinished business will resurface for continued work three months hence. All the Water sign houses will be focused on several times in the course of the full cycle, bringing more to the surface each time.

This can be one of the most amusing and frustrating cycles of the retrograde (Mercury retrogrades from June 2001 through Oct. 2002). The houses in which the Air trigon is located in the birthchart are where reassessment of priorities will now be focused for the duration of the long-term cycle. The thinking function is associated with Air, and the next year and a half or two years allows opportunities to focus on the meaning of the relationships in one's life. One may find oneself deeply absorbed in the minutiae of activities. The Air trigon retrograde cycle emphasizes the techniques that are habitually employed in managing relationships.

Although the emphasis is on how one relates, this is not a particularly emotional cycle, concentrating instead on the patterns in relationships. By paying close attention to how one creates and develops associations with people, one finds a deeper awareness of the importance of relating. Of all times, this is when acute dissatisfaction within the social milieu can arise. The overall tone is one of assessment of one's input and returns in all matters pertaining to relationships. It may be that over the last three months relationships have not been very clear. By airing old problems and thinking through involvements with friends, family and other associations, unconscious stress is relieved.

The minor irritations that arise most often during the Air cycle are: unkept appointments, lost documents, faulty machinery, broken promises, well-intentioned but misleading information, and so on. These are the traditional signals to let go and pay attention to a greater message. The message is likely to be about time-management and clarity of communication. Now is the opportunity to assess priorities and productivity in any given situation; coupled with revising long-term goals this inner search enriches mere existence. As Socrates said in his defense speech to the Athenian jury, the unexamined life is not worth living. There are times, however, when any thinking person doubts even this simple profundity, and the examined life can become a nightmare of doubt.

As in traditional astrology, this is probably the worst possible time to buy machinery such as cars, typewriters, computers, telephones, answering machines, or anything that might be regarded as a mechanical extension of one's mind or communication network. However, it is a good time to research what is needed in the way of mechanical devices: upon Mercury turning direct, one will find what one needs. Also, the old warning: try to avoid either contractual or tacit agreements unless you are prepared to accept an alternative to the original plan or even a reversal of events upon Mercury's direction!

This cycle is best used for clearing the decks of complications and listing long-range goals. Having done so, space should be left to receive important signals from the most intelligent source -- the unconscious. So often, what we expect is not what transpires at the end of the retrograde cycle, but it is precisely what is needed at the time. Implementing the necessary changes usually results in fewer complications when Mercury turns direct.

Security matters, practical concerns, and the most basic needs come to the fore in this phase. (Mercury retrogrades from Jan. 2003 through Aug. 2004). This is a time when you may find fault with your surroundings, whether this is home, job, country or your body! Do not: move, quit your job, emigrate or spend a lot of money. However, Do: look for the new opportunities and keep tabs on possibilities that could be more satisfying for you on the ego level.

On the personal level, you may find that you are being excessively self-critical. A critique is okay, but a shredding of the ego is not. You are undoubtedly needing to reassess your contact with the world of practical reality, but it is unwise to invalidate the past, which has probably done just fine up until now. Rather, look at your assets and liabilities as if they were someone else's and go over the kind of advice that you would give them. It is imperative that objectivity be maintained in this particular cycle, when Earth is being accented in your chart.

Because the Earth trigon is related to the houses that pertain to all facets of worth, including money, self-esteem, working conditions, health, and so on, contributory factors to your function as a human being in the practical world of form, it is important to become aware of the deepest value of those resources. The trigon's message is that if changes need to be made in those areas, and they are often the areas with the greatest resistance to change, then make them, or those changes will be thrust upon you. Naturally, this will affect the way you relate to your body and its needs, your job and its capacity to satisfy you, and your attitudes towards resources of all kinds, particularly financial.

Becoming more organized in the very bases of your life will, paradoxically, liberate your spontaneity. It will also alleviate any guilt you may feel about not attending to the fundamental details of life. The spirit is encased in the flesh, so attend to the flesh. This is not a particularly inspiring time, but much can be accomplished during the retrograde period that will result in very important practical returns. By concentrating on the necessities of life, you will be making more room for the perks. By dealing with the practical issues during this Earthy retrograde, you will find it easier to determine what is truly happening in your life because it will not be cluttered with unfinished business.

Fire symbolism in astrology is very much to do with the relationship between psyche and soma, soul and body. As the body is the vehicle for the soul, the inspired soul is the very anima for creative issue. It is the inspirational force of the Fire function that closely resembles the Jungian intuitive function. Intuition in this particular instance and in this context does not mean psychic ability, rather it addresses the capacity to see the past, the present and the future of possibilities in all things. In this way we create the future. We are made up not only of our pasts but also of our futures.

The apparent lack of direction that often accompanies a repeated transit of the Fire trigon in your chart is Mercury's way of breaking up old patterns of expectations of your creative function. When Mercury is retrograde in the Fire element you may make a lot of haphazard attempts to 'start something', a poor substitute for true inspiration (Dec. 2004 through Nov. 2005). This angst about the future is necessary for creativity. Reaching a 'stuck' place in development brings pressure to bursting-point, forcing growth and allowing undeveloped potential to flow from the unconscious. It is essential to recognize that there are times when one has to go through a period of spiritual entropy to alert oneself to a need for change in creative production.

When Mercury's retrograde cycle is in the Fire trigon, it may well indicate that you are going through a transition of your creative focus in an outward direction. This is highlighted during the twenty-two-day periods of retrogression. It means that you will have to relearn how to play and how that adds a dimension of creativity to your life. Creativity, more than just painting, music and the other fine arts, is a lifestyle. How do you respond to crisis, for example? With anger and resistance? Or with an increased awareness of the continual necessity to shift gears or look at life with renewed vision? A Fire retrograde will test your ability to respond to life with spontaneous energy, and to be more creative with your decisions for change.

On a practical level, your awareness of sedentary habits may provoke a fitness urge. Psychosomatic illnesses can arise that point specifically to the area of the psyche that is cramped or underactive. If you are in the artistic world, then a 'block' may be the very symptom that indicates the need for a change in technique or style. Ultimately this retrograde cycle will accent the need to experiment with new forms of being, new forms of thinking of yourself and new ways of relating to your sources of inspiration.

By assessing the houses that the Fire trigon occupies you will find some hints about the source of the restlessness. The revision of creative focus in your life over the next couple of years can drastically alter your future direction and in a way more appropriate to the new emerging you. And, for your own sake, find ways to relax and enjoy life's pleasures.