Alchemical Godfather, Mercury Retrograde
Mercury and writing's relationship with the Sun/King/Father
ASTROLOGY ////// WRITING & TEACHING ////// ABOUT COSMIC EDGES
Today, a long post on the symbolic meanings of Mercury retrograde, writing as poison and cure, The Godfather, and the trippiest alchemical manuscript.
“For it goes without saying that the god of writing must also be the god of death.” — Derrida, “Plato’s Pharmacy”
Mercury retrogrades more than any other planet: 3-4 times each year. We’re in one (April 1-April 25) just passed its cosmic midpoint. Retrograde motion is an optical illusion in which the planet appears to stop, retrace its steps, stop again, then move on. The planet Mercury has been associated with writing for centuries, its quirky sky maneuvers analogous to the substances it’s associated with on earth—quicksilver, communication, writing, thieves, tricks. By alchemists, Mercury was called the ever fugitive and permanent water, its shining and mutable essence that of the whole bonkers, madness-inducing, revelatory, dangerous, healing opus.