(no subject)

[pat]

If another person refers to Mercury being retrograde as being the cause for whatever bad is going on in their lives (and there have been a number lately) I am going to SCREAM.

Because crap happens to people ALL THE TIME -- and somehow, the rest of the time, it's just "crap happening." As someone who really does not care about what the hell the planets are doing, I can attest that there are other things that tend to affect people more: bad spells of weather and bad political events, for example, and as far as I can tell, those have nothing to do with where Mercury is.

And yeah, I know, my beliefs are really weird too. You're entitled to scream -- and a lot of people do: according to many if not most commenters at Atrios, for example, people of my ilk are responsible for all that is wrong with the world today (check out the comments following his post last week about Barack Obama's speech).

Comments

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

I used to have a baby blue Mercury. It wasn't retro though... it was old.

Still I could fit all my gear in the trunk the day before a show and save myself the hassle of lugging it right before performing and of carrying it back up to the rehersal space immediately after a show.

I don't know about the other kind of mercury being in retrograde but I think it's carcinogenic if you get it on you and they don't let them use it in thermometers anymore. I'm not sure if that's true though.

I guess I really don't know much about it one way or t'other.

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

I actually use "Mercury is in retrograde" to mean "there is no discernable explanation" (but please, scream if you must)

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

I think of it as I do any other things related to astrology - if (generic) you believe that it matters you'll find a way to make events conform to your beliefs. If mercury is in retrograde, after all, any communication issues aren't your fault, right?

I think the same can be said about other religions and beliefs - if you look hard enough at anything, it can be interpreted in the way you want it to. Whether or not it can be (FSVO) rationally interpreted that way is a whole nother matter.

I'm agnostic, so I generally take anything ascribed to external forces with a grain of salt and a raised eyebrow, no matter what the external force is.

[karenbynight.livejournal.com]

The thing that frustrates me the most about this expression is the non-consensual nature of it from people who otherwise believe that freedom of religion indicates a great deal of freedom from the expression of others' religions that they don't share. Imagine, for example, the response if you went about claiming that God was testing you/me/them in the same sort of circumstances.

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

I think I can attest to using it that way, too... Otherwise, I say, "Why is shit happening?"

I've had problems with believing astrology because the planets have moved in their rotations anyway, but read Free Will Astrology for entertainment value.

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

YES.
You're the second person I've run across in the last ... week maybe ... that has felt the same way that I do on this. Which is that it drives me ABSOLUTELY BONKERS.

[sisterfish125.livejournal.com]

*hee* If I say that around here, only about one person in my department would know what I meant by it.

But yeah, shit happens. Just because it happens during a particular occurence doesn't necessarily mean they're linked.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Personally it frustrates me when anyone blames something else for the ill in their lives. I'm not of the school that thinks that if something bad happens it's deserved, but I do tend to think that everyone might be happier (if feel a little less in control) if they just realized that sometimes Shit Happens.

[elissaann.livejournal.com]

I am bigotted that way, too.

When someone says that, I hope it's a joke. If it's not, I worry about that person's grasp of reality.

I suppose mine isn't so hot either, so they can consider the source.

How often is Mercury really in retrograde, and what does it mean? (Just curious.)

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Mercury is in retrograde for about 3 weeks at a stretch, 3-4 times each year. What that means is that it appears to move backward in the sky relative to its normal path.

I use Mercury being in Retrograde as a convenient excuse for why crap happens. I'm never more than 1/2 serious about it. There do seem to be more crappy things that happen during that period, but frankly, it could be a sampling effect because I'm just noticing them more. Either way, it doesn't hurt to do a little extra planning.

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

I have often experienced people telling me that God is testing me/them under trying circumstances. You're right, it's not pleasant. Neither of those really come up to "non-consensual religion" for me, though. I mean, if either hypothetical person decided to give me an unasked-for lecture about it, and I couldn't leave, then I'd have a problem. But if someone's just saying "oh Mercury is in Retrograde," or "God only gives us what we can handle," or whatever, then it just tells me a lot about their guiding ideas in life.