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The Power of Mercury: Understanding Mercury Retrograde and Unlocking the Astrological Secrets of Communication
A lively guide to surviving and thriving during Mercury Retrograde—and to unlocking the astrological secrets of Mercury, the planet that rules communication.
Mercury We’ve all heard about its effects. E-mails disappear into black holes. Flights are delayed and trains run late. From communication mishaps to travel breakdowns, Mercury Retrograde wreaks utter havoc on our lives. So how do we survive it, sanity and relationships intact?
In The Power of Mercury, acclaimed astrologer Leslie McGuirk casts new light on Mercury Retrograde—treating it as an opportunity to slow down in a tech-crazed world, from approaching agreements with caution to communicating with intention. With an unparalleled sense of humor and uncommon helping of straight talk, McGuirk further dispels the mysteries of Mercury Retrograde by teaching us how to identify our personal Mercury signs and those of the people with whom we interact every day, from bosses to romantic partners—and what that means for how we communicate, and what to do about it.
In our ever increasingly tech-driven, fast-paced world, where we all email, text, chat, and tweet hundreds of times a day, and zip around the world at a moment’s notice, the stakes for any glitches in communication are higher than ever. Finally, with The Power of Mercury, we have the fresh, direct guide we need to navigating it all without stress—and with a much needed dose of optimism, common sense, and style.
Mercury We’ve all heard about its effects. E-mails disappear into black holes. Flights are delayed and trains run late. From communication mishaps to travel breakdowns, Mercury Retrograde wreaks utter havoc on our lives. So how do we survive it, sanity and relationships intact?
In The Power of Mercury, acclaimed astrologer Leslie McGuirk casts new light on Mercury Retrograde—treating it as an opportunity to slow down in a tech-crazed world, from approaching agreements with caution to communicating with intention. With an unparalleled sense of humor and uncommon helping of straight talk, McGuirk further dispels the mysteries of Mercury Retrograde by teaching us how to identify our personal Mercury signs and those of the people with whom we interact every day, from bosses to romantic partners—and what that means for how we communicate, and what to do about it.
In our ever increasingly tech-driven, fast-paced world, where we all email, text, chat, and tweet hundreds of times a day, and zip around the world at a moment’s notice, the stakes for any glitches in communication are higher than ever. Finally, with The Power of Mercury, we have the fresh, direct guide we need to navigating it all without stress—and with a much needed dose of optimism, common sense, and style.
- GenresAstrologyNonfiction
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 13, 2016
21 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Leslie McGuirk
27 books5 followersLeslie McGuirk is the author-illustrator of several books about Tucker the dog, including LUCKY TUCKER, TUCKER'S SPOOKY HALLOWEEN, and HO, HO, HO, TUCKER! She also co-authored and illustrated WIGGENS LEARNS HIS MANNERS AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESTAURANT. She lives in Vero Beach, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 8, 2020
Summary: McGuirk's love of explaining Mercury is a bit like my obsession with the planet Saturn, so I give her full marks. I just adore how she describes it and think this is good for beginner/amateur through advanced practitioner.
McGuirk believes that mercury is an under-loved planet that is skipped or given short shrift by most astrologers and I gotta say... she makes a great argument. My eyes are open! My favorite sentence the first chapter after the forward where she says:
"When used correctly, Astrology is the Language of compassion. It reveals how individuals are wired and how best to operate given that wiring."
I love that. I first came to astrology because I was trying to understand different ways people think and the subsequent correct way to communicate their language (mercury is in my 7th house and heavily aspected). She is so speaking my language with this starting sentence here.
Then on P. 24:
"Mercury informs how we use one our most powerful human tools: words."
Yes, girl! I will never give Mercury short change again. You're right, Mercury represents the manner in which we are gifted with this tool. I never thought of it that way.
From there, I like how she talks about mercury communication style in partner charts and how to think about that. she does cavaet that you gotta obviously look at the whole composite chart. That said, how you communicate in partnerships... it's a real thing. So I get her on this.
She then does the classic planet to planet conflict stuff that helps describe how she would interpret the differences, so a Mercury in cancer speaking to a mercury in leo. That sort of thing. I always like to read these b/c I like to see how other people might articulate it. Again, my mercury is heavily aspected in the 7th house, so that is kind of obvious that I would be into that.
Anyway, the only feedback I have is that I wish she would have done something like Mercury + Rising communication. To be fair I think it's beyond the scope of this book. But if I could have coffee with McGuirk, I'd likely spend my time there. Also, I don't love how she talks about Saturn. But that is because I am really into that planet and how it's interpreted. Totally great reference book.
McGuirk believes that mercury is an under-loved planet that is skipped or given short shrift by most astrologers and I gotta say... she makes a great argument. My eyes are open! My favorite sentence the first chapter after the forward where she says:
"When used correctly, Astrology is the Language of compassion. It reveals how individuals are wired and how best to operate given that wiring."
I love that. I first came to astrology because I was trying to understand different ways people think and the subsequent correct way to communicate their language (mercury is in my 7th house and heavily aspected). She is so speaking my language with this starting sentence here.
Then on P. 24:
"Mercury informs how we use one our most powerful human tools: words."
Yes, girl! I will never give Mercury short change again. You're right, Mercury represents the manner in which we are gifted with this tool. I never thought of it that way.
From there, I like how she talks about mercury communication style in partner charts and how to think about that. she does cavaet that you gotta obviously look at the whole composite chart. That said, how you communicate in partnerships... it's a real thing. So I get her on this.
She then does the classic planet to planet conflict stuff that helps describe how she would interpret the differences, so a Mercury in cancer speaking to a mercury in leo. That sort of thing. I always like to read these b/c I like to see how other people might articulate it. Again, my mercury is heavily aspected in the 7th house, so that is kind of obvious that I would be into that.
Anyway, the only feedback I have is that I wish she would have done something like Mercury + Rising communication. To be fair I think it's beyond the scope of this book. But if I could have coffee with McGuirk, I'd likely spend my time there. Also, I don't love how she talks about Saturn. But that is because I am really into that planet and how it's interpreted. Totally great reference book.
March 27, 2022
Got this book at Dollar Tree and that's about what it's worth. McGuirk expresses early in the book that astrology is mathematical, but then gives subjective personal accounts for every point made from there.. no references to any "facts" or studies she brings up. It seems like every point is made to justify her already-existing beliefs (her logic: fire and water signs aren't compatible because water puts out fire, of course...and I know this is true because my ex boyfriend and I would argue all the time and he was a fire sign). If I wasn't already skeptical about modern astrology, maybe this book could have at least been a fun read... But it is slightly above a newspaper horoscope in terms of vagueness & dependence on the Barnum effect.
November 3, 2019
There is more than Mercury Retrograde to the first rock from the Sun
This book changed my understanding of how communication styles are determined by our Mercury sign. Sun signs are just one indicator of personality and tell a very small piece of the puzzle. Mercury rules our brain and communication. I easily connected to the description of my Mercury sign of Taurus. It was eyeopening to read about many people in my life. I now have clarity about the ease or challenge in the relationships of immediate family, friends, romantic partners, and colleagues. I highly recommend this easy to digest and comprehensive overview of how Mercury rules communication and having an understanding of our different styles can transform relationships.
This book changed my understanding of how communication styles are determined by our Mercury sign. Sun signs are just one indicator of personality and tell a very small piece of the puzzle. Mercury rules our brain and communication. I easily connected to the description of my Mercury sign of Taurus. It was eyeopening to read about many people in my life. I now have clarity about the ease or challenge in the relationships of immediate family, friends, romantic partners, and colleagues. I highly recommend this easy to digest and comprehensive overview of how Mercury rules communication and having an understanding of our different styles can transform relationships.
January 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. The author is a very good writer, making it easier to follow what she is explaining. I too feared Mercury in Retrograde to a strong extent, but after reading this book, I now see that the growing culture of popular astrology has cultivated this innate fear that people as a collective will manifest thus fulfilling their own fears. Definitely recommend this book, it's a short light read as most of the book explains the interactions of Mercury signs and includes a chart of Mercury's positions from 1930 to 2019. Great book for beginners, the author creates a way to help ease readers into the world of Astrology.
July 2, 2019
I feel like some descriptions could have gone into a little more detail, but overall I did enjoy this book.
March 4, 2020
very good info
March 12, 2021
The biggest takeaway from this book is to learn to embrace mercury retrograde and stop running away from it.
February 24, 2024
Lots of compatibility charts but I like the information on people born during the retrograde...
November 7, 2022
it was good. slightly repetitive, but overall good knowledge & easy to understand. since i’m a beginner i enjoyed, but tbh if i was more advanced, again, i would just find the stuff she say’s repetitive. although, i did enjoy it. knowing she was Mercury Cancer made me sorta think of the placements from her Mercury Cancer POV.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews