One of many things I’m watching for during this fall’s Mercury retrograde in sidereal Virgo is the aspect of intellectual debate and general conversation where people are having two different conversations. Systems thinking versus binary thinking. Inductive versus deductive reasoning.
Individualism precludes pattern recognition, specifically with regard to causes of behavior and remedies for our present challenges as humans.
In individualism, everything comes down to individual agency. Pattern recognition tends to reveal the fact that causes are not individual and neither are solutions.
It happens all the time in conversations on social media. The recognition and naming of a pattern makes people feel like their individuality and identity is being erased. We struggle to pull the lens back and see the containers that individual human experiences occur in.
Actual solidarity becomes scary in this way because the environment for connection is rotted by capitalism. It puts our access to food and shelter in the opposite direction of connection. When in fact, food and shelter is on the path of connection.
But how do we connect?
Mercury Retrograde in Sidereal Virgo
Mercury is gonna spend about 10 weeks in sidereal Virgo. It will oppose Jupiter in sidereal Pisces 3 times! Here is some guidance that may help you navigate this time more intentionally.
Just because you hear and comprehend the words some says doesn’t equate to you understanding meaning.
Context clues cover a multitude of sins. And a lot of times the context is the relationship itself, how you know them… if you know them at all.
Curiosity and asking questions are an alternative to telling people they are wrong. Nuance is truly your best friend.
Literalism + black & white thinking can be a communication strategy born of living in high stress environments/relationships where your safety + survival is at stake.
A very effective communication strategy is to always ask, “did I understand you correctly? Is _____ what you meant?”
And sometimes it’s not worth it to engage in conversations where both parties aren’t curious enough to ask questions and question their own assumptions.
Jumping to conclusions based on your own context that others may not be aware of is asking for hurt feelings.
Sometimes extending grace looks like you considering that you might have misunderstood someone, asking questions, and seeking mutual understanding before forming judgements, whether emotional or intellectual. Collect more data first!
Originally tweeted by Dayna Lynn Nuckolls (@PeoplesOracle) on August 16, 2022.
This was great, Dayna! Thank you, as always, for sharing your insights!
You’re welcome