Gurus fall from Grace and Mercury Retrograde
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Have you ever wondered why so many Gurus and spiritual teachers fall from grace?
And why do we blame Mercury retrograde for all the havoc and confusion in our life?
To see the connection between these two seemingly unrelated topics let’s turn to an excerpt from my book, Before Your Future. In this Vedic myth, a notorious love affair and scandal in the celestial circles between Jupiter (Guru/Ideals) and his student Moon (emotional impulses) gives birth to Mercury who doesn’t want to be like either of his parents.
In Sanskrit, Mercury is called Budh or Buddha—from the Sanskrit root word buddhi, which refers to the reasoning, logical, and intellectual part of our mind. So, when Mercury goes retrograde (ie. appears to be moving in reverse), or is afflicted in the horoscope he loses some of his own identity and skills and tries to emulate his parents.
The Myth of Mercury’s Birth
Cosmic Guru Jupiter was preoccupied with spirituality, theology, mystical codes, and rituals of the Vedas at his ashram. His students were gods, kings, celestial beings, and even learned mortals. His wife Tara was frustrated because her husband had little time for the emotional connection and enjoyment she sought. (Tara, by the way, like all consorts of the Hindu gods and goddesses, represents Jupiter’s other half).
So, when she met one of her husband’s students, the Moon, who had a passion for relating and connecting emotionally, she was smitten with him. They had a notorious affair and she eventually eloped with him. This was quite a shock for the great Guru Jupiter, as well as a big scandal in the celestial circles.
Tara’s absence caused a serious problem because Jupiter could no longer perform his priestly duties or oversee the necessary rituals and rites of his congregation. The other gods intervened on Jupiter’s behalf, leading Tara to reluctantly return to Jupiter—but she was already pregnant. Of course, Jupiter accepted this responsibility and agreed to adopt the child as his own.
Tara gave birth to Mercury, who had two fathers: Jupiter, who raised him, and his biological father, the Moon who didn’t want anything to do with him.
Ayurvedic psychology describes three distinct parts of our minds, which can be represented by the two fathers and their son in this way. The Moon has instinctive feelings about someone or something. Of course, we can never totally rely on our feelings, as they can be subjective and not necessarily objective reality. They are necessary nevertheless, as without these “feelings” we would never connect or bond with loved ones. Jupiter can go beyond the Moon and experience others within himself. Like many empaths, he can merge the object with the subject. It is totally impractical to have this type of consciousness, but without it, we are incapable of seeing our universal connectedness.
The third part of the mind is their progeny, Mercury, who systematically navigates the world, not through feelings (Moon) or unity consciousness (Jupiter), but strategy. This portion of the mind is not interested in Moon’s feelings or Jupiter’s high ideals and interconnectedness, preferring to focus on facts, figures, categorizing, and dissecting to helping us navigate day-to-day life.
In the horoscope, Mercury has a hard time doing a good job when placed in the signs of his two fathers: Cancer ruled by the Moon and Pisces ruled by Jupiter, where he is debilitated. The feeling and empathetic nature of these water element environments blur the detail orientation and neutrality of Mercury, clouding his judgment.
Most astrologers look to the desirous Venus or passionate Mars for affairs but as this myth shows the Moon is often the primary driving force behind sexual scandals, as it overwhelms you with feelings throwing your judgment (Mercury) and Dharma or ideals (Jupiter) out of the window.
The horoscopes of spiritual seekers are disproportionately dominated by Moon and Jupiter in water signs and houses, which makes them search for connection (Moon) and higher ideals (Jupiter) but also makes them highly impressionable. Tara’s choice to run away with the Moon shows that even with access to so much spiritual knowledge (Jupiter), we remain vulnerable to the temptations and persuasions of the Moon.
Read the sections on Mercury, Jupiter, and Moon in Before Your Future to learn how to access the higher consciousness of each of these forces, so you can develop judgment and neutrality (Mercury) and avoid temptations (Moon) that take you away from your spiritual goals (Jupiter).
More importantly, learn what it takes to avoid gurus, teachers, and teachings that are just “half-cooked” and don’t address all the different aspects of our consciousness.
And if your Mercury curiosity has arisen also learn why Mercury and the Buddha are synonymous.