What is your Mercury Retrograde Story? We’re half way through this astrological influence and whether you are aligned for it or not we would love to hear from you. Here is a classic outcome of the kind of acceptance and reflection needed for things going well during Mercury retrograde from Mana Bergen (you can hear her voice in the interview she did with Julie and I…see a few posts down) .
“My Mercury retrograde story … my very old Vespa has been acting up. Starts up okay, but once the engine is warm, it sometimes won’t start again until the engine has cooled down completely. I’ve considered replacing but didn’t want to take on any new debt. Meanwhile my mechanic wasn’t returning my calls. Decided to wait .. to see if some helping hand would emerge to help me get through another season.
Just opened an email from a scooter buddy who’d talked to my mechanic .. letting me know I hadn’t been forgotten ..So I’m keeping cool …not getting rid of my scooter .. and really thinking about what it’s worth ..it’s vintage, an unusualmodel ..so really considering the whole question of value. No big resolution yet ..more a sense of not getting rushed into a trade. ” – Mana Bergen
What is your story? Reply in the box below (send photos if you like to Carolyn@lighttravels.com) and we’ll add your story to this post!
Carolyn
Aligned for Mercury Retrograde 
An update about my Vespa – this 47-year-old scooter is purring — running better than it ever has. And what a classic Mercury retrograde tale it’s been. The story also picks up on the way Mercury retrograde intersected with the preceding transit of Mars retrograde in Leo. A little red scooter that won’t run is the prefect symbol of Mars retrograde. No drive. No action. No get up and go. So for most of that period, I simply stashed the Vespa in my garage and didn’t ride it at all. And wondered whether I should trade it in.
To the Mercury details. Starting with old acquaintances resurfacing. My mechanic, who’d closed his shop on Eastern Avenue, had vanished from my life without a trace. His cell number was out of service, and no one in the scooter community could give me his number or tell me where he’d gone. Spent one long evening googling, and turned up an email address on a scooter blog from the U.S. .. by someone who’d chatted with him about parts. I immediately wrote and he responded about a week later. Turns out he’s now fixing vintage scooters out of his garage – a small, cozy and crowded place where he takes the time that vintage bikes require.
Here’s another Mercury retrograde detail .. Mike resolved some longstanding problems with my bike. Turns out it required no expensive parts or long tedious hours looking for electrical problems. Instead, it was as simple as replacing the oil I’d been using. The new synthetic oils are too light for vintage Vespas (a little information there for anyone else who might be thinking of buying a vintage Vespa). Mike drained the gas tank, put in fresh gas and a heavier oil, and it’s running like a charm.
And I’m not even thinking of trading it in anymore. This scooter could still be running beautifully for another 20 years. As Mike said, these post-WWII scooters were built to last. So I have a new appreciation of its lasting value there (as Taurus requires) and my dignity restored (hello, Leo) because there is nothing dignified about riding a scooter that won’t start.