Mercury Retrograde & the Dent de Lion

Dandelion globes are popping up now in grassy places here, just in time to blow them hither and yon.  A folk notion is that when you blow the seeds, you send out your thoughts and dreams to those you love. 

I've long thought of dandelions together with mutable air sign Gemini.  The ideas and impressions drift out and may or may not land on anything, or take root. 

Today Mercury goes retrograde in Gemini at 13 degrees and will whirl erratically to June 11th.  So with Mercury's retrograde in the sign of the trickster, distraction is a biggie.  For example, I just spend over an hour looking at pictures of whimsical weather vanes! 

Just like the weather vane, your directional could change quickly.  Gemini is a speedy messenger, and Mercury is at home here, jumping through mental terrain like greased lightning. 

In retrograde, there could be a revival of old fascinations.  There could be a situation with siblings, or extended family (aunts, uncles).  You could rearrange your thinking.  It's a time to return to a study of a language, or to revise a story, paper, post or podcast.   

And since Gemini is a broadcasting sign, you could see a special charge, to do with information itself -- perhaps a revisit of an idea whose time has now come.

So today, in honor of this special time of Mercury's retrograde, I'll blow a dandelion globe, and send out some air mail messages.  Are dandelions growing where you are? 

I just learned (in the spirit of the learner Gemini) that the Dandelion used to be called Lion's Tooth.  The leaves of the Dandelion have that jagged edge, like a Lion's tooth.  Later, the French name for it was Dent de Lion, and the English eventually started saying Dandelion.

Dandelions are also the superfood in your yard disguised as weeds.  The greens are delicious in salads, but get a bit bitter when they're older (just like planted salad greens).  I've noticed by the time the globe is here, the leaves are bitter, though I still use them in stir fry dishes.