Hold on to Your Hats & Glasses ~ Mercury is Retrograde Again!
Is it that time again!?! When even the most lay person who doesn’t really follow astrology says, “Oh no! Is Mercury retrograde again? It feels like it was just retrograde a few months ago!”
Well, that is true, he did go retrograde back in December of 2017 and will be again from late July to mid-August, and then again from mid-November to early December of this year. Since Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, he zips around the Sun much quicker than we do, so from our perspective he seems to go retrograde every time he moves between the Sun and us.
In our busy western world, where everyone seems to be ruled by the clock or more recently by their Twitter feeds, Mercury retrograde is an unwelcome interruption of chaos and confusion. Schedules get changed, computers and electronics can start to act up, and our vehicles may suddenly need some special and unexpected attention.
Mercury rules transportation, dexterity, and communication of all sorts, so when it goes retrograde these various domains can become affected. Misunderstandings can occur, for example, so I don't recommend signing any important documents, and unless you would like to repeat it, surgery is not recommended!
There is good news, however!
We tend to live more in our left-brain, logical, more rational mind, especially in the western world, but when Mercury goes retrograde we flip into our right-brain, which is the artistic, inspired, and inventive side.
While it can be a confusing time because we may be less logical, it can be a great time to be more creative and innovative. It’s a perfect time to let your creative juices flow—journal, paint, review past work, and fix something that may need fixing. It's a great time to revisit projects to make sure that they are exactly how you'd like them to be. It's a time to reconsider, reprise, repeat, reflect...
Photo by Redd Angelo on Unsplash
Enjoy this lovely time at the beginning of spring for a bit of reflection...
Also, to help you navigate the challenges of the Mercury retrograde cycle I’ve created a survival guide for these periodic Mercury retrograde periods that is filled with helpful reminders for those times when the computer isn't behaving, or you feel a bit of a misunderstanding coming on with someone. It's called:
What is Mercury Retrograde?
Three times per year, Mercury goes retrograde for approximately three weeks. Now no planet actually moves backwards (retrograde), but from our perspective on Earth they occasionally appear to do so. In other words, all planets in the solar system move in a counterclockwise direction around the Sun, which we astrologers call “direct,” but during their retrograde periods they appear to travel in a clockwise direction, or backwards, relative to Earth.
Image created by William R. Hicks
With Mercury and Venus (the planets with orbits closer than the Earth’s orbit around the Sun), they appear to move retrograde when they transit between the Earth and the Sun. During this time, their energy becomes more pronounced because they are located between the Sun and the Earth’s energy and magnetic exchange, and also due to the mere fact that they are closer to us than when they are on the other side of the Sun.
WARNING: Super Technical Information Ahead; Many People Can Be Confused by This!
This particular Mercury retrograde is happening between the degrees of 4°47’ and 16°54’ of Aries, from beginning of the pre-shadow to the end of the post-shadow period. We entered the pre-shadow period on March 8th when Mercury first hit 4°47’ Aries and appeared to slow down.
Today, March 22, 2018 Mercury is stationing retrograde as it reached 16°54’ Aries and begins its dance backwards. Mercury will be retrograde until April 15th when it reaches 4°47’ Aries. It will then station direct and enter the post-shadow period. It will appear to move slowly forward until it reaches the end of the post-shadow period on May 3rd when it reaches 16°54’ Aries. (All of these dates are based on PST)
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NOTE: If you have any cardinal planets (Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn) within the degrees of 2° - 19°, or if you have either Sun, Moon, or Rising in Gemini or Virgo, you may be especially affected, but if you have Mercury retrograde in your natal (birth) chart than you have a sort of inoculation against a lot of the chaos that can ensue.
Mercury in Aries is answering to Mars, who has just moved into Capricorn (on March 17th), and Mercury is very direct in his communication while in Aries. He is here to bring his clear and forceful truth! Be sure to keep in mind that your truth may be different from someone else’s truth--keeping this in mind with an understanding heart is what brings us closer to world peace!
Mars is exalted in Capricorn because he can get stuff done, since Capricorn is all about business. So it's a great time to take care of business, just as long as you have a heightened awareness of all correspondence, in order to avoid possible misunderstandings.
Now go get your copy of “5 Ways to Survive & Thrive during Mercury Retrograde!”
Most importantly, as at all times in life…stay calm and enjoy the journey!
