While you may not know exactly what Mercury in retrograde entails, you have most likely heard about it. When a planet is in retrograde, it is not literally moving backwards around the sun, but instead just appears that way as a sort of optical illusion. Now onto what it actually means when a planet is in retrograde, as one can imagine, a planet appearing to being going backwards does not scream stability in our lives. All of the planets go into retrograde at some point, but Mercury has proven itself as the Pablo Escobar of all the retrogrades.
The planet Mercury is known as the messenger of the gods, it controls communication, technology, how we express ourselves, and how we process thoughts and sensory information. So when Mercury is in retrograde, it wreaks havoc on every important aspect of our lives. This includes miscommunication among friends, family, or colleagues, disruptions from everyday tasks, travel issues, and anything to do with technology, like your computer crashing right before finishing an important assignment.
Basically, try not to do anything important during a Mercury retrograde, like starting a new job or buying an extravagant car.
The reason we are told to avoid any new commitments or endeavors during Mercury retrograde has to do with the way we perceive its position in our solar system. Once the planet is out of retrograde, all those shiny new things we’ve agreed to are going to be in a different position and transform into different realities than what we originally expected. During retrograde, our minds facilities are out of line and can even affect our thoughts to become careless, hence the plethora of misunderstandings.
Now, so far all of this has seemed overwhelmingly negative. Which yes, misunderstandings and failures in technology are not fun situations to endure, but there are some positive things that Mercury retrograde brings with it. Knowledge is power, and knowing what Mercury is in control of can help us transform the negative aspects into positives.
Usually Mercury controls how we express ourselves or come across to others, but during retrograde, that energy is turned inward. Instead of running away or hiding from the darkest corners of our mind, Mercury in a way forces us to examine those inner thoughts and feelings. It helps us view things from a different perspective and gives us the opportunity to understand how we’re coming across to others during our non-retrograde filled days. Mercury acts like our own personal shrink, just sitting there, quietly waiting for us to come to our own conclusions surrounding our inner feelings. So while examining our unpleasantries is absolutely terrifying, it is something that once over, brings a sense of peace and closure.
With all of this inner perspective, Mercury retrograde also brings to light relationships we may have forgotten about a chance to be reevaluated. Being placed in a different position gives us the opportunity to learn from our past. We can look back on a fight with a friend or go back to a project we’ve neglected in order to see if differently. Here we can learn more about how those we have relationships with tick, how they respond differently than you, or even how similar you are when in the middle of Mercury’s cosmic storm. So while one side of this warns you not to start anything new, the other side provides a chance to revisit the old and even learn how to rebuild something that may have been broken.
Mercury causes problems in pretty much every relevant aspect of our lives, it causes misunderstandings, impends on travel plans, disrupts computers and cellphones, and even shifts our perspectives on new plans. With all of the warning and caution signs, Mercury does force us to face our demons in a way, to look at things through different eyes and mindset. Understanding this energy that comes from Mercury can help us better navigate the murky waters. So instead of running away, let’s use Mercury to become better, because Mercury in retrograde is a bitch, but like life, it’s a bitch to all of us and I find that comforting.
