Mercury’s Retrograde motion occurs frequently, about three times per year, so this means that it’s a very commonplace, fast transit, and it’s far from insignificant in terms of its influence on everyday life…
We blame it for various evils, complaining about delays, setbacks, communication problems in terms of understanding and being understood, and certain inconveniences such as our electronics breaking, losing various objects or mail, issues with travel, or even accidents and other misfortunes, to name just a few examples.
Of course, we don’t need to stop living, go hide away in a bunker, and do nothing at all during this transit !
But at the same time, there are some better ways of approaching things, ways to prepare, plan, and adjust, as much as possible, to what we may have to go through, and in some ways this might even be a very useful period of time in terms of preparatory forces and planning; again, it’s all about moving in the same direction as the cycles of the universe and accompanying them as consciously as possible.
Help ! Mercury is going retrograde : what do I do ?
First of all, it’s imperative to understand the mechanism of a retrograde loop, which I explain in this article, and thus see that the period of retrograde motion is just one part of it, which implies that, in a way, we can apply an Orb to this phenomenon. As a result, it has a tendency to extend further, and may be broken down into “sub-phases” depending on how fast the planet is moving, including stationary phases : just a little note on the technical details.
So the first thing to plan on doing ahead of time is to make things more secure; for example, back up your work on several hard drives and remote servers (cloud). Having several copies is not just a luxury if you don’t want to have to do things over again after losing your work ! (I know all about this)
In the same vein, consider having redundancy in your systems (two is better than one, three is better than two, etc). Having a backup computer can be useful, as well as using multiple methods for communicating, making sure that the person you are talking to has really understood what you said, having them repeat back to you, and confirming / reconfirming things in various ways (and also using written rather than oral communication, as the latter is in some ways more likely to create confusion).
Doubt may be useful during this period of time : it may be helpful to call things into question and reconsider certain things, such as protocols, habits, people, and exchanges. It’s best to wait, reflect, analyze, and ask for confirmation !
Signing a contract and buying certain things is not recommended when Mercury is retrograde; rather, these energies should be taken advantage of for talking and negotiating, or even simply for thought and reflection, weighing the pros and cons of something, and asking to withdraw, study things in depth, and get reassurance.
Should travel be postponed ?
Certain astrologers will definitely advise against long trips…
Much of this also depends on whether Mercury’s retrograde motion is occurring in a sensitive sector of your Birth chart, touching on delicate points of tension, or not.
In any case, proceeding with caution is helpful, as is taking preventative measures, to protect against theft (Mercury is the God of thieves) and other problems during a voyage (travel and auto insurance, smart planning, risk reduction, and bringing adequate supplies, a spare tire, a first-aid kit, etc).
How do I handle discussions ?
Knowing how to truly communicate well is a complex art, and it’s not universal. There are several possible methods of communicating, and no expert can claim to communicate flawlessly : just think about some of the huge mistakes that certain famous advertisers have made, or the blunders that some politicians have made despite the fact that they are quite accustomed to the media… 🙂
Ancient peoples had different proverbs, such as “turn your tongue seven times in your mouth before speaking”, and “speech is silver but silence is golden”. The quality of communication has likely been weighing on manking since the dawn of time, and Mercury has undoubtedly sown the seeds of trouble.
It may require a great amount of patience and thought, not to start something impulsively or get things too mixed up with your emotions, for example, and not to be too resentful or sensitive either.
During this time period, people are frequently unable to express themselves well, understand others well, or translate or decode things well, and so it’s important to be mindful of this and duly take note of it, both for ourselves and so that we are more lenient with others.
Should I buy things ?
Actually, this period of time may be better for preparing to buy something than for actually buying it (like for signing contracts, as mentioned above), so it would be more useful to do research and analysis, make comparisons, shop around, get a feel for the market, learn about the warranties and legal, financial, or tax-related terms and conditions, etc.
How does it resonate with our natal Mercury ?
Mercury, like all of the planets in our birth chart, resonates with us in a distinctive way. Even though its natural tone tends to be rather “neutral,” it nevertheless has certain affinities that depend on the Rulerships in a person’s chart.
These affinities also depend on which phase of its cycle we are born in, whether it’s a Promethean or Epimethean Mercury, and whether the planet is retrograde or not.
An interesting and fairly surprising fact is that people with Mercury retrograde in their birth chart will generally have an easier time living through periods of retrograde motion !
They find Mercurian forces easier to understand and “externalize”, and Retrograde motion in a transit may represent important opportunities for them…
Punctuality is the politeness of kings !
Since this planet tends to make us late, we can try to counteract that by getting a head start ! Whether it be for a project at work, a meeting, or a trip, the act of anticipating our lateness can sometimes cancel it out, so we really need to avoid waiting until the last minute to get ready to leave for somewhere or to get started on something.
Mercury’s retrograde motion is likely to make our minds act in ways that contrast with our natural patterns. We also need to be careful of having to take the blame for things that we later do not recognize or that might get us stuck in a corner or be harmful, etc…
If we approach Mercury’s retrograde motion from the perspectives presented above, these routine periods of time become opportunities that we should make the most of in order to allow our behavior to change with the rhythms of the universe; astrology never suggests doing anything else ! 🙂