Mercury Is In Retrograde: What Does That Mean & How You Can Make It Work For You?

Mercury is in retrograde. Have you noticed its influence? Actually, the pre-retrograde shadow may have started having an influence on your everyday life a few weeks ago and the post-retrograde shadow will last for weeks to come.

There are many people who swear that this is a time when life feels a bit more chaotic and unpredictable (if we're not blaming the moon then mercury must be in retrograde, right?), but what does it actually mean and how will it show up in your life?

 

 

What Is Mercury in Retrograde?

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system, but it packs a punch. It’s the closest planet to the sun and NASA research shows that it’s also the fastest, orbiting the sun in just 88 days. We experience a retrograde period when Mercury speeds past the Earth. 

Astrology Zone explains that if you were to do a bit of stargazing, you would see that the planet appears to move backwards for around three and a half weeks before righting itself and moving forwards again. However, the retrograde (meaning to move backwards) is actually an optical illusion. It’s a bit like that feeling when you’re sitting in a stationary train, but feel like you're moving when another carriage passes by. When Mercury speeds by, in retrograde, it’s like that other train passing by, often leaving behind a sense of turbulence and confusion in our everyday lives. 

 

How Will It Affect Your Daily Life?

In astrology, Mercury is known as the planet of communication. It influences our thinking and how we process information, whether that’s intellectual data or office gossip. It helps us to express ourselves and make decisions.  

When Mercury is in retrograde, many people experience a whole host of mix ups and misunderstandings. You know the feeling - when can’t stop yourself from saying the wrong thing. Or when you’ve triple checked your emails, but there are still typos there. And what about those days when everything IT related goes wrong? Yep, it's mercury in retrograde.

Getting things done can be difficult - the pull of Mercury in retrograde can feel a bit like swimming against the tide. And you’ll feel the pull emotionally too, with indecision and insecurity influencing your daily life more than normal.

This means you may experience financial setbacks, feel less secure physically and emotionally, and you may struggle to keep track of your things. Cheers, Mercury.

 

 

How Can You Make it Work For You?

Intuitive astrologer Molly McCord interprets Mercury in retrograde as an invitation to slow down, to minimise, and to simplify your schedule. She sees this as a time of reflection when you can identify your priorities. It’s an opportunity to step back and evaluate what is worthy of your time, energy and attention - and what is a distraction. Perfect, right?

The Mercury Retrograde Book takes it one step further and offers up practical tools to help you harness the opportunities this troublesome period can present. The authors, Yasmin Boland and Kim Farnell are convinced that Mercury retrograde doesn't have to be a time of stress and misfortune. They’ve shared this mini-list to help you discover how to embrace the cycle and work with it for wonderful changes and second chances:

1.  Renew current commitments before taking on new ones.

2.  Review decisions that need some second thought.

3.  Revamp anything and everything.

4.  Research your next best step in life.

5.  Retrieve items that have been buried under a mountain of clutter - try these tips.

6.  Reconnect with friends and relatives - these books may help.

7.  Resolve conflicts and tensions so that you can make a fresh start.

 

So take it easy over the coming weeks. Try to avoid misunderstandings by really listening to what’s being said, pause before you hit send on that email or social media post, and choose your words carefully. Breathe that little bit deeper and hit that pause button when you feel you need to. #LiveLifeWell

Our take on Mercury in retrograde? You need to start listening to your intuition and go with the flow, rather than swimming against the tide.

 

Find out more with our Weekly Moon Guide, your local guide to the moon cycle and energy in Guernsey.

In partnership with New Moon Wellness.