This is an updated version of the original post from July 2017.
Poor old Mercury gets a bad rap when it comes to its period of slowing down and turning backwards. And I believe it’s undeserved as it’s often a small part of the bigger picture of other triggers to your chart.
A long time ago I got my dream job under Mercury retrograde but there was a catch – it was only part-time and I needed full time. So I happily signed the contract during the retrograde knowing things would change, and I just juggled a few jobs for a while. Sure enough, when the probation period ended I was promoted into the role full-time. Another time I lost my phone during a Mercury retrograde, and it turned up under a retrograde period a year later. While inconvenient, I ended up with a better phone and when the old one turned up I could pass it to a friend who was in real need of one. The wise Kelly Surtees has written a very down to earth article about her experiences buying a house under Mercury retrograde.
When all is said and done, yes, it can cause delays, as we research, reviewing, redo, reassess or revisit, but in this fast pace world that can be a positive. See it as a chance to take the time to do things right. Review contracts to become water-tight against future issues or research to find flaws not evident in the first place. And if trouble happens, know you’re being offered at least one, if not two, chances to revisit the issue and improve on it.
The traditional hotspots for challenges under Mercury retrograde are communications and domestic travel – phones, laptops, tablets, computer networks, internet, cars, and travel arrangements. Think of this scenario; you’ve got a jam-packed weekend of activities out of town but your car breaks down causing you to stay at home instead. Then you lose your phone charger or your wifi goes out so you can’t check social media or even access Netflix. Catastrophe?!? On the surface yes, it’s really annoying but a few hours in you may discover yourself doing something you haven’t done in quite a while. Contemplating, musing, dwelling, just being with yourself and your thoughts and feelings.
During the time of retrograde, the mind turns inward, towards the lives that can be drowned out in the noise of the world. It is a time for realisation, recognition and realignment. A time to understand reactions, discover hidden feelings or see different perspectives. If used right, there’s an opportunity to create inner stillness, and keep it when our external self returns to the active needs of daily life. Like a wheel, the outer part is always spinning but the inner core always stays the same.
When Mercury stations to turn backwards, consider the next few weeks as the chance to create some of this space for yourself. It could be a total social media detox. Or just trying no screens for 1 hour before bed, and then 10 minutes of quiet stillness as you get into bed each night, checking in with different parts of yourself and see how they are, REALLY are. It may be physical parts, like in yoga nidra, or it could your emotions, your mind, your spirit, your soul. Once a dialogue is opened with these parts of you, you can access important information about yourself and may find you won’t want it to stop! And the wisdom you receive from this can help you make clearer decisions and be more aligned with the life you purposefully wish to live.