Mercury Retrograde Explained: What You Should (and SHOULDN'T) Do 🚨

Mercury retrograde explained! Video up now 👆🏾, click here 👀

That important message you sent 1 week ago didn't go through? Your joke lands on deaf ears? You get a flat tire on your way to work? Yep... I sense a disturbance in the force. That disturbance is Mercury retrograde "going back" in orbit. Our go-betweens, communications, connections, transportation, coordination, and mental processing may be on the fritz and our past comes back to haunt us 👻. BUT! Despite the mayhem, there's a silver lining and bright side to this little mercurial quicksilver planet of ours.

Let's spill the tea on what mercury retrograde is and what it "CAN" do for us. Also, what you SHOULD AVOID during this transit. I will provide you with a survival guide of sorts. Consider, this an everything you need to know guide about mercury retrograde ♻️.

Now, let's mosey on over to what a "mercury retrograde" actually is?

So, what is Mercury Retrograde?

• It's when Mercury goes REVERSE, into “apparent” retrograde motion. Yes, mercury is doing the cha cha slide; it's taking it back now, y'all 🎶. Retrograde motion means it's going "backwards" in its orbit.

• I say apparent retrograde motion because it's actually an optical illusion from our perspective on earth. It kind of looks like mercury is back pedaling in space. It goes back the way it came. In astrology, it's a signal to us to also go back the way we came-- in all things. I like to think mercury is doing a second pass over in a room it frequented to make sure it didn’t forget anything before leaving for good and turning off the lights.

• Just as we are fooled by what mercury is doing based on our perspective, so are our judgements concerning most things.

• Mercury Retrograde is an optical illusion and as above, so below. It's a perfect allegory for how we may jump to conclusions or misjudge certain things in our life that mercury represents (i.e. you may think you filled your gas tank recently but, you realize your tank is empty once you get in your car.)

What does Mercury represent?

• Communication/correspondence 

• Transportation

• Logistics

• Mail/delivery

• Couriers

• Travel

• Paperwork/Documents

• Contracts/agreements

• Children/school-age

• Students

• Siblings

• Acquaintances/peers

• Education (esp primary school, courses)

• Information

• Technology (esp everyday or routine technology), esp handheld technology

• Electronics

• Merchants/trade/bartering

• Markets

• Neighbors

• Meeting places 

• Common areas

• Routines

• Daily commute or route

• Dexterity

• Hand eye coordination

• Nervous system

• Thinking, mental state, mental energy

• Decision making

• Learning styles

• Speech

• Shifting weather patterns/cycles

  
  

Why should I care?

• Well?? You exist don't you? You have a birth chart, right? Of course you do! You're here on earth, aren't you? Mercury is aspecting you whether you like it or not.  That's what I always say. Astrology is just patterns and it's happening whether you believe it or not so why not prepare?? Take “pre"cautions.

• "Pre"paring you now-- Re and Pre prefixes will be used a lot during this broadcast.

  
  

How does Mercury retrograde (Rx) affect me?

• So depending on your birth chart, mercury will fall into one of your 12 houses.

• It's important to know your birth chart because you can find where mercury rx will be transiting (i.e. Mercury rx could be in your 1st house. It'll affect you strongly. Your body, your perception of self, your image, and your mentality. Mercury rx in your 2nd house will affect your money streams, eating habits, and possibly your possessions, Mercury rx in 3rd house will affect your transportation, tech, communication with others, your connections, school work, Mercury rx in 4th will affect your home, family, etc.) 

• You can even look at the ruling planet of mercury rx transit wise and it'll show you even more (i.e. Mercury rx in 3rd house ruled by transitting jupiter in 7th house– a partner may be receiving an influx of correspondences from old acquaintances and/or an influx of references or referrals for business prospects happens. Or you may reconnect with a long-lost love connection 👀)...

• Knowing where you have mercury can help you anticipate what you can do with this time and how to avoid missteps. For example, you may have mercury retrograde conjunct your mars. You need to be especially careful, especially physically 🚨. Drive more cautiously, don't over exert yourself physically, be careful around fire, heat or sharp objects, wear protective equipment where it's warranted and take your time doing things as you may be less coordinated and more prone to accidents– aka slips and falls. Yes. I'm calling you clumsy during this time.

• If you don't know your birthtime, you'll have to rely on aspects. With your birthdate you can still see if mercury will aspect any of your natal placements--i.e. if you are a Virgo Sun, then Mercury rx in Pisces may oppose your Sun (depends on degrees)-- this can mean that the fallout of mercury rx indirectly impacts you. I can see that people you deal with, or encounter, may be experiencing the effects of mercurial upsets and it indirectly affects/inconveniences you. If you were a pisces, it would conjunct your sun and directly affect you, as in YOU’RE the problem, lol. You're late, or more forgetful, or your car breaks down. This is a very simplistic way of looking at the aspects just to generate ideas but I hope you get the idea. 

  
  

What SHOULDN'T you do?

• START/BUY NEW THINGS

  • This energy puts us on a steep learning curve

  • Starting new things can and WILL make you an expert (against your will sometimes) and only if you don't get frustrated first.

  • It's okay to explore your options but trials and experimenting is your best bet. Don't commit or lock yourself into anything just yet. 

• RUSH

  • Mercury retrograde wants us to pause, rest, relax sometimes, and review, restructure and reset, even renew.

  • Rushing will make you miss things.

  • Rushing can also be dangerous.

  • Peep what I said about mars conjunct mercury rx above, please.

• ASSUME

  • Assuming makes an ass out of you and me– you know the saying

  • You think you know it all but you have no idea (who remembers MTV diaries? 😂).

  • Don't be a know it all

  • There is so much to learn!

  • You don't want foot in mouth situations

• BE UNPREPARED

  • Think of Murphy's Law

  • Whatever can go wrong, will

  • I got to say, people with anxiety will probably sail through this period because they tend to overprepare

• JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS

  • Do not ASSUME

  • You know the saying

  • Give the benefit of the doubt occasionally 

  • When in doubt, verify

  • Don't react too quickly

  • Assess, take a step back and get perspective

• BE STUBBORN

  • You have to be adaptable

  • Flexibility will save you

  • Being stubborn closes you off to possibly BETTER options

• DO SOMETHING PERMANENT

  • Especially for my 1st house mercury retrogrades.

  • Do not do something you cannot REVERSE especially PHYSICALLY.

  • Try not to commit to anything just yet.

  • This is why we say do not sign contracts during this transit– there may be something you learn after the fact that makes you want to change your mind. You don't want to be locked into something.

• BE RISKY

  • Do not incur undue risks.

  • Anything that can lead to huge upsets, especially financially or regarding games of chance or because you are solely relying on good faith or someone's word?? It may fall through.

• STOP LIVING

  • You have to live your life.

  • You can't live under a rock this whole period.

  • But you can work with the energy

  • There's plenty of stuff retrogrades are good for.

  • And sometimes, some things are unavoidable.

  • Do your best but at least you're prepared so you can mitigate any issues.

    
    

What SHOULD you do during Mercury retrograde?

• All the RE- words! And a few more...

• RECONNECT

• REVIEW

• REFLECT 

• REMINISCE 

• REVISIT

• RELEARN

• RESEARCH 

• RETURN

• REWARD

• **REKINDLE (NOT THE TOXIC KIND 💀)

• REDO

• REBUILD

• REVISE

• RESTORE

• REPAIR

• RESTRUCTURE

• REFRESH

• REUSE

• RECORD

• RECONSIDER

NOT RE- WORDS, BUT YOU GET ME

• BACK UP

• PREPARE

• LISTEN

• PAUSE

• WAIT

• PRACTICE PATIENCE

• FORGIVE

• RELY ON THE EXPERIENCED

• BE FLEXIBLE

• BE CLEAR

• CHANGE YOUR MIND

But, yeah! Mercury retrograde doesn't have to be so scary. You can actually make it work for you. I can see people who have it in their 10th house making a lot of career moves that push you forward in the best way professionally- i.e. resume refreshing and connecting with past references. Astrology is all just patterns, so use the cycles to your advantage!

Curiousss– how did you feel about mercury retrogrades before this post 🤔? I know I treated it like the enemy before I started to work with the energy and not against it. I still think mercury likes being the villain sometimes, though. It's a trickster for sure and proud of it 😈, lol. Anyways, let me know your thoughts!