12/27/2020 Mercury retrograde, what is it and how it affects you

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Mercury Retrograde: What is it and WhyShould You Care?

So. Mercury Retrograde. What is it? And why are some people so freaked out about it while other peoplejust don’t seem to be able to care less? 

To illustrate my point, let me paint you a picture.

“Sounds like Mercury’s in retrograde again,” says the wizened old man as the earth crumbles beneath hisfeet. The world goes dark as all technology grinds to a halt, and the night sky is set ablaze by a torrent of �reand brimstone. There is screaming and wailing in the streets, but no one understands anything. Worst of all,your Uber is running late, and now you’re not.

While I’m just kidding around here, you might get this kind of nigh-apocalyptic vibe from some of yourfriends who may be quite enthusiastic about astrology. But what’s the big deal?

Well, the fascination with Mercury and its retrograde phases goes a lot farther back than you think. Sincethe mid-18th century, people have already been describing and cataloging Mercury retrogrades. 

In fact, you could even �nd notes about these events in the yearly published farming almanacs ofyesteryears. Farmers used to look to these books to learn about the patterns of the skies as well as thestars so that they could properly align their schedule of planting and harvest with key seasonal andastrological events. 

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It is noteworthy that these almanacs attribute the Mercury retrogrades to times of higher than averagerainfall. Now, around these times, this kind of heavy rain was considered bad luck and a harbinger ofmisfortune. And it stuck!

Where other spiritualistic practices died out, astrology thrived and managed to stand the test of time. It thenspread through the mainstream consciousness and, by the 70s, have become a �xture on mainstreammedia: most notably in newspapers. 

The writers continuously made references to retrogrades and Mercury’s in particular, so it got a lot ofattention. And since the god Mercury was believed to rule over wealth, travel, business, among others, theplanet Mercury has assumed these things into its identity as well.

And that leaves us to the present day, with the Mercury retrograde as we know it.

What is Mercury Retrograde?

Stemming from the Latin word “retrogradus” which literallystands for a step backward, a Mercury Retrograde is justthat: when the planet seems to be moving back across ournight sky instead of forward. the times of the year where 

Interestingly, this is what astrologers and astronomersrefer to as an “apparent retrograde.” See, the thing is,Mercury isn’t really moving backward. Like all the otherplanets in our solar system, Mercury moves in the samedirection. 

However, because of how fast Earth travels around its axiscompared to Mercury, the difference in speed becomesapparent when both planets are close to each other. Thisspeed gap is what causes the illusion. 

Much like times when you’re rushing somewhere, and you’re overtaking the guy next to you; while you’reboth going the same way, from your perspective, the other person seems to be moving backward as yourush ahead.

Now, this is by no means unique to Mercury. Actually, even the other planets in our solar system experiencethe same phenomenon at their own times. 

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But what does this all mean in an astrological sense? And why is Mercury the one that everyone freaks outover? 

Well, that has a lot to do with what Mercury stands for and how it affects our modern life.

When a planet is in retrograde, it is considered to be in a dormant or resting state. This hibernation of sortsmeans that the planet is not quite in control of the aspects it rules over, and so, a little chaos gets throwninto the mix. 

Mercury, the planet, has jurisdiction over every single thing that has anything do to with communication,travel, thinking, info, and electronics. These are all things that are central to our lives as we know it.

That means that when Mercury goes into retrograde, it’s going to sting. Suddenly, your messages may notbe getting through. Your calls may get fuzzy. Your �ight may run late. And you may �nd yourself trippingover every convenience that makes the modern person’s fast-paced lifestyle possible. 

Worse yet, a Mercury retrograde also can disrupt you from within as it also has ties to decision making andbusiness. So if you �nd yourself making poor decisions you otherwise wouldn’t have or that your plans mayhave been a little too poorly thought out, the retrograde.

When is the Next Mercury Retrograde, and How DoYou Spot It?

Fortunately, or unfortunately for the morbidly curious,all the Mercury retrogrades for 2020 have alreadypassed. 

In 2021, you can see Mercury start on its apparentretrograde motion sometime during these dates:

January 30 to February 21

May 29 to June 22

September 27 to October 23

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When it does get started, you can expect this retrograde phase to persist for about three weeks at a time,more or less. At which time, you should expect things to be a bit more unhinged than they usually are.

For those keeping score at home, you might be able to watch Mercury grind to a halt and start movingbackward by looking at the night sky. In fact, at certain times of the year, you may even be able to seeMercury without the need for a telescope!

Is Mercury Retrograde Real? 

Well, yes and no. 

As usual, the answer isn’t exactly as clear cut as we’d all like it to be. The problem is that sometimes peopleget a little too overzealous when it comes to blaming things on the Mercury retrograde. What happens thenis that there might be some misinformation about what it does and does not affect as well as to whatextent.

However, while the apparent retrograde itself may be a trick of the eyes, the effects it has on our lives iscertainly quite real. And though its effects are subtle, it wouldn’t really hurt to lay low and play safe for awhile.

So let’s clear the air here. The effects of the Mercury retrograde are subtle and far-reaching, but it certainlyis not the sole reason for any misfortune that occurs to you or anyone around you regarding the aspects itdoes control. 

Rather, it provides an increased chance for mishap because it is not actively governing the concepts underits area of responsibility. So while things have a chance of going terribly wrong, they could just as easily goexactly as planned. 

Detractors may call this all coincidence and say that the believers are blaming everyday gripes on theretrograde. At the same time, believers assert that there are real consequences and observable patterns tothe retrograde.

So is Mercury retrograde real? The phenomenon clearly exists and is visible with the proper tools or atopportune moments. And it certainly has an effect on the people who take notice of its existence, whetherthey believe or not.

7 Common Signs of Mercury Retrograde 

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Marked Loss of Energy

Interestingly, you can most easily be able to feel the effects of the Mercury retrograde in yourself. While thethings around you may be going haywire, you can always rely on the changes from the status quo to signifywhen the retrograde is in effect.

One common sign of Mercury retrograde is when yourenergy levels just tank hard for no good reason. Things thatwere once effortless might now be a hassle to start, letalone continue. Your average zest for life feels muted if notnonexistent, and things don’t seem to perk you up as muchas they usually do. 

You will probably be contending with issues of �nding themotivation to do things and this background lethargy may

make it di�cult for you to feel much of anything else unless it serves to further ruin your mood.

Too Much Restlessness

As if it wasn’t bad enough that you would feel quite sluggish all day. You may also feel like you have a lot offree energy just buzzing around inside of you. It could be making you feel restless and have you pacing the�oor for no good reason.

This nervous energy could cost you your peace of mind as it can make your anxieties and worries out to bebigger than they actually are.

Stress and Eating

This stress may also be manifesting in the way you eat.Depending on how you handle food in times of distress,you may �nd it hard to eat a lot and you might evenaccidentally skip meals. 

On the other hand, if you were prone to stress eatingbefore, you’ll certainly notice that you’re reaching for a bagof chips or some other comforting treat more often thanyou used to.

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Also, if you are on a diet, you can probably feel the squeeze when you �nd your cravings feel stronger thanusual. Actually, a lot of the signs you see here can, in fact, factor into this loss of motivation towardskeeping your diet.

A Breakdown In Communication

At this time, you might feel like there are times that you just can’t get your message across. You may �ndthat the people you talk to misremember or misunderstand the things you tell them, and vice versa.

It’s not just oral media, but you could �nd yourself bugged by messages that won’t send, emails that younever quite received until you �nd them buried under the spam you signed up for, and calls that freeze upand get choppy at the worst moments.

It could be a combination of internal and external factors, but the end result is the same. What you havehere may be a failure to communicate.

Delays And Setbacks

These delays and setbacks are the practical culmination of the different aspects of a Mercury retrograde. Ifyou ever had anything planned at all, the chances are that something may go wrong at a moment’s notice.In fact, you may feel like the world is against you when things don’t line up one too many times.

What this section highlights isn’t necessarily the nature of the delays and setbacks but the frequency and toan extent, the severity of these issues when they pop up. If you �nd yourself wrestling with more problemsthan anticipated, the retrograde may have a hand in it.

Analysis Paralysis

Another thing that might crop up during this time is brain fog and a lot of it. Along with the lethargy andnervous energy, you may also �nd it di�cult to think through the plans you were making clearly. New ideasare hard to come by, and trying to iron out details for endeavors that you have already started may takemore time and effort than you think.

Right now, your disrupted emotional state accumulates with the retrograde energy and can manifest inquestionable decision-making. By that logic, you may even �nd yourself actively coming up with bad ideasof your own. Hopefully, you catch those before you start working on the wrong things.

Travel and Transport Filled With Trials

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12/27/2020 Mercury retrograde, what is it and how it affects you

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 Of course, right next to communication woes are thetrials and tribulations you are bound to face when itcomes to getting from point A to point B. Right now, yourtravels are liable to be peppered with inconveniences,large and small.

The bus you’re riding could break down. You might leaveyour �ight tickets at home and only �nd out halfway to theairport. Your baggage may �nd itself in a different place

altogether. Or you could simply just lose your way every now and then.

9 Helpful Tips to Deal with Mercury Retrograde 

Take it Slow and Stay Cool

As the Mercury retrograde has a propensity to mess withany plans you may try to make, it might actually be apretty good idea to take it slow for a while. Since planstend to go awry, feel free to postpone major life decisionsat your discretion.

Sure, you can still work on the essentials, and you can stillplan towards your long-term goals, but you might want tocheck on those after the retrograde before committing toanything permanently. That way, you can review your

decisions without the burden of background stress and brain fog that comes with the retrograde.

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

So you might be wondering what you can do if you’re not supposed to be getting anything done. 

Of course, being a little more passive doesn’t mean you don’t do anything. With all this time you get, it mightbe a good idea for you to take stock of your situation and to re�ect on your goals and the actions you taketo get to them. 

When you adopt a more re�ective mindset in place of your more action-oriented thinking and start lookingthrough your situation, you set yourself up for success by mitigating the risks of forgetting ormisunderstanding something. You also double-check more freely and are more cautious altogether.

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Always Have a Plan B

Whether you like it or not, even the most elaborate and meticulously crafted plans fall �at and fail miserably.How much more during a Mercury retrograde? With that in mind, do not hesitate to cut your losses whenthings look bad and always have one or more backup plans ready.  Prepare to face setbacks and delays,and have a course of action for issues you think may crop up.

Don’t try to save a course of action that has already long since outlived its usefulness. Trying to �t old plansinto new circumstances may make things worse than they already are and will de�nitely introduce delaysand more problems in your endeavors.

But Don’t Neglect Your Plan A’s

While hoping for the best and preparing for the worst is a good rule ofthumb for any endeavor, this doesn’t mean you should just leave your initialplans to rot and die out. Your plan A is the �rst course of action for a goodreason. To be honest, if your backup plan is better than your primary plan,then you may have issues with your priorities. 

Of course, it would be a waste of effort to overengineer plans to the pointthat they fall apart at the slightest setback. So be generous in your riskassessment and give your plans a wide margin of error. Make sure that youkeep an eye on any key details, materials, people, etc. that are key to yoursuccess and adapt accordingly. 

Read the Fine Print… Twice

While the previous tips were very general, you may need to pay particular attention to contracts andagreements. These cornerstones of collaborative effort are what will guide you and everyone you work withas you move towards a mutually attainable goal.

It goes without saying that any mistake or misunderstanding in your contract or agreement can bedisastrous to your plans. With that in mind, you would do well to check every detail in your verbal or writtencontracts before signing off on anything. 

Take your time with this checking and sleep on it if you have to. Your efforts here will only serve tosmoothen operations down the line.

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Take Care of Your Tech

While Mercury isn’t going to walk up to you and slap the phone out of your hand, it might be worthwhile totake particularly good care of your gadgets at this time. Make sure that all your important data is backed upso that you aren’t left high and dry when your �les start glitching out on you.

You should also double-check to make sure that your essentials like your phone and laptop are charged andin working order, especially on days where you will need them to present information or contact keypersons.

Don’t Fret Too Much Over Mercury

In the end, while it does have an effect on a large part of our modern lives, sometimes the more signi�cantissues come from the worry it causes. While it may seem a little counter-intuitive, you really don’t have toworry too much over it. As long as you remain cautious and do your due diligence, then that’s that; anythingelse is out of your control.  

If you let your anxiety spiral out of control and consume you, you might actually end up making mistakesand forgetting things. Which can lead you right into the errors and issues you were so worried aboutavoiding.

Take a Break!

Sometimes, when things aren’t exactly going your way and especially when yourchances for success are even more hampered, this might be a sign to take abreak. Maybe this is the universe telling you that you may be due for a vacation. 

The three weeks of Mercury retrograde is bound to lead to more work as issuesstart to pile up and delays pop out of the woodwork. So if you can afford to take abreak at this time, then you may be able to just tune out, chill out, and ride out thistime of chaos. After all, if you’re in the position to postpone your decisions, thenwhy not treat yourself while you’re at it. 

Turn It All Around

Of course, there is another way. See, Mercury, even while in retrograde, favors those who are bold andcreative in their pursuit of success. If you manage to and follow a lot of the tips above to mitigate a lot ofthe risks, then you might �nd yourself with a world of opportunities.

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Just make sure to always double-check everything you do, and remember to be �exible. Things are boundto mess up! What separates the winners from the losers here is whether or not you are able to roll with thepunches. You’re already swimming upstream here, but there are so many ways to succeed if you’re willingto play fast and loose with your plans.

This article has been written by our expert astrologer Maria. With more than 20 years of experience with astrology, Maria isa trusted resource to help you with astrological analysis and interpretation.Filed Under: AstrologyTagged With: mercury, planet, retrograde

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