You may have noticed people complaining about mishaps befalling them because "Mercury is in retrograde." But what does it mean for Mercury to be in retrograde and what happens during this time period?
During specific times of every year, the orbit of Earth and Mercury overlap. During this time, Mercury moves more quickly than Earth, making it appear like it is moving backward - or in retrograde.
As to what happens during Mercury retrograde, people report bad luck surrounding the areas of our lives governed by the planet. We can look to the zodiac and the influence the planet has on the different signs to learn how to deal with Mercury retrograde and its effects.
Mercury rules communication, so the witty banter and easy-flowing conversation you normally have with a spouse or partner may take an awkward or stressful turn during a retrograde period.
A poor choice of words or an accidental miscommunication can lead to stress, misunderstandings, and other relationship-breakers during this time period. Since people are already experiencing problems with other aspects of their lives, the poor communication may be enough to end a relationship.
Exes May Pop Back Into Your Life
If there have been seemingly random times of the year all of your exes have come out of the woodwork, chances are it happened during a period of Mercury retrograde. This time may have your exes (or even you) waxing nostalgic about a past relationship. Some astrologers will tell you if you run into an ex or an estranged friend, it is a sign you should grab a cup of coffee and see if anything can be amended.
Other astrologists believe things in the past should stay in the past. Jaye at Gifted Astrology says, "If your relationship already broke up once and you're bringing old wounds back to the same combination to try to heal them or fix things, the ground will be even more shaky while Mercury's energies are turned inward (or retrograde)." If you have feelings about an ex, Jaye advises to wait until after the retrograde period to see if your feelings are the same.
Mercury rules codes - like the code found in a computer. Since almost everything has a computer in it, prepare for your laptop to crash, your stove to need replacing, or your phone to stop opening your apps.
Avoid putting new software on computers, as it will not go well. You should also avoid purchasing anything that has to do with computers, as you may find that it doesn't work like it is supposed to - or at all.
Mercury also presides over travel, transportation, and shipping. Expect delays when traveling, plans to fall through, and other types of frustration.
Safeguard yourself by taking backup maps in case your phone loses the GPS signal, double-checking how much gas is in the tank, arriving early at the airport, and giving yourself plenty of time to make connections. Get your car checked out prior to heading out on a road trip too, since Mercury tends to break them during retrograde - but make sure you do it before the retrograde.
Don't Expect To Successfully Start A Business During This Time
Since Mercury rules over communication, negotiations, contracts, agreements, and paperwork, avoid starting a new business. In fact, astrologers believe it is best to avoid starting any type of new job or position while the planet of communication is in retrograde.
If you do elect to start a new career during a Mercury retrograde, you may not be too pleased with the position once the planet moves forward. Once retrograde ends, you'll find yourself in a job that doesn't resemble what you were promised or with a business partner that misfiled paperwork. It's best to use the delay to keep looking for more opportunity and double-checking important documents.
Elective Surgeries Should Be Avoided During Mercury Retrograde
Surgeons are people too, so the effects of the retrograde apply to them as well. If a surgery isn't an emergency, postpone it until after Mercury is back to normal. This will avoid problems with the life-saving machines going haywire during a procedure, bad communication, or problems with the paperwork going to the insurance company - all things that could happen during the retrograde.
