Mercury retrograde brings your attention to unfinished business. We all have parts of our lives with loose ends, clutter and energetic blocks. Mercury goes retrograde three times (this year, four) a year, for three weeks each time. So, does it always cause mayhem in your life? Only if you have placements between the degrees it covers during the retrograde. If Mercury, Gemini or Virgo are strong in your chart or ruler of the year for you, you may be affected by Mercury retrograde more than most.
In 2020 Mercury was retrograde in Water signs, marking a year of troublesome emotions. In 2021 all the Mercury retrogrades were in Air signs, emphasizing a need to gain objectivity about what had just happened to the world. It was time to start breathing again and look at things from a higher vantage point. In 2022 these retrogrades begin in Air signs, but start shifting back into Earth signs, indicating a need to take practical steps forward in our lives after our 2021 epiphanies.
See the Retrograde Planets page for a visual of all the Mercury retrogrades, including degrees, shadow zones and dates.
Three Flavours of A Retrograde
The pre-shadow period (two weeks) is when themes from the retrograde start to emerge and you get the chance to minimize any harmful effects. If you keep your spidey senses attuned, and do all you can to address issues before they escalate, you can avoid the chaos and embarrassment of the following phase.
The retrograde period itself (three weeks) is when you need to take extra care, because if things can go wrong, they will. Any decisions made now, are likely to be retracted. Don’t start anything new now, it’s safer to wait a little. Best to take the time to think things through from a new perspective, gather all the details, go within, ponder.
The post-shadow period (two weeks) is when life goes back to normal, some decisions are undone, problems resolved, and the lessons learnt during the retrograde are assimilated.
Useful Approaches to Mercury Retrograde
So what do we do if our natal placements are affected directly? Cancel life, business, and relationships? Unrealistic, and unnecessary.
What we do is
What we can also do is
Sounds scary? NAAAH! There are worse things to worry about in the world. Just use humour and common sense and you’ll breeze right through it. It’s only three weeks, after all. How fast have the last three weeks gone for you? They’ve certainly flown for me…
Does this help? Do let me know if you have any questions. Or get in touch for a reading if you’d like more clarity. I’m GOOD at that. Even during Mercruy Gatorade…
Sending you CHILL VIBES for throughout the retrograde…