What is Mercury retrograde and what do we need to know about it?
Mercury retrograde is a phenomenon that occurs when the planet appears to move backwards. It happens three or four times per year for approximately three weeks at a time. The universal purpose of this time is to pause, reflect and review life, initiate anything new. How powerful is it? Depends on who you ask. Some say beware and hide until it’s over, others advise to avoid dealing with matters that Mercury influences, while others discount the effects of this cosmic reversal altogether. What I can say is that I’ve been tracking the movements and manifestations of Mercury retrograde for decades and I believe that this cosmic event has a definite effect.
Here’s my list of top DOs and DO NOTs.
I’ll start with the DO NOTs first:
Sign contracts. The fine print (or not so fine) will trip you up later. Even a contract with the cable company can become a convoluted nightmare if initiated during Mercury retrograde.
Have surgery. Under no circumstances should you go under the knife during Mercury retrograde. This cannot be stressed enough. I believe that if all surgeries were suspended during this period, unsuccessful procedures (those that result in lawsuits, complications, long-term disabilities or death) would drop dramatically.
Accept a new job or hire employees. In either case, it won’t work out, wasting everyone’s time.
Schedule important meetings or launch campaigns.
Make important purchases, especially motorized vehicles (yes, that means cars) or electronics (and yes, that includes computers). However, no matter what the item is, it has a good chance of being a lemon if purchased during a Mercury retrograde cycle.
Make an important decision. You'll end up regretting it or changing your mind.
Make travel reservations. Just like appointments, you’ll end up having to reschedule.
Travel. I’ve included travel on the Do Nots list as most astrologers advise against travel during the cycle. However, I have traveled dozens of times during Mercury retrograde with no problems at all.
Make important appointments. I’ve never seen it fail to happen that they end up needing to be rescheduled.
Now the DOs:
Most Important: Mercury retrograde is for the mind, what a tune-up is for the automobile. Use this time to examine your thoughts and release those that do not support what you desire and replace them those that do.
Reflect, rejuvenate, restore, review, revise.
Anything spiritual, contemplative, creative or artistic.
Meditate, paint, read, write, spend time in nature, etc.
Anything that starts with "re." This includes repair, refurbish, restore, revise, reorganize.
Check the lost and found. Anything that becomes lost during a Mercury retrograde period will eventually be found or returned.
Be patient. If you use this time wisely, you will be rewarded with greater clarity and purpose when the planet moves forward.
Other things to know:
Every Mercury retrograde cycle is a time to rethink where you’ve been—to re-experience your reality from a wider and more insightful perspective. Collecting, assimilating and disseminating information is Mercury’s mission and it uses the best metric on earth to gather data—our six senses. With our five physical senses we glean corporeal information from life’s landscape but is only with the input from our sixth sense that we retrieve the divine data from our souls.
Mercury rules communication, cars, transit, technology, computers, appliances, electronics. If any of these items has a weakness or is wearing out, it will need repair during Mercury retrograde. This includes breakdowns in interpersonal communication. Pay extra attention to being clear in your communications with others and double check for typos when sending texts and emails.
Check your chart. Each Mercury retrograde has unique energies depending on it's sign and relationship to other planets in the zodiac. How the cycle will effect you is determined largely by what house Mercury is traversing in your birth chart. Look to that *house for insight into the area of life it governs. For a deeper understanding of how a specific Mercury retrograde cycle is (or will) impact you, check the aspects it makes to other planets and important points in your chart (or contact an astrologer).
Watch the cycle. You'll know when Mercury is stationing forward (slowing to a stop before changing direction) or backwards when the weather changes, often this change is dramatic. You will also notice yourself feeling an inclination to tie up loose ends; you know, those things you've been procrastinating about taking care of. Resist this urge and put it on your to-do list for after the retrograde ends. This is usually the most powerful time of a retrograde, so be extra careful to mind the DOs and DON'Ts. Any situation that starts at the beginning of a Mercury retrograde cycle, will not come to resolution until the cycle ends. Lastly, if you absolutely must sign a contract during Mercury retrograde, read it very carefully multiple times and double cross your fingers.
*Basic House Ruler-ships:
1st House: Self and outward persona
2nd House: Money and what we value
3rd House: Communications, community, lower education
4th House: Home, family, emotional foundation
5th House: Creative self-expression, pursuit of joy
6th House: Work environment, health, service, habits and routines
7th House: Close relationships, the other
8th House: Psyche, sex, shared resources
9th House: Philosophy, religion, legal matters, higher education
10th House: Career, place in the larger society
11th House: Goals, priorities, associations with organizations and groups
12th House: Spirituality, intuition, faith and connection with spirit and our soul
Mercury Retrogrades for 2020
February 16 - March 10
June 18 - July 12
October 14 - November 3
Note: Pacific time-zone