When Mercury goes retrograde, which is several times a year, you will often hear a lot of complaining because incidences and accidents seem to occur during these phases. For some, things go haywire and life becomes annoying and frustrating. So I want to shed some light on how to navigate these times and use the force to your advantage.
Mercury has to do with information, education and communication, including your electronic equipment, phones and computers which form your communication platforms. A few positive traits of Mercury include being quick-minded, adaptable and witty. Some negatives include being indecisive and doubtful, even superficial. There is a speed to Mercury that can overlook details, or only do half of what is needed which is fine until things go wrong. Of course, Mercury in your chart does not stand alone. It will be angled to another planet so these combined forces can create havoc if you’re not attending to them as needed.
The retrograde period becomes a time to revisit your communication platforms to make sure everything is in order. Even if you’re using your structured Saturn, retrograde Mercury is not a good time to start new projects. It’s more a time to get your planning done so that when Mercury goes forward the flow makes your project easier. The aim is to perfect your mercurial skills and do a good job of your creative pursuits, or life generally.
A principle to understand with Retrogrades is it’s a time to stand still, focus and go inward. When the planet moves forward you step outward with your knowledge and skills with preparedness and clarity.
So why does life go haywire for so many people during a Mercury Retrograde? Go to the principle. Are you focused? Are you using this phase to revise your goals and intended actions? Are you involuted toward your structured platforms, i.e. is everything working as they need to?
Often if people ignore this inward phase, they are obviously doing the opposite. An exvoluted or busy mind is usually on everything else but the job at hand. I have been caught in this complacency or ignorance too. I was planning an event. Well, I wasn’t, I was relying on someone else thinking they were skilled enough to get the job done. I did check in every now and then and was assured by her that all was well. I took her word for it and felt I could let go of that side of things. The event was cancelled because of lack of attendance. I later reflected that this pre-event period was during a Mercury Retrograde. I needed to put my focus on the preparation and not let go. I could delegate tasks to someone else, sure, but I needed to stay focused on what was being achieved by them. This was a time where I had to be more involuted. It’s not a time to give too much responsibility out to others or to trust all is as it should be. It’s not a time to let go. It’s a time to be more aware, more focused.
Are you involuted or exvoluted during a Mercury Retrograde? Ultimately you are responsible for what happens in your life, so pay attention to your thoughts and actions. If you are planning an event and it falls during a Mercury retrograde period, make sure you are hands-on and not relying externally on others solely. If you are travelling during a retrograde period, focus on what you are doing. Don’t be complacent, cross the t’s and dot the i’s with your plans. Perhaps this is the only time that is good to be talking to yourself and doing checklists in your mercurial mind - did you book the motel, do you have your passport, check, check and check.
The next Mercury Retrograde period is from February 16th to March 9th 2020. So very soon you will have the opportunity to handle this force to your advantage.