Today I’m sharing a post I wrote for Sue Vincent’s blog on the topic of Mercury Retrograde. This retrograde was a doozie for sure. And even though it finally, officially ended December 7th, don’t be fooled. The retrograde leaves its remnants of chaos behind slowly as it wanes, so don’t expect ‘situation normal’ to return until Christmas Eve!

 

 

Mercury Retrograde 101

 

How’s the Mercury Retrograde doing for you guys? I can’t recall a more schizophrenic retrograde in my life, and I’ve sure had enough.

 

Mercury retrograde has sucked out every last ounce of my patience. Every day since the first week of November the planets have been doing a dance, particularly with technology and communications – make that miscommunications!  Nothing has gone smoothly:  important emails were lost, some of my Christmas online orders were lost, phone communications misinterpreted, and computer and techno issues abound. Thank goodness I have no travel plans till just after the madness ends Christmas Eve! Certainly, I can’t be the only one enduring this madness?

On November 16th, Mercury went into its 3rd and most powerful retrograde of the year in the fire sign of Sagittarius. The ‘pre’ retrograde began approximately 2 weeks before when things began going wonky. This phase will end on December 7th, but don’t be fooled, it will linger until the tail end has vanished by Christmas Eve. Everyone will be affected by this retrograde, but most prominent signs to feel the affliction will be, Gemini (oh yay my sign), Sagittarius, Virgo, and Pisces.

In case some of you aren’t familiar with Mercury retrograde, this is how it works. …… Nobody goes unscathed whether aware of the syndrome or not, only that you may be questioning many things and asking WTF?

 

What is Mercury Retrograde?

 

The planet Mercury goes into retrograde 3 to 4 times a year. In 2018 it retrograded 3 times. While in retrograde Mercury ‘appears’ to move in an opposite direction to earth. The planets run from west to east, circling the sun, but when Mercury turns, appearing to go east to west, this transition is called Mercury retrograde. Since Mercury travels faster than earth, it frequently catches up and passes earth, occurring 3 – 4 times a year. One year on planet Mercury is shorter than one year on earth, the equivalent of 88 earth days compared to earth’s complete solar loop of 365 days.

While Mercury goes into retrograde, it will feel as though the planets are moving backwards, but in fact they are not. Mercury travels around the sun quite quickly from west to east, and around every 4 months it passes us here on earth in its orbit, making it look as though it’s moved from east to west, but that in fact is an optical illusion.

 

How does Mercury Retrograde affect us?

 

Retrogrades are notoriously similar to Murphy’s Law – Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. This is a time where communications go awry, energetic forces overpower the norm, causing havoc for such things as, email and website snafus, delayed and cancelled flights, sensitivities are heightened, making many things happening feel ‘hyper-real’, among just some of the unpredictabilities. Mercury also rules other industries such as publishing, writing, editing, advertising, sales, public relations and all things related to transport, like airlines, the post office and pretty much, all modes of transportation!  Anything involving technical, you can expect mishaps. Our patience is being tested, and heated words have a propensity to take place within friendships and relationships. Typically, retrogrades are not a good time to start new ventures, seal new business deals, and lest I mention, political issues are escalated.

This past year in particular, the 3 retrogrades that have passed were powerful and stinging for many. This has been a year of transformation and change for many as the ‘clutter’ is brushed away with all these sweeping retrogrades, finally allowing us to breathe better and smile more in 2019.

 

What can we do to get through this retrograde with minimal collateral damage?

 

Since Mercury rules communications, affecting travel, contracts and most things technological, I suggest allowing lots of extra time if you must travel in this period as well as its shadow periods which typically begin 2 weeks before the retrograde and linger 2 weeks after as it wanes. I also recommend avoiding committing to signing any important contracts at these times and waiting for the retrograde to pass before finalizing any decisions regarding contracts. Plan ahead! Please continue reading at Sue’s blog

 

Source: Guest author: D. G. Kaye ~ Mercury Retrograde 101 | Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo