Mercury retrograde is a fairly regular cycle that usually happens about three times a year for about three weeks, and is often the scapegoat for what is going wrong or didn’t work out during that time. That’s when my computer starts being finicky, causing hours of frustration until it finally dies and has to be taken in for repairs.

Mercury is largely about thought processes, communication, giving and receiving information, transportation, commerce and managing everyday affairs, so these are the areas where we may feel a loss of control and predictability, and which might also need extra attention.

When Mercury is retrograde it's not really traveling backwards, but to our eye it is, due to the speed and elliptical nature of the orbits, like passing a car on the freeway. But in the world of as above, so below, what we observe and experience has strong effects. It is our thoughts and thought processes (Mercury) that keep some semblance of control and meaning in our lives, so it is true that this period of seeming to go backwards or retrograde, can wreak havoc if you are

signing contracts, working on projects, or just in everyday getting around. Suddenly the path changes directions and way our minds are organizing and taking in information is going in the opposite direction, metaphorically speaking. Mercury retrograde is only difficult when you try to continue moving forward when you should be going backwards! Miscommunications, fuzzy thinking and attention to detail, and computer / car breakdowns are the norm. But a good rule of thumb with any retrograde motion is to think of the “re” as “reexamine”, “redo”, “reflect” and “review”, “revisit”. That usually means having to sloooow dooown. This is particularly difficult since Mercury is always on the move, but it’s a great catch up period. During this time, things operate differently, and some things may need to change. This can be a time for releasing bad habits or negative thought patterns or relooking at important decisions or thoughts that were forgotten about. As always, staying in the present moment helps to ground any feelings of being lost. It is also a great time to relax, be spontaneous, and take a vacation!

Mundane adjustments are not the only order of the day, but also one's sense of identity and sense of purpose and passion. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, and so is greatly influenced by its power. In another sense, the conscious mind and our thoughts can be said to be the closest thing to who we are, correlating to the relationship between Mercury and the Sun. And so Mercury’s curiosity and reasoning allows us to understand ourselves, especially within the context of the world around us.

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