Mercury Retrograde (sometimes written as “Mercury Rx”) happens normally three times per year (but this year it goes four times), when the planet Mercury slows down, and appears to stop (station) and move backward (retrograde). It’s an optical illusion, since there is forward movement, like speeding by a slow-moving train — as it recedes, it “appears” to go backwards. The Earth “appears” to pass Mercury up in their respective orbits around the Sun, but then Mercury “appears” (from Earth’s perspective) to stop and then moves forward and “catches up and passes” the Earth. All the planets go Rx at least once per year (the Sun and Moon do not).

Since Mercury rules communication, it’s said that everything goes haywire in that area — emails get deleted or bounced back, mail is returned, calls go out into the ethers, etc. Some people find that their computers go on the fritz or phone lines go down. It can also manifest as a short circuit between brain and mouth: you have a thought, but by the time it makes its way to your mouth to express itself, it comes out all jumbled and different – what I like to call the “forked tongue” syndrome.

Mercury retrograde gives us time to catch up with ourselves, and to look back. Something from the past might return in a different form. This can mean people, ideas or buried insights that need to surface for you to move forward. Often it’s felt as a contemplative time, depending on the sign, a chance to go over old ground again, to claim what you missed the first time. The “re-“ words all apply here: Review, Reorganize, Revise, Reconsider, Reflect, Release…you get the idea.

There’s a long-held belief that it’s best to avoid making set plans during the Mercury Retrograde. This means being cautious about things like signing contracts, and forming partnerships and corporations. What gets put in writing at this time may turn out to need serious revising after Mercury goes direct. But since tying up loose ends is the domain of retrograde, this type of finalization might fly.

In our relationships, sometimes we gloss over things that pushed buttons at the time, but which we let slide. What seemed not worth the trouble may reveal itself as a major issue in need of our attention. The Mercury retrograde is a time for review, when the underlying patterns come to light.

Some dreams and goals get lost in the hectic rushing around of daily life. The Mercury Retrograde period can be a rich time of reflection on those longings. This makes it a time for the soul to ponder its destiny. You might look over old journals, review your creative work, muse on serendipities of the past that have pointed you toward your spirit’s calling. It can make the retrograde period a time of solidifying a sense of your personal story and where you’re headed.

The Mercury retrograde is shaped by the sign through which it is cast. For example, a Mercury retrograde in Cancer turns the mind toward things like family, home and the invisible emotional bonds that connect us. On the other hand, a Mercury retrograde in Aquarius gives it a different spin, with a review of group dynamics, the larger human community, all from a detached perspective.

The current Mercury Rx is in Virgo (the sign it “rules”) this time (Aug. 20 – Sept. 12), giving us the patience to wait, to humbly perform routine tasks and to spend time looking within. With Mercury’s retrograde back through Virgo just days before the Pisces-Virgo full Moon, perhaps you’ve experienced a “time out’ when you’ve had to confront situations or issues that still need resolving. Whether these inner issues get constellated through trouble with your home, your car, your computer, your work or your relationships, these Mercury retrograde breakdowns may have pushed you back into old behavior patterns that are probably emotionally draining and certainly no longer viable. Mercury retrograde in Virgo asks us to reconsider what these breakdowns are really saying to us.

There is what is called a “shadow” period before and after the Retrograde… Many astrologers consider that the “Mercury Shadow” begins between two and three weeks before the actual retro station; so the “shadow phase” began this time on August 1. Weird things often start to happen then, but the really noticeable peculiarities begin when Mercury slows significantly, a few days before the actual Retrograde station (point of stillness). The period of “Mercury Shadow” extends to the Return date, something under three weeks after the direct station. Bear this in mind, because experience shows that the effects of the Retrograde period are still marked during the shadow phase. Some of the most characteristic annoyances often occur just after Mercury makes the direct station, while he is crawling forward before picking up speed.

Astrology is a tool that can make you aware of patterns, like those that come during a Mercury retrograde. Just observe and see what happens, and be open to the past returning for review. If it’s coming back, there’s likely something more to learn or release from it. You don’t have to retreat to the Zen monastery, but a little solitude and quiet reflection never hurt anybody.

Ceridwen’s Mercury Rx Survival Guide

It is entirely possible to skate thru this transit, relatively unscathed, if you follow a few simple guidelines:

1. Double and triple check all your reservations (airline, restaurant, etc.)

2. Make extra copies of business notes, contracts, receipts, and other important papers that might get lost in transit, etc.

3. Give your car the once-over, check the tires, fluids, etc.

4. If you have not already done so, don’t schedule any important business meetings or contract signings during this time – BUT, if you have already done so, make sure to have extra copies of your notes, and read all the fine print, ask detailed questions (in other words, don’t make any assumptions that could become misunderstood later)

5. Get receipts for everything!

6. Pay your bills EARLY (if possible).

7. Back up important files on your computer (and try not to install any new software or hardware during this time – but if you have to, follow instructions slowly and carefully).

8. Slow down and really LISTEN to people who talk to you, and repeat back the gist of what they are saying to you so that you can be positive you understand what they are saying.

9. This is an excellent time to retreat for awhile and plan and scheme for the future, as well as reflect on where your life is at in the larger picture of things.

10. Also an excellent time to catch up on your reading or studies – especially the recreational reading.

11. Relieve stress by going out into Nature and communing with the trees and flowers.

12. If you can’t go outside, take a few minute “meditation” period in the middle of your hectic day, to “reboot” your brain and refresh your inner batteries.

13. Above all, TRY TO RELAX! If you get all stressed out about this transit, you will likely cause what you fear to happen by feeding energy into it! So BREATHE, relax…

If you do any or all of the above, you should be able to function fairly normally during this period. And if you pass along some of these guidelines to those close to you, then you would all be forewarned and forearmed!

And remember, “This too, shall pass…”

Hope this helps!
Ceridwen /|\

Yes – been one for the past 30+ years…