Mercury Retrograde. Two words guaranteed to strike fear in the hearts of those who follow the stars.
Left unchecked, this astrological phenomenon can cause chaos on the world stage and in our daily lives. The bad news? It’s here, lasting until August 27.
If you find yourself losing your keys, arguing with loved ones or even getting back in touch with a former flame over the next few weeks, the reason could lie in this strange quirk of planetary alignment.
But what is it? To put it simply, Mercury rotates significantly faster around the Sun than the Earth, with each full orbit lasting just 88 days compared with our 365-day year.
As it moves more quickly, an optical illusion occurs three to four times a year when it seems as if Mercury speeds past the Earth, then slows and moves in a backwards loop.
Astrologers like myself believe that we are heavily governed by the movement of the planets across the sky, and that each planet influences a different aspect of our lives.
Astrologer Susannah Gill believes that humans are heavily governed by the movement of the planets across the sky, and that each planet influences a different aspect of our lives
Mercury represents all forms of communications, including listening, learning and negotiating. It also rules contracts, legal agreements and computer code. Travel, by air or road, also falls under its influence.
What’s more, when Mercury is in Retrograde, its energy becomes even stronger, throwing its areas of influence into reverse with it. That means that during this three-week period we’re in a spiral of all of life’s ‘re-s’: reassessing, revising and readjusting
You’ll see things you thought long gone come back into your life, and situations re-arise that you thought were dealt with.
It may sound mad to you, but if so, you’re in the minority; a recent survey found 71 per cent of us believe that Mercury’s Retrograde could have a negative impact on relationships.
As an astrologer, I’ll often find friends and colleagues will get in touch when things go wrong asking if Mercury is in Retrograde.
However, despite its reputation for chaos, if you understand what is happening and work with it, you can use it to benefit and enhance your life. So what can you do to survive this period of turmoil? Here are my top tips…
What it means for you
In this specific Retrograde, Mercury stationed (meaning stopped) at 4 degrees of Virgo in the celestial map on August 5. It now appears to be moving backwards towards 21 degrees of Leo, where it will emerge from Retrograde on August 27. So during this period, you need to be aware of the energies of these two signs.
Virgo represents a sense of duty, practicality and service, while Leo characterises leadership, ambition and determination. The qualities of the signs can get thrown into chaos.
When Mercury is in Retrograde, creating an illusion three or four times a year as it rapidly rotates around the sun, its power to affect learning and travel becomes stronger
In Virgo – which has a tendency to analyse, be critical and show attention to detail – Mercury Retrograde will inspire you to go over things in that manner. However, you may end up being over-critical of yourself and others, resulting in nitpicking. It’s important to ask yourself whether this criticism is merited or you’re being unfair.
In Leo, there is tendency to dramatics. Leo feels strongly about everything, so in Mercury Retrograde you might blow things out of proportion and be more intense than normal.
If you were born during a Mercury Retrograde period (you can find this out by getting your natal birthchart on websites such as astroseek.com) then lucky you!
This is a window of opportunity because it’s a time when you can get things done. That’s because the energy of Mercury is aligning with the same energy as the day you were born, so it improves your ability to communicate and articulate. It can also help with decisions and improve negotiation skills.
Related Post
Take time to reflect
It’s important to harness the reflective power of the period and look at what’s going on behind the scenes in our lives, to examine details and motivations. Why is this person reappearing in our lives now? Why are we feeling nostalgic about someone and tempted to text them?
If we use Mercury Retrograde wisely, we go over our feelings and emotions… it’s a powerful time to take stock. Am I in the right career? Is my decades-old friendship really serving me well? Remember, it’s never too late to change or tweak the path of our lives. So harness the analytical energy to review your life – at home, at work – and your love life.
Make sure you triple-check your travel plans during this period, as Mercury’s energy can throw a few spanners in the works
Expect setbacks
It’s important to be especially practical during this period of confusion. Back up personal information and valued images on your computers, triple-check travel plans as they are more likely to go wrong.
Mercury also has power over buying and selling, so be especially wary when making any big purchases, and hold on to your receipts in case of buyer’s remorse.
Don’t start anything new
Never start a new job, buy a house or welcome a new beginning during a Mercury Retrograde because you’ll be starting on the back foot.
The energy is in reverse, so anything linked to communication and travel is on shaky foundations. When it moves forward, it has no substance to build upon. If you have to, then double check paperwork, contracts and communications, because it is likely that something will have been overlooked!
Beware past loves
This period always brings people from our past back into our lives. I tell everyone to remember why you broke up or why you ghosted a friend in the first place. Accordingly never start a new relationship or get married during this period. Communications are not well starred and the chances are your foundations will be rocky.
As told to Samantha Brick. Find Susannah Gill on Instagram @astrology_by_suse
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel
Source link
