Mercury, the planet that rules over communication, thinking, writing and technology begins its first retrograde period of 2018 today until April 15, 2018. Mercury is the ruler of talkative Gemini and efficient Virgo. For 3 or 4 times each year, Mercury appears to orbit backwards or be in retrograde orbit and turns its cerebral energy inward. When this happens, appointments are missed; last minute cancellations occur and email is misdirected. We don’t seem to be able to get our point across and the POV of others is lost on us. Murphy’s Law rules the day and we can expect nothing but chaos. But for me, I have always felt the issue is that we are like the proverbial Sisyphus and his boulder, spending 3 weeks of futility trying to bend Mercury to our will.
The truth is there are a lot of positive benefits to Mercury Retrograde. While Mercury moves backward, we have a chance to revisit things that we left behind or that were never really resolved. And because this retrograde is happening in Aries, the sign of the self, the things that resurface could affect us on a very personal level. Themes of motivation, authority, confidence, leadership, and assertiveness can all come up for review at this time. Remember, until July we are also under a Jupiter Retrograde as well; another period of turning inward for enlightenment.
So we all know the rules, right? While Mercury is retrograde we should confirm and double-check appointments, back-up our hard drives and refrain from engaging into any new legal contracts or situations. But life continues and we can’t become hermits for the next 3 weeks, so what is there to do?
A golden rule with Mercury retrograde is to pay attention to the first two letters of the word – re. Review, reflect, revise, revisit, redo, and relax. Let’s look at some positive steps we can implement:
1. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, making it a natural leader. If Mercury retrograde brings things up for reassessment, consider this to be a period where you might need to examine how you stand up for yourself, or whether your own authority is feeling threatened somehow. This can be a time to listen, tune in, and recalibrate so that you can forge ahead with newfound courage and confidence once Mercury stations direct.
2. During this time, Mercury conjuncts Venus which makes current and past relationships another theme of this retrograde. Is there a problem between you and your lover that was swept under the rug instead of being fixed? This problem may come up again now, giving you a chance to solve it for good. Is there a lover in your past that you regret letting go? This person may reappear in your life during this retrograde, allowing you to either find the closure you need, or revisit this relationship to see if things have changed for the better.
3. Mercury has been in Aries since the beginning of the month and is known for aggressive speech, flaring tempers and over-sharing. Have you ruffled a few feathers lately? Take the time to replay those conversations and see where you might have overstepped or been unfeeling. When Mercury goes direct, offer an olive branch or take the one that’s being offered to you.
4. Have you already abandoned your New Year’s resolutions? No problem! You can recommit to those goals. (Spring is actually the appropriate time of year for goal setting, but that’s a blog post for another time.) Aries is the sign of, “me first” and with the Sun in Aries as well, this period of time offers great energy for personal changes. Additionally, Mars is transiting Capricorn which brings an added bonus of drive and determination.
So yes, Mercury Retrograde can be a frustrating time and not much is under our control. But as you can see, there are ways to work around the road blocks. And what is most important of all is how we react to any road blocks we may encounter.
Also, for a more in depth look at where Mercury Rx will land in your natal chart, email me for a customized transit report.