HOW TO FLOW WITH MERCURY RETROGRADE
Photo by Sébastien Goldberg on Unsplash
Mercury retrograde is always a period we dread because it’s frustrating when things are wonky and the Mercury-related things, like communication and technology, aren’t working the way we expect them to. However, Mercury retrogrades aren’t “bad” times, they’re times of liminal space. There are blessings of Mercury retrograde if we’re willing to look at and align with them. Below are my suggestions for how to flow with this energy instead of swim upstream.
But, first, let’s look at what Mercury represents in astrology so you have a better idea of what kinds of things will be wonkier than usual. Mercury signifies communication, words, technology, markets, trades, messages, writings, speech, banking, builders, doctors, discoveries, and speech among many other things. So, when Mercury is retrograde, you can expect delays and weird things happening in all of those areas.
ACCEPTANCE & PLAN FOR IT
Accept that this is a period when things like communication, technological channels, and travel will not be working as well as usual. When you experience this, take it as a reminder to slow down. Mercury retrograde can shake up plans that you have made ahead of time, but you can plan for your plans to be disrupted 😂 You can schedule less during Mercury retrograde and prepare mentally that any plans you have could be subject to change.
SLOW DOWN & REST MORE
Mercury retrograde has a slow energy inviting you to embrace your inner turtle 🐢 Sit back, relax and ride the wave as much as possible. Try not to control what you're not able to. Triple check emails, texts and messages you send. Try to avoid any arguments. Slow down. Rest more. Sleep more.
REVIEW
It’s not the best time to start new projects or take new actions. Otherwise, you're going to be swimming upstream and you're more likely to face restriction and resistance. Mercury retrograde is the best time to revisit projects you’ve started in the past and review them. It’s a good time to make edits and improvements to things you've previously started, and fixing what hasn't been working.
Mercury retrograde says, let's go back to this, let's go over this again. Mercury retrograde is a time to ask yourself, what am I no longer aligned with and can let go of? what am I still aligned with and want to keep doing?
Retrogrades are all about review and reflection, and revisiting the past.
Put your ideas for new projects aside and come back to them once this retrograde period is over because then it will be go-time!
If you do need to launch something new during Mercury retrograde, and you don't get the results you want, then I suggest trying again after Mercury retrograde. I suggest marketing offerings that you already have during this time, and saving the new ones for afterwards.
CLEAN & ORGANIZE
It’s the perfect time to organize your closet, files, any paper or online documents, your house, car, and anything that could use some order.
Because Mercury retrogrades consist of funky communication and technology, it's NOT the best time to do a bunch of work on your website or start something brand new, especially online. But, it is a great time to brainstorm and write down notes of things you want to start doing after the retrograde period.
REVISITING PAST RELATIONSHIPS
Mercury retrogrades have a tendency to bring people from your past up to the surface. These can be ex-partners, ex-lovers, friends, or any kind of relationship from your past. But, it’s completely up to you whether you want to engage with that person again, and rekindle a friendship or romance. If someone does resurface, it’s a favorable time for reflecting on why that relationship fell away in the first place, and checking in on your current personal boundaries.
THINGS TO AVOID
Bulldozing ahead with new projects. If you feel inspired to create something new, start jotting down notes for it, but I would wait until after the retrograde period before actually launching it or getting too serious about it.
Because communication is wonkier than usual, signing contracts is not favorable during Mercury retrograde. The risk of signing a contract during this time is that the communication won’t be as clear as you think it is, and you’ll probably have to revisit the contract later on as there might be some misunderstandings. Try to wait until after the retrograde period to sign any important contracts.
The same is true for getting surgery or procedures. Mercury is associated with medical issues, so when Mercury isn’t operating at its fullest, then it’s best to avoid the more serious issues like surgery and procedures if possible.
You can expect travel plans to be delayed during Mercury retrograde. It’s not that you “shouldn’t” travel during this time, it’s just that you should expect more delays than usual.
Of course, if you do need to get surgery, sign a contract, travel, etc, then don't worry about it, just triple check everything, prepare as much as you can, relax, go with your gut and trust the process for *you*. The astrology impacts everyone differently. These are general guidelines.
Trust the timing of things and take advantage of the energy of Mercury retrograde. There will be a time to forage ahead and get moving, but not until after Mercury has exited its retrograde period. Try to take it as easy as you can and getting organized. That way, once Mercury has stationed direct, you’ll be prepared to leap forward again.
Some Mercury retrogrades are more potent and impactful than others for you, personally. If you find that this one is bringing up a lot of issues or changes, then I recommend booking an astrology reading where we can go over why this one is more important for you, and what this period in your life is all about.