How to Get Ahead during Mercury Retrograde
Yes, it's that time of the year again - Mercury Retrograde. Woohoo!
And while many will groan and sigh in frustration, I would encourage you to explore choosing the opposite response. Because Mercury Retrograde can open the door to miraculous and magickal growth - but you have to stay the course.
So before diving into what you can do to stay the course, let's back it up. Knowledge, when used correctly, is Power - so let's get straight on what Retrograde actually means and how this planetary motion can affect us!
When a planet is in Retrograde, it appears to be moving backwards in relation to the motion of Earth.
It isn't, in fact, moving backwards - it just appears that way from the perspective of our planet due to differences in orbital length and velocity. Which is why scientists often refer to it as "apparent retrograde motion." So that's the physical aspect of planetary retrograde. Now onto the metaphysical aspect and a brief explanation on how the physical retrograde motion in other planets can impact our daily lives energetically and spiritually!
Many planets will be appear to be in retrograde motion throughout the year. In fact, as I’m writing this article, there are 5 in apparent retrograde motion right now! But Mercury - the speedy one closest to the Sun - goes into retrograde with the most frequency, so we tend to pay more attention to it. And when a planet enters retrograde, its energetic influence on Earth can reverse and/or diminish.
Here are some of the energies associated with Mercury:
Communication
Technology
Transactions
Travel
Truth
Intellect
When Mercury appears to be going the same direction as Earth, Mercury is actively assisting us with these energies. And when Mercury enters Retrograde motion, the assistance is diminished significantly and can sometimes be reversed. Which can explain the frustration, fear, and blame that many direct towards Mercury Retrograde. Unexpected breakdowns in communication and misunderstandings getting blown out of proportion. Technology failing or having unusual issues. Plans falling through at the last minute and scheduling snafus. Common sense or simple etiquette seeming difficult to grasp... Are some, or all, of these things happening in your life right now?
The Hard Truth: It is always going to be someone else's or something else's fault when you don't want to accept responsibility. So it's about moving from a passive, victimhood mindset into a more pro-active, empowered perspective where you hold yourself accountable for creating solutions rather than catastrophizing problems and getting lost in drama & distraction. You have to stay the course, even when circumstances and relationships around you are going haywire and seem backwards!
Think of it as a TEST - not the kind that sets you up for failure and exposes your weaknesses. But the kind that illuminates opportunity for you to be stronger, more resilient, and even more focused and aware so you can take charge of where your life is taking you! Are you ready?
Here are 3 things you can do to avoid the usual Mercury Retrograde pitfalls and actually get ahead:
Ask Questions. When mishaps happen, communication breaks down, or events take an unexpected turn, ask yourself, "What can I learn from this?" Is there an extra step you can take to firm up plans? A new way of confirming that your communication has been received clearly and to make sure that you're really listening? A means of keeping your calm and not freaking out when things don't go your way? Seek those answers and hold onto your energy (instead of losing your sh*t) so you can act upon them!
Avoid Assumptions. The classic! No need to make an "ass out of u and me." So whether it's confirming an appointment, making sure you're paying the right amount at the right time, or following up with a friend, skip assuming that everything's alright, that it'll happen the way it always does, or that someone will understand - go the extra mile (because Mercury isn't there to do it for you!). Don't settle for just good enough - stretch to keep raising your standards of communicating clearly!
Get Clear on the Truth. Another thing about Mercury is that he taps us into truth - particularly honesty and dishonesty with ourselves. So where in your life are you lying to yourself? Where in your life are you turning a blind eye to others' dishonesty? Where are you clouding your own judgment with excuses, bargaining, and convenient versions of the truth? These parts of your life are more likely to come up during Mercury Retrograde - so don't pout and waste your energy on tantrums and fights. Instead, accept the opportunity to clean up your act and break the cycle to do right by others and right by yourself!
I hope this helps you to have a clearer grasp on what Mercury Retrograde actually involves.
Don't be fooled by the top hits when you search for "Mercury Retrograde" on the internet that attempt to instill anxiety, doubt, fear, and confusion in you surrounding this astrological phenomena. Mercury Retrograde is a challenging time for a reason - to help you see where you have opportunities to keep growing and evolving in your abilities to communicate, to make equal energy exchange, to not use your intellect to harm others, to be truthful, and to manifest what you actually want (instead of what you don't want) more directly. And the more responsibility you accept, the less these bumps in the road will faze you, so that eventually, Mercury in Retrograde will be more like playing on the beach instead of stumbling into quicksand.
Like when your mentor turns the tables and asks you to teach them what you've learned - that's similar to what happens when any planet goes retrograde. Seize the opportunity to grow and deepen how much you actually know about yourself. Chances are, you'll be surprised!
And that's a good thing.
