Your Guide To Mercury Retrograde

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Apr 1, 20240 comments

What Is Mercury Retrograde?

Mercury retrograde is when the planet Mercury appears, from our human perspective on Earth, to be moving backwards. Mercury isn’t actually moving backwards, it's a phenomenon similar to the one you experience when you're in a car on the highway moving faster than a train alongside you. The train appears to be moving backward, but it's just moving more slowly than you are. The same thing happens when our planet passes Mercury in our orbit around the sun. Mercury is just moving more slowly than Earth, causing the illusion that it's moving in retrograde. During Mercury retrograde—which happens about three times per year—Mercury is as close to the Earth as it gets during its cycle around the sun. This puts an exclamation point on all things Mercurial, like communication, technology and transportation.

Mercury retrograde can be divided into three sections:

1. The pre-retrograde shadow: Mercury moves through a section of the zodiac, slowing down and coming to a complete halt.

2. The retrograde: The main event. Mercury moves through the same part of the zodiac for a second time, only this time it goes backwards.

3. The post-retrograde shadow: After coming to a second complete stop, Mercury moves forward through the same part of the zodiac for the third and final time.

The day you'll feel the effects of Mercury's backward turn the most will be the day it goes retrograde or direct.

How Does Mercury Retrograde Affect Us?

Mercury retrograde does in fact cause delays, errors and technical glitches. Emails get sent to the wrong person. Instagram shuts down for an entire day. Your subway car gets stuck underground for close to two hours. These things happen, yes, but what Mercury retrograde is actually about is the opportunity to pause when they do.

What To Do During Mercury Retrograde

While the planet of communication is going backwards, it’s good to do anything that begins with "re"—reflect, reconsider, revise, review, realign, etc. When your first email bounces back, take more care in your second attempt at a response. When your iPhone breaks, reflect during your digital detox. When your car’s in the shop, reroute your trip to work. Who knows who you might meet when taking the road less travelled! Sometimes pushing ever forward gets you nowhere. During Mercury retrograde, we go back instead.

Tips for Mercury Retrograde

Add Mercury retrograde start and end dates to you planner, this can help you plan, or rather, un-plan ahead.
Citrus is the essence of Mercury. Add juice from a citrus fruit to your water throughout the day to ensure you communicate clearly to others and understand them.
Cleanse your technology with crystals. Place a crystal on your phone every night when you're done using it for the day. Black tourmaline is good for protection. Blue lapis can create clear communication. Selenite can cleanse.

The Mercury Retrograde dates for 2024 are:

April 1 to April 25, 2024
August 5 to August 27, 2024
November 25 - December 15, 2024