Mercury Retrograde in Astrology

A planet is retrograde when it is  moving backward from the earth’s point of view and with Mercury,  it is  retrograde about 20% of the time or about 3 months in a year.  Mercury rules the mind, the thinking process, how you synthesize your observations, how you make sense of the world,  your ideas, your ability to communicate, how you share your ideas with others and your sense of humor.

In Greek Mythology, Mercury is the winged god called Hermes who was also the messenger of all the Gods.  Other than being a god of financial gain, commerce, communication, traveling, and trickery,  Mercury also had its deep hidden side like guiding people to the underworld.  So there are deeper meanings to Mercury like when  the mind dwells into the sub conscious,  intense reflection, stillness, intuition,  deep research, etc. which is not considered or used that often.  This is why Mercury goes retrograde 3 months in a year to give us the chance to experience the inner side of the mind. 

So Mercury retrograde period is a good time to still the mind and let the subconscious guide us.  In his book, “the Laws of the Subconscious Mind”  Joseph Murphy says that the mind is like a garden and one is planting seeds (thoughts) all day long in the habitual way of thinking and what you see in your external life is the manifestation of these thoughts.  So Mercury retrograde time is a good period to look at what you think all day long. He suggests that its a good idea for people to sow thoughts of happiness, peace, good will, and prosperity everyday. He also adds that the more enlightened people are interested in the world within which  consists of your habitual thoughts, feelings, and imagery and this creates the outer world you see everyday.  So isn’t it great that Mercury goes to the underworld to  give us a chance to get in touch with the internal and deeper parts of ourselves. 

What is Mercury Retrograde good for? Mercury Retrograde time is a good time to meditate, clean our minds of any negativity, question your thought process, get in touch with your dreams, and plan for your life.  It is great for re-organizing, re-thinking old plans, re-affirming,  re-connecting,  re-associating and basically re-learning.  It is kind of the dream phase in the night where the mind sorts through the past and organizes all the information.  There is increased inner  awareness and intuitive powers during this time, and  taking this journey into the subconscious and letting images, symbols, thoughts from our higher selves to guide us is the real  goal of the retrograde. 

So what is Mercury Retrograde not good for? It is not good for logical thinking as the mind can get easily confused and muddled with rationale thoughts.  Those have to wait until Mercury gets direct.  This reminds me of the example where a car gets stuck in deep sludgy mud and whatever pressure you apply, only the tire rotates but the car cannot move forward.  The mind kind of works this way during Mercury retrograde.  This is also not a good  time to start a project, sign a contract, start a business, invest money, buy a  home,  purchase a car, machinery, or  any learning tools, travel, etc., because you may have to repeat stuff, or something may go wrong which could end up being costly.  So if you have a plan, dream about it, write, ponder and let the Universe guide you until Mercury goes direct, at which point you can take action.  When Mercury goes direct, then it is time for the seeds to sprout.  I have noticed that the worst time when Mercury gets really mischievous is the few days before it goes retrograde and after it goes retrograde.  Watch out for these periods.  Also, one of the worst Mercury retrograde day I had when I literally had to re-do everything was when Mercury was  out of bounds in declination.  This is a bad combination and on these days Mercury does not want you to do anything but reflect.  Some of the other things that I have experienced with Mercury Retrograde is signing  up for a loan refinancing and then finding out later  that I was given a different rate than promised,  lost the papers that just got signed and had to get it re-signed,  arrived with the wrong papers and had to go back and fetch the right ones,  mail getting lost, shipments not arriving,  misunderstandings over phone conversation,  computer crash number of times,  refrigerator stopped working, etc. 

The Zodiac Sign of the retrograde:  The quality of the retrograde depends on the sign where the retrograde occurs.  If the retrograde occurs in a water sign like Pisces, Cancer, or Scorpio then Mercury here is about getting in touch with the feelings behind the thoughts, subliminal messages, thinking about stuff that happened in the past, and  the positive and negative thoughts that we input daily into our minds.  There is increased sensitivity to the surroundings and people around us.  Actually it is easier to flow with the Mercury Retrograde when it is in a water sign.   In Fire sign, like Aries, Leo or Sagittarius, Mercury retrograde is about  rethinking our  past actions, both the negative and positive,  and how we could have done things  differently.  it is about re-assessing our dreams, passions, and goals and to check if they are taking us in the right direction or are we getting lost in them. In Air sign, Mercury may push us to look at how we communicate and associate with people, re-evaluate our past connections and see if it is serving our best interests now.   This is absolutely not a good time to buy cars, machinery, travel, computer, phones, or any tools to do with travel or communication.  In Earth sign, Mercury retrograde can be helpful to look at our tangible goals that help us survive and be secure, like our retirement, financial investments, career options,  and really check to see if our plans are practical and fit our goals.

Astrological House where retrograde is occurring:  The next thing to check is to see where (what house)  in your horoscope  is this Mercury  retrograde occurring, as this will also show the area of your life that may need re-thinking  or/and re-planning.  This is the time to reflect on this particular area of your life. 

1st house:  Re-look at how you present yourself to others,  your appearance, etc.   Is there a part of your body that you are ashamed and need to modify your thoughts on it?  do you have to lose some weight to feel healthier?  Do you want re-assess your exercise regimen?

2nd houses:  Stress is  on finance and money.  Are you a spendthrift or too stingy?  What do you value in your life?   Have you planned for  your retirement? Do you spend within budget or do you have to constantly take loans? 

3rd house:  how is your relationship with your siblings?  Have you  met your neighbors?  Do you keep abreast of what is happening in your community?  Are you involved with your local community? Do you talk too much or too less?  How is the social media working for you?  Does it serve a need in you?   or is it just a waste of time?

4th house:  Do you have to re-organize your home environment?  Is there anything you can do to make your home life more peaceful?  Do you make time to meditate or just reflect?  Do you get too angry or too sad?  Are there deep issues from the past  that surface and disrupt your life?  How do you nurture yourself now and then? 

5th house:  Do you connect with the child in you?  Do you let yourself play and have fun sometimes? Do you have a hobby that lets you relax?  What is your attitude towards your kids?  Are you relaxed and grounded or more of a task master?

6th house:  how is your work environment? Are you constantly stressed?  What kind of relationships do you have with your coworkers?  Is your job in line with your big goals?  Do you need to re-evaluate other jobs options?  Is your job constrictive or expansive?  What can you do to re-organize your life better so you have a more balanced schedule?  Are you always falling behind in completing your tasks?

7th house:  Do you have fair and equal relationships? Are you still holding on to relationships that bring your down?  Are you scared of getting into relationships?  Do you need to come with a plan to date and attract the right person in your life?  Maybe its time to rethink about what you need in a partner?   Is there a pattern of dynamics that you observe in your past relationships ? 

8th house:  Does your joint  investments need re-hauling ?  Do you need to look into life insurance for yourself or other family members?  Is your fear of intimacy keeping you from getting close to loved ones?  What can you do to add sizzle to your sex life? 

9th house:  Do you need to rethink your philosophy towards life? Are they constricting you or freeing you?  Are your religious beliefs in line with other values your hold?  Do you need to re-organize your life to make more time to travel or read? 

10th house:  Are you happy with your career?  do you need re-assess  your career goals?  Do you feel doomed to stay in a career that does not fit you anymore ?  Is it time to plan on a career change? 

11th house:  Do you belong to a group that you feel at home?  Is there any organization that you may want to get involved in the future as a way of doing good to this world?  Do you want to belong to a group that increases your learning of a subject that interests you? 

12th houses:  Are you involved in a charity?  What can you do too increase your spiritual experience if this is important for you?  Do you meditate or reserved some lone time?  Do you take some time to enjoy nature or wildlife?  Do you like to improve your connection with God or the Universe? 

What is your experience with past Mercury retrogrades? Do you have Mercury retrograde in your birth chart?