Cosmic Relief: Moving from Mercury Retrograde to Mercury Direct

If your world has been turned upside down over the past few weeks, get ready to breathe a sigh of relief—Mercury retrograde is almost over! Mercury has been retrograde since August 30th and will, at long last, go direct this Thursday, September 22nd.

Mercury retrograde generally occurs several times a year when the planet Mercury moves between the Sun and the Earth and, due to an optical illusion, appears to reverse its orbit and travel backwards. Even those who don’t believe in astrology pay attention when Mercury is retrograding because the strange, highly disruptive occurrences that take place during this turbulent planetary period are too many and too frequent to ignore.

What can go wrong during Mercury retrograde? Well . . .  just about anything and everything—and for good reason. Mercury rules every form of human and mechanical communication, including our thoughts and how we express them. When Mercury is retrograde you may have noticed that your thinking becomes muddled—you are unable to say what you want or you say something you wish you hadn’t. During retrograde, emails have a habit of disappearing, brand new computers crash, flights get canceled, trains run late, taxis pass you by, rent cheques get lost in the mail, keys disappear, smart phones become dumb, job offers are rescinded, misunderstandings abound and petty arguments can turn nasty among the most loving family members and between the very best of friends.

This is why astrologers advise clients to avoid signing contracts, making big life decisions, making major investments or starting new projects during Mercury retrograde—the pervasive aura of misunderstanding and confusion can undermine any or all of these undertakings. This well-founded advice applies doubly during the current Mercury retrograde period as it coincides with last Friday’s Lunar full-moon eclipse—the after effects of which we are still feeling.

Some speculate that Mercury, which is thought to have the densest iron-core of any planet in the solar system, causes so much chaos in our lives because it is, in essence, a huge magnet floating though space. The theory is that because it is at its closest proximity to Earth during retrograde, Mercury’s magnetic force interacts with and disrupts our own planet’s magnetic field, as well as all electromagnetic machinery operating within that field. This includes the human brain, which recent scientific study strongly suggests is subconsciously and intimately linked to Earth’s magnetic currents.

Regardless of the cause, Mercury retrograde challenges us mentally and emotionally, and our responses to those challenges can teach us a lot about ourselves and show us the lessons we need to learn to better cope with life when things don’t go as we hoped or expected.

So when Mercury goes direct on Thursday, we should not only celebrate the end of Mercury retrograde, but reflect upon the obstacles and experiences we’ve struggled with over the past few weeks. Mercury direct may take several days before it snaps things back into place, giving us the opportunity and perspective to calmly examine our thoughts and behavior during the past retrograde.

This reflection can lead to a greater wisdom and help us develop the tolerance and patience to succeed in future endeavours. It will also prepare us to deal with the next three-week-long Mercury retrograde beginning on December 19th, ensuring we will have a Merry Christmas, but not a Hectic New Year.

You would like to understand how Mercury is affecting you and your chart, give us a call at 866-428-3799, or click here to book a consultation. We’re here to help.

Do you have a Mercury retrograde story? We'd love to hear it! Feel free to comment on our blog.