Guide to Thriving: Mercury Retrograde
Where other planet’s retrograde periods tend to happen once a year, with some happening every 18-24 months, Mercury’s retrograde period happens about three to four times a year, about every 88 days, and lasts around 3 weeks. This retrograde period tends to be a time of reflection to find clarity and provides opportunities to overcome any limiting beliefs that could be fueling our fears, anxieties, and insecurities. I tend to call the wisdom associated with these moments of clarity “golden nuggets”, because everything we experience offers us some sort of valuable piece of knowledge that will support us moving forward and Mercury’s retrograde period is full of opportunity to receive them. Even though this time is meant to bring clarity, this retrograde period tends to promote anything but clear-headedness.
Mercury rules over knowledge, self expression, and communication and is the ruling planet for Virgo and Gemini which means these signs will be most affected through it’s retrograde period, especially if one of them is your ruling sign because that would make Mercury your ruling planet. Mercury is the fastest moving planet in the solar system and is a generally chaotic energy that affects the way we think and how we express our thoughts and ideas. During the retrograde period, we can experience either a more slow moving mental energy causing stagnancy or even the opposite where our mind feels more chaotic than usual, especially depending on the sign that it’s traveling through during it’s retrograde period. Some other common issues during Mercury retrograde is trouble speaking or expressing our thoughts, clouded judgment, past issues or people resurfacing, technological issues, and interruptions to our daily routines, but just like any other transit, there are lessons to be learned within it. With ruling over Virgo and Gemini, it also tends to affect the areas of life associated with the houses they naturally rule, the 6th and the 3rd house. These houses rule health, wellness, daily routines, communication, learning, and how we connect with others so it’s common to experience disruptions or issues within these aspects as a way to highlight where healing or attention is needed. This is even seen within the people that may pop up during this time highlighting limiting beliefs or healing needed from who you were at the time when you actively engaged with them, as well as any healing that may be needed due to the relationship with that person or people.
Retrograde periods, no matter the planet, is more of an opportunity for growth over being a time of inconvenience and hardship. It’s up to us to decide how we’d like to perceive and participate with the energy Mercury is presenting and even if it’s not active decision, our choices will dictate that regardless. Here are some tips to help you flow with this energy and utilize it to support your healing and personal development.
GET GROUNDED
Mercury’s retrograde period has a tendency of highlighting our anxieties, fears and insecurities, and can draw our energy to the past and future concerns. This can have a really ungrounding effect on our energy which can be very draining mentally, emotionally, and physically. Strong grounding practices and routines can help you call your energy back to the present moment and help you recenter from overthinking, anxiety, and any emotional distress from processing any unresolved emotions or traumas from the past. Coming from a grounded place will also take your power back from your ego and allow you to tend to your triggers without getting stuck in them. If you aren’t sure how to ground yourself, I have a list of practices and resources here.
JOURNAL
This period asks us to tend to unprocessed emotions or triggers which can cause feel very overwhelming if you aren’t giving yourself space to express it. This could be verbally with yourself, your guides, or a loved one, but I believe that journaling is the best way to do this because then you get to keep notes of any clarity or golden nuggets that come through, that way they don’t get lost later. Journaling can be helpful when you are overthinking, emotionally distressed, or just as a general check in to see how you’re doing. I rarely suggest for anything to be made a daily practice, but journaling is a good practice to do weekly or every couple of days or as a tool to use as needed to process or release anything stuck in your mind.
BE MINDFUL WHEN MAKING DECISIONS
Considering Mercury retrograde can affect our judgement, it’s best not to make any big decisions unless necessary. Any decisions involving the signing any contracts, any major career moves or changes in the work environment, changing your appearance, any big purchases, breaking no contact with someone, etc., should be done with a double dose of mindfulness and intention. This doesn’t mean your not able to do any of these things during this period, but it’s best to not rush into anything. Take some time to ground yourself, seek the motive behind these desires, be clear about what you want, and if it’s not time sensitive, try coming back to this idea at a later time to give the universe and your guides a chance to bring the answer to you.
PRIORITIZE REST & SELF CARE
It’s common during this period for Mercury to point out where we could be putting more effort into our self care and daily routines, so being proactive about prioritizing yourself and your needs will help you flow with this energy more easily. Journaling and grounding are both helpful practices to support our self care needs and can help pinpoint where extra effort is needed. It’s also important to not get fixated on one aspect of our self care needs and to make sure you’re making space for all of your mental, physical, and spiritual needs. You don’t need to have a perfect routine, but if you’re in the habit of checking in on all of your needs, then you’ll know how to tailor your daily routine to account for those needs.
