MERCURY Retrogrades 2023
Dec 29th 2022 - Jan 18th in Capricorn
Apr 21st - May 15th in Taurus
Aug 23rd - Sep 15th in Virgo
Dec 13th - Jan 2nd, 2024 in Sagittarius/ Capricorn
Whenever there is a new Mercury retrograde approaching, Internet becomes full of dramatic articles like "How to survive Mercury RX" or "Mercury RX survival guide" showing the retrograde almost like the end of life and as the most scary part of the year, when everything goes wrong and exes invade you with messages. I prefer to see Retrograde in a more deep, spiritual sense, as a time of slow down and retrospection which is a natural part of life. I also would like to encourage you to use Astrology as a wise guidance that helps you understand the meaning of each cycle, and not as a source of fear of the future or as something that is blocking your energy, actions and life in general.
And in this tone, I would like to introduce you to the energy of Mercury Retrograde - NOT TO SCARE YOU, but to help you be more AWARE and ALERT. Remember that the more you understand the cycle and align to it, the more positive side of the energy you can experience. Lets try to understand the cycle of Mercury Retrograde then.
The term “retrograde” comes from the Latin word retrogradus, which signifies “backward step.” As the name suggests, retrograde is when a planet appears to go backward in its orbit from Earth perspective. Astronomy calls that phenomena “apparent retrograde motion,” as it’s an optical illusion.
The opposite of retrograde is direct motion (used more in astrology) or prograde (astronomy) motion.
Mercury is a fast moving planet: it completes its orbit around the Sun in only 88 days and that’s why Mercury goes retrograde 3 or 4 times in a calendar year, for about three weeks at a time. This means that we experience Mercury retrograde quite often and it would be great to learn how to live with those periods of time and start treating them as a normal, natural cycle. Outer planets like Saturn, Neptune or Uranus are slower in movement and have less frequent, but longer-lasting periods of retrograde. To compare, Venus retrograde every 18 months, while Mercury 3-4 times per year.
Mercury retrograde key words:
Mercury - the planet of communication, mind, logic, technology, short term travels, logic, learning, rationality.
Retrograde - the apparent backwards movement of a planet, a period of review in the areas of life ruled by the retrograde planet
Mercury in Retrograde - slower activity in the area ruled by Mercury in order to reset, review, reflect, return to unfinished past stories/offers/people.
Mercury Retrograde is the time of slowing down our mental activity and turn inwards to RETHINK certain issues that we didn’t want to deal with before. That’s why we become more introverted mentally, that’s why people from the past show up, that’s why old problems or unfinished conversations often resurface during this time. We are challenged to face them with the opportunity to find new solutions, completion and healing.
If you have been avoiding facing your problems, if you have left some “unfinished business” with people from your past, IF YOU WERE USING MERCURY ENERGY IN A WRONG WAY when it was direct (f.ex.overthinking, obsessive thoughts, dishonest conversations, living in self-created illusions instead of seeing things from a rational perspective, self-sabotage, not learning necessary skills, avoiding education), if your communication with others was not healthy and aligned with what you truly think or feel then YOU MIGHT BE FORCED TO RETURN to those themes and find a way to do it better this time.
Sometimes we are so busy, running forward that we leave some things in a mess, uncompleted, unfinished, not corrected, misunderstood - Mercury retrograde can help us to return to those matters, find deeper meaning, invent new ways of doing things, change strategy, close old chapters. The key to work with Mercury rx is to embrace more INTROSPECTION and REFLECTION. Going inwards, slowing down, digging deeper in our thoughts...
Universe is not stopping our mental energy for nothing - there is a purpose in those retrograde times. Turn your energy back into yourself and find meaningful, deep answers that the daily rush can't show you...
Its always important to check in which SIGN Mercury retrograde happens and in which HOUSE in your chart this transit takes place as this set the tone for the whole process and shows us deeper insights. The more you understand your chart, the more you can understand transits too. You can expect things in the house where Mercury is moving retrograde to loose the speed, become more introspective, with past themes, issues, people & offers showing up to be re-evaluated & completed. Be flexible & open to changes in your plans. Retrograde is a good time to fix past stories rather than move towards the future.
Remember that if you struggle with your Natal Chart interpretation, I am offering personal readings to dig deep into your placements, explore your psyche and help you to work with your chart. My offer is waiting for you on my website Soulight Space
The most important thing is to not fear retrograde. Take responsibility for your life (just like Saturn is teaching us) and treat this time as an opportunity to improve your Mercury area. Blaming Mercury for your problems, for having arguments with your partner, loosing your luggage, having issues with the car or sending your mail to the wrong address is not the best way to deal with this energy. If you give the responsibility for your life to the sky, then you HAVE NO POWER over your life as you gave it away to external conditions. Yes, Mercury Retrograde may bring more obstacles in certain areas of our life for a while, but the more you align with what this energy is all about (review, reconsider, rethink, slow down, double check, focus on unfinished tasks) the more personal growth you will experience.
If Mercury is retrograde now, do not stress out, do not panic, do not fall into the trap of pop astrology presenting Retrogrades as the end of the world... Keep living your life, but simply BE AWARE that Mercury's energy is not direct now, its slower and can be more confused. That's why: be prepared to experience some issues in technology and backup your devices, charge them well, double check anything connected to travel and communication, check your car before you start long travel, read twice important email before you send, drive more carefully than usually - just be more CAREFUL and AWARE during this time to minimalize possible issues. Life goes on, with or without retrogrades.Of course, if you can postpone any activity connected to Mercury that requires fast and clear logical energy - like signing new contract, buying new technological products, travelling far, having important conversations - it’s great to do it before or after Mercury Retrograde as this can give better results and we might trust our mind better, but if you have to make certain decisions during Retrograde, then do not panic and just do it - simply remember to think twice before you make big decision, consult it well with people you trust, and check everything in details before you sign something. Our mind can do play some tricks to us during Retrograde, so may the “double check” be always your motto when Mercury is not moving direct!
Jolanta, Soulight Space
Psychological Astrology
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