The pros and cons of Mercury Retrograde

Retrograde is an astronomical concept, not an astrological one. Astronomy accepted the phenomenon of retrograde as a natural and explainable fact. Astrology gives the phenomenon a special meaning, stating that the planets reverse motion correlates with extraordinary events on Earth.

The reason for retrograde is the different speeds of the planets of Solar system, which we observe from the Earth. Mercury is the fastest one and it goes retrograde 3 times a year (4 times in 2022).

Briefly about Mercury retrograde:

The Importance of preparing for Mercury retrograde

During the Mercury retrograde, trips and business scheduled before it begin are often cancelled. The decisions made (seemingly for real) are suddenly being reviewed. Therefore, it's better not to plan anything super-important 2 (or preferably 3) weeks before the retro phase, so as not to get upset later. Or plan it taking into account the fact that your plans may be disrupted contrary to optimistic expectations.

The same applies to the date when the Mercury retrograde phase begins. I tell you about such dates in advance in my monthly forecasts. On the day of the beginning of the retro phase and shortly before its onset, don't undertake anything new and important in the areas of life indicated in the pictures. Because the events of these days will react negatively later: they will cause delays in your business, force you to return to them again and consider the missed, unspoken moment. You'll have to take your mind off the current issues and figure out what has already been said and done.

3 advantages of Mercury retrograde

The perniciousness of Mercury retrograde is greatly exaggerated (like many things in astrology). People like to dramatize it, because Mercury changes direction 3 times a year, and all the troubles are blamed on it. But if you look at Mercury retrograde with a positive attitude, you can identify 3 advantages:

1) Reliability

Everything that started on Mercury retrograde remains unchanged. Only what has been done before is changing.

The meaning of the reverse movement of Mercury allows us to do what:

1. should remain unchanged in the long run,
2. changes the previous order irrevocably (even if, at first glance, this is a dubious decision).

For example, if you want to conclude a contract and be sure of its stability, then it makes sense to sign papers during the retro period. Or if you want to do something to spite your enemies (to buy something or leave home in search of your happiness), then you should also make and formalize this decision in the retro period.

But! There are 2 important nuances here:

1. Be careful with your retro choices, because the decision you make will be impossible to change, although you will definitely want to do it! And it will be impossible to get rid of the promise made during the retro period when you change your mind!
   
   Just because inconvertible things happen on Mercury retrograde. If you register a company these days, it will be difficult to close it, - you'll spend a lot of time checking and paperwork. And the bankruptcy procedure will be long and costly.
    
2. Even if you didn't have any serious and insidious plans during the retro period, and you just took some action that you don't have to worry about, the circumstances will still turn out so that not everything will go smoothly.
   
   - For example, if you register a new business, it will be idle for a long time and won't make a profit.
   
   - If you buy or receive a gift, it will be useless, or eventually you'll need to change it (due to a malfunction or a change in your taste). But in the end, this item will stay with you for a long time (even after replacement).
   
   - If you make an important statement (for example, related to the breakup of a relationship or a desire to change your life), then people won't like it and will even be convinced for a long time that you'll change your mind. But you won't change your mind.

2) The opportunity to prolong a pleasure

The obvious advantage of the transiting Mercury retrograde is precisely its "slowness": since it forms a favorable aspect to your natal planet or house, then luck will stay with you for a few days. You can keep track of such things by making your personal forecast for the retro period.

3) The value of the past

Globally, nothing particularly terrible happens during Mercury retrograde. It will just be easier for you to do familiar things in these 3 weeks:

• resuming old discussions, rather than starting new ones;
• meeting with people you already know;
• moving along known routes;
• using proven, rather than new, sources of information and means of communication;
• execution of transactions in which you already have experience.

Just consider these things and sleep a peaceful sleep.

The disadvantages of Mercury retrograde

After all, Mercury retrograde has plenty of disadvantages, because it's a non-standard phenomenon that contradicts development. What does this mean?

Globally

Mercury retrograde is not felt in the long term, but it is very much so in current affairs. Overlays occur even where everything used to work. But this applies only to those areas of life for which Mercury is responsible (all types of communication and information exchange):

1. Travel and transportation:
   - delays in short-distance travel and movement within the city are likely. Trips planned for the retro period are often disrupted, although initially nothing prevented this from happening,
   
   - there are difficulties in choosing a route and transport, problems with refueling and parking. As a car owner, I'm constantly faced with this: sometimes there is no gasoline in the city, then the transport services stop accepting payments through the usual payment systems; then there are all sorts of misunderstandings with the service station and spare parts. Therefore, I try not to solve any problems with my during Mercury retrograde,
   
   - malfunctions and oddities in the operation of vehicles are detected, even if they are in perfect condition (glitches are possible),
   
   - you shouldn't plan a vacation on Mercury retrograde, - something will change and go wrong.
    
2. Purchase and sale:
   - there is a high probability of payment problems during retro Mercury,
   - you should sell things wisely, because you won't get them back later (especially when it comes to family values),
   - buying is more reliable in the retro period, because the purchased item will stay with you for a long time. But there is a high probability that later it will require repairs or will be gathering dust (wasting money will be untimely). For small purchases, this is not so critical, but it's better not to buy expensive things (apartment, car and other luxury items),
   - if you purchased something during the retro period, then later you will definitely have the idea to change this thing, - it will cease to suit you in some ways, and you'll want to buy something else (but you're unlikely to do this).
    
3. Delivery:
   - a package sent during the retro period will take longer than usual;
   - during long-distance delivery, there is a high probability that there will be misunderstandings, which you'll spend a lot of time and maybe even money to figure out. The parcel may be sent back by mistake. One way or another, additional actions will be required to get what you ordered.
    
4. Communication and information:
   - with Mercury retrograde, a forced change of your devices and various communication misunderstandings are likely, as well as problems with your SIM card and telecommunications companies, unstable Internet,
   
   - I noticed that the messages that people hear during Mercury retrograde don't immediately go over their heads, seem implausible and dubious; but in the end, what people say still comes true in real life (as if against common sense),
   
   - words and beliefs that seemed indisputable will be surprisingly questioned on Mercury retrograde,
   
   - decisions made in the retro period cannot be reversed (there will be an obstacle beyond your control). But the decision made before the period is, on the contrary, very easy to reverse.
    
5. Training:
   - getting knowledge from scratch is a bit strange in the retro period: even if you dreamed of studying, the learning process won't meet your expectations, will cause confusion and apathy. Information will be poorly absorbed, however, as time passes (after a month or more) you will realize the value of your knowledge,
   - the educational process is often disrupted in the retro period, some things don't accord to schedule.
    
6. Documents:
   - if there's no rush, then it's better not to deal with documents during the retro period. Although signing documents on retro Mercury is considered reliable in the long run: even if amendments are required, the terms of the agreement will remain unchanged. However, it won't take effect immediately. As for the papers signed before the Mercury reversal, it's likely that the contract will be terminated in the retro phase or it will be changed without the right to adjust,
   
   - when obtaining and replacing a driver's license (and other documents), you must be careful: during Mercury retrograde, the document may be lost or considered invalid (there will be some complaints about the registration). But with the documents received BEFORE the retro phase, everything is much worse, - you'll have to change them exactly (for example, due to a typo); or you won't be able to pick them up on time,
   
   - it's not recommended to plan the publication of books for the retro period, postpone it for a later time. Otherwise, you'll face rejection from the publisher or printing difficulties (related to font and print run). When publishing a book, there will probably be an error and a typo, and it won't be possible to fix it.
    
7. Mass media:
   - news (and especially refutations) from the retro period often cause rejection and are widely discussed, but in the end, most people will still have to accept the innovations. After hearing the retro news, you'll be very surprised: "I don't believe that this is possible!" However, what is said in the messages and publications will be the truth, which cannot be refuted. But news published before the Mercury retrograde, on the contrary, will be easy to refute during this period,
   - with retro-Mercury, a change of sources of information is likely (in order to obtain more reliable information or verify facts).
    
8. Health:
   Actually, Mercury is not related to human health, but if it lingers over your health sector during its loop, then this is a very alarming signal indicating a prolonged deterioration in your well-being. If you develop painful symptoms on Mercury retrograde, then this is a sign of a serious illness that cannot be cured easily; you may even have to live with it for the rest of your life. The difficulty is also related to the fact that treatment during this period may be completely useless due to an incorrect diagnosis. While Mercury loops over the zodiac, the doctors may give you conflicting recommendations; first they will prescribe you one drug, but then they will replace it with another.

Someone will rightly point out: but all these things happen in our lives much more often than Mercury retrograde! Of course. Because the planets (not just Mercury) are constantly moving and correlate with important points in your horoscope. For example, if transiting Saturn connects to the top of your 3rd house, then you will experience delays in supplies and negotiations (regardless of whether Mercury is direct or retrograde). Or you'll get into a traffic jam, won't be able to meet the right person, etc. But this is your personal forecast, not a global one.

Anyway, observations of events occurring during Mercury retrograde show that the precedents listed above happen with enviable regularity.

Inadequacy

According to my observations, Mercury retrograde is still weak enough to pose a real threat. It just poisons the atmosphere, makes people make a mountain out of a molehill. And later they become convinced that it really is a molehill, not a mountain.

Mercury retrograde itself is not particularly scary, but its consequences come out later. That is, it manifests itself in 2 ways:

• it either shocks and stresses us out a lot, forcing us to exaggerate the scale of the problem,
• or it blunts the awareness of the problem, forcing us to believe that everything will goes well.

In both cases, there is an inadequate perception of reality. And this happens every time Mercury turns retrograde.

Personally

I used to think that the disadvantages of the retrograde period had the greatest effect on people whose Mercury was turning into reverse at their time of birth. However, this has not been confirmed in practice, - Mercury reversals affect everyone without exception. This applies to those areas of your life that have become relevant during the loop of this planet.

Of course, transiting retro Mercury cannot act on everyone the same way. It's most noticeable when it affects important points of your natal chart (planets and cusps of houses). Which ones depend on your yearly personal forecast.

Tell me, what happened to you on Mercury retrograde?

Related links:

• Mercury retrograde
• Почему планеты бывают ретроградными
• Who was born with Mercury retrograde?
• Почему не рекомендуется составлять гороскоп на ретро-Меркурии
• Ретроградный Меркурий: общее и частное