Pretty sure you’ve heard a co-worker swear under their breath and mutter the words: “that bloody Mercury Retrograde...?”
As you moved your chair slightly away from them… did you wonder what on earth was making them so mad…?
Yeah, that’s the bit we need to talk about as your co-worker has a valid point and you may want to slide back over to them…
What’s all this fuss about Mercury Retrograde?
In a nutshell, Mercury Retrograde is a time when %#*^ happens, communication goes awol, arguments fester, electronics behave irrationally, and you spill coffee all over your keyboard.
Yep, it’s that kind of a mess…
How about I explain a few things first so you can see the broader picture ok. And don’t forget to copy the dates into your calendar, you’re gonna want to know when this occurs 4 times this year!
Mercury is one of the planets we see up in the sky ~ well, maybe we can’t see it without some techy help, but it’s there I assure you.
It is closer to the sun than earth is, and as such, its orbit appears to go fast as it passes our slower revolution, kinda like a car passing you in the fast lane on a highway. However, it’s not really passing us, it’s just moving at a different speed…
How to make sense of Mercury Retrograde
Let’s think of that car analogy again, if we hit the gas and zoomed forward, the other car “appears” to go backward as we pass it right.
Mercury is not actually going backward, it just appears to be doing that.
As it goes past us, it causes a bit of a ruckus in the atmosphere ~ and that is what we feel!
If I bring the car example forward again, when a car speeds past you, it may cause water to spray up off a wet road, or spiral dust up off a dry one. Either will disorientate you for a moment and cause you to slow down.
As you do this slow down, you rethink your position, and you kinda go backwards on the highway momentum right
But not really…
The key words in all of this by the way are ‘slow down…’
You cannot override or bypass Mercury Retrograde, it’s way bigger than you and I. We are merely passengers along for the ride, so buckle up peeps!
What are the dates for Mercury Retrograde in 2024?
The most important thing to remember is there is a warm up period before and cool down period after ~ most often referred to as ‘buffer times.’
Buffer times are not necessarily as strong as the real McCoy… but you will feel a shift, and minor occurrences will begin. I would advise caution about 1 week before and 1 week after ok.
These are the dates to watch out for in 2024:
- April 1 ~ April 25
- August 4 ~ August 28
- November 26 ~ December 15
How do I survive the mayhem of Mercury Retrograde?
You don’t…
Ok, not helpful… but funny right!
In the astrological sense, Mercury is associated with water, and as such, it touches our lives in that area big time.
Astrologically speaking, water is communication, travel and pretty much anything that moves ~ especially forward motion. It also includes electronics as that is how we communicate in the modern day, and that is usually the biggest challenge area.
So, when Retrograde is in effect, everything kinda goes backwards in all these areas, and often more than that ~ things go sideways to boot!
During these Retrograde times, you need to:
- Be extra careful in all your communications ~ think before you speak!
- Draft that email and reread it ~ before you hit send
- Have someone else proof-read PR ~ before you release it!
- Look for your misplaced car keys… again
- Resist buying that new iPhone, laptop, desktop or electronic gadget ~ I’m warnin’ ya...
- Test drive that shiny new car ~ but don’t bring it home
- Check out the latest big screen TV ~ with your eyes only
- Hold implementing important tech updates in your company / website ~ don’t do it!
- Re-think the new business launch for a few weeks ~ there will be a better time!
In a nutshell, if you decide to buck Mercury Retrograde and dive into new electronics, a new car or launching new products online… be ready for glitches and possible lemons, as that is what Mercury Retrograde is famous for…
Why Is Mercury Retrograde such a big deal?
At the end of the day it’s not the end of the world, it’s just a hiccup in time.
So how about you make your own lemonade out of the Retrograde lemons and ponder these more positive actions as you take a sip:
- Review your current position and make sure you are happy with where you are at
- Re-evaluate past mistakes and put some focus to fixing any that surface
- Reconnect with old friends you miss and send a lovely “Hi” message
- Review policies, procedures and practices to make sure all is up to date
- Stand still for a moment…
Mercury Retrograde has a bad rap, and while I admit some of that is well-deserved, let’s keep things in perspective.
You cannot stop working or communicating, and you may need to replace a broken phone, or old car…
What you can do though, is approach things differently right now, and ensure you research your new purchase incredibly well to avoid a lemon.
Craft those emails carefully so you are not misunderstood and hit the pause button more than normal to think things through ok.
Sometimes the best way to move forward is to stand still, and Mercury Retrograde is incredibly useful for exactly that.
Remember, the Universe is a big place, we are but a speck on a planet that has a trajectory path of its own making, so best we go with the flow, not against it.
… and my work here is done
