Mercury Retrograde has become a buzzword in pop culture. Considered the “Murphy’s Law” of Astrology; “what can go wrong, will go wrong“. But it is not all negative, there are certainly some positives that come from this cycle.

In Astrology, Mercury governs these areas of earthly life; communication, decision making, transportation and travel, electrical and mechanical objects.

When a planet is retrograde, the planet doesn’t behave in its normal function. A time to RE FOCUS the awareness, a time for REVIEW, REFLECTION AND REVISION.

What impact does Mercury Retrograde have on us?

Communication can become frenetic, important pieces of the communication chain can be missed. Misunderstandings, especially the written word, abound. This is particularly relevant in this day and age of email, social media and texting.

Low grade frustration at a lack of day-to-day flow.

Unforeseen changes. This is a very common.

Electrical or IT equipment will be vulnerable, especially the kind of equipment that involves communication.

Likely more mechanical glitches and malfunctions, particularly related to transportation.

Travel can be compromised with postponements, missed connections or travel networks breaking down.

What is Mercury Retrograde good for?

Consider Mercury Retrograde as a quarterly review of your life. A time to re-think and come up with new ideas. A powerful time for introspection, meditation and inner work of all descriptions.

It is not a time to action these thoughts and concepts, but rather a time of contemplation. It is a little pause, so to speak. This isn’t a time to write a new chapter, it is a time to revise and edit your previous ones. Reorganising and reflecting.

Drawing our energy inward, taking away our daily influences, means we can focus on what we really want and need, what is really important to us.

Some tips on how to work with the Mercury Retrograde energy:

Slow down communication; think before you speak or write. Re-read emails and text before they are sent.

Double check travel plans, be prepared for changes, make sure you arrive early, have a Plan B and maintain your good humour.

Often, big decisions pop up or appear to be thrown at you. Whatever you do, try not to make any major decisions or life changes, without really thinking about the outcomes; Mercury has a habit of reversing or up-ending any decisions made during this time.

This cycle is famous for making people feel like they are moving backwards, not accomplishing anything, going round in circles – this is the perfect moment to take time out from the hustle and bustle and move at your own pace.

Article written and researched by Victoria Davis, Astrologer for Who Am I Astrology.