What Is Mercury Retrograde and What Does It Mean for You?
Mercury’s first period of retrograde motion in 2022 lasts from January 13 to February 3! According to the age-old practice of astrology, we are all influenced by the effect of Mercury in retrograde. What exactly does it mean for each of us, though? Read on to find out.
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What Is “Mercury Retrograde”?
Three times a year, the planet Mercury appears to travel backward across the sky. We refer to these periods as times when Mercury is in apparent retrograde motion, or simply ”Mercury retrograde.” To those who practice astrology, these times in particular were traditionally associated with confusion, delay, and frustration. Think undelivered love letters, email blunders, and frazzled travel plans! This is an excellent time to reflect on the past, however, and it’s said that intuition is high during these periods. Coincidences can be extraordinary.
What Is Retrograde Motion?
The astronomical explanation for retrograde motion starts with understanding that the planets in our solar system orbit the Sun at different distances and speeds. While we orbit the Sun ourselves, we can observe the other planets moving across our sky, following their own paths.
Sometimes, it can appear (from our perspective) that a planet has abruptly switched directions and has started to move in reverse across the sky. This is, of course, an illusion caused by the position of Earth in relation to that of the planet, since a planet in orbit always travels in one set direction and can’t suddenly reverse course. This is why we call the phenomenon apparent retrograde motion, as it only looks like the planet is moving backward (“retrograde motion”)!
When Is Mercury in Retrograde in 2022?
In 2022, Mercury will be in apparent retrograde motion during the following ranges of dates:
- January 13 to February 3
- May 10 to June 2
- September 9 to October 1
- December 28 to January 18 (2023)
Please note that dates reflect Eastern Time U.S., not Universal Time.
What You Should Do When Mercury is Retrograde
The planet Mercury rules communication in all forms—listening, writing, reading, speaking, and so on—as well as activities closely related to communication, like negotiations and contracts. It also rules travel, automobiles, shipping, and mail.
So, when Mercury is retrograde, try to remain flexible, patient, and understanding, allow extra time for travel, and avoid signing onto any new contracts that you’re unsure of. Double check your email responses and check in with reservations before you take that trip.
Review projects and plans at these times, but wait until Mercury is direct again to make any final decisions. You can’t stop your life, but plan ahead, have back-up plans, and be prepared for people’s shorter fuses and miscommunication.
Take a Moment to Reflect
Some blame Mercury retrograde for all chaos that happens in their lives. However, this is a good time to sit back and review what you put your energy toward.
For example, if family and faith are important to you, are you putting enough of your energy into them or have you become overextended in other areas such as your career or a hobby? Losing the balance between different parts of your life can cause all of them to suffer, so being aware of the connections between them—especially during Mercury retrograde—can help you to maintain or at least better understand how that balance works.
Take a moment to reflect. Mercury retrograde can be an excellent time to take a step back and reanalyze who you are and what you are doing—but do refrain from making any drastic changes until after retrograde has ended.
Mercury and the Zodiac
The type of influence you feel also depends on which of the 12 zodiac signs Earth is in when Mercury goes retrograde.
What’s your Zodiac Sign? See here: “Mercury Retrograde and Zodiac Signs.”
Learn more about zodiac sign profiles in general and check out our monthly horoscopes. Make sure that your gardening does not go awry when Mercury is in retrograde by reading your zodiac profile for gardening.
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I get pretty tired of people talking bad about the Mercury retrograde as if their life will fall apart into a technology blackhole and communications oblivion. So let me add a different twist to this patriarchal bias that's haunted Mercury retrograde since well, 600 years of patriarchal rule this is not a joke but I don't want men to feel offended thinking it's a blame game, it's not, so hear me out now)...
Let's start with the feminine and masculine energies (yes, it's a thing), and how each are intended to balance each other in our Universe. This is irregardless if one identifies with one, the other or both genders, in fact it's less about gender and just the energy of the masculine and feminine (stay with me here, don't wanna lose you)...
Masculine (toxic) oriented, patriarchal society worships nonstop, workaholism, going going going, accumulation of wealth, starting wars, violence, traditionalism, etc. I can go on and on here.
Mercury Retrogrades are a time of reflection, to do over (which means to the toxic masculine energy you made a mistake (gasp), but that's not what is meant by a do over, a do over could be a reflection, going back to reconsider something, taking time, stopping to smell the roses so to speak.
Everything that toxic masculinity and patriarchal mindset abhors. You see you are not enough. And you have to "do more" to show that you can be more than enough in every which way. And if you work on that balance, society, media and such are here to remind you and shame you with social media so you can try to keep up with the Joneses. Because oooh lookie, everyone is getting theirs, while you are barely just enough.
Now here comes along sweet talking Mercury retrograde. Put the social media away. Stop taking selfies because most likely your phone broke or your screen broke and you can't see what someone text you. Bad enough you also got dumped by the person you're dating, but guess who wants to come back in your life, that lying, cheating ex.
You see Mercury Retrograde is not here to destroy us but it is the absence of... The absence of what you say? It's the absence of those things that makes us feel we are running and running in our lives (think hamster wheel), it helps us step outside of our life for a brief moment (a few weeks including the pre and post shadow), while it exists and we take in the other energy available to us, (feminine energy) where we will harness it for a time of reflection. It's only frustrating if you fight it... Oh my gosh, reflect? That sounds like a nightmare! But I assure you it's not. We all need respite and rest from the job, the relationship, the kids, the besties, the, the, the... you get my point here. We just need to space to feel our own breath and breathe.
The next time you get all angst about a Mercury Retrograde because your world is supposed to run amuck, remember that its goal is to get you to (pause), look around, take stock in what's working, what's not, so you don't have to wallow in blunders and errors and omissions later (think exes and ohs). Did you need to sign a contract in a Mercury Retrograde? It's still okay, but nothing wrong with checking or double checking it's what you want before you sign on the dotted line. IF something is truly meant for you, it won't matter what astrology says. Real talk.
So you see, it's not all meant to be bad. In fact something good can always come from something unexpected. The feminine energy does things a different way that's all. And that's not meant to be foreboding. It may feel unexpected if you lost your Internet connection, but then you decided to go for a walk. And you bumped into that neighbor you always had a crush on, then you happen to talk, and then you find you both have so much in common when your dogs are sniffing each other...
Life works in mysterious wonderful ways, so let it.
The intuition is flooding this Retrograde. Reading your comment feels like a memory. I’m gratified to know that today I took the pause I’ve been called upon to feel. I still maintained some routines, as my family and home rely on my willpower to keep the flow going; However, I approached today with more presence of mind. I allowed myself to feel my breath which in turn gave me renewed strength to uphold all that I value. Feminine spirit has a way of consoling our innate outbursts. The Masculine must continue, but it can definitely take a stroll (and smell the roses) when given enough compassion. That awareness is important for the Feminine to keep us, all, flowing.
I view this sort of thing as a modern expression of the historical artifactual aspect of astrology.
Only a few had access to such things as ephemera and had a lot riding on it, which is why they'd pay someone who knew how it all worked and they didn't want, like, life advice. They wanted to know if they were going to win a battle or some such. So, the planets are mostly men and they have 'malifics' and scorpio and aquarius are big scary, etc.
My friend's car died a couple weeks ago, I asked her what time, checked her chart and saw that she had lilith in opposition to hers and the vertex was going past around then. Then she told me she got a new car and wanted to take me for a spin. And so I'm telling her that for the next few weeks, at around that time, look out because it's aspecting into her chart, so be wary of like getting into an argument or if she were to get in a situation that she might, like, break up with her boyfriend to not immediately act and, if she still wanted to do it later, do it smart. After a minute, she said she wasn't super clear.
So, I was like, "Uh.. well, like your car breaking down. How'd that go?" and she's like "Uh. Bad?" and I'm like, "Got a really nice car now though?" So, like that. Whatever you said to make that happen from your car breaking down.
I think, in the modern expression, rather than royalty cursing fate or the astrologer for being wrong, people use it to not deal with their blocks and keep living the same routine and just have something to externalize it onto. It's really only useful if you're trying to improve yourself. Like wishes coming true, they come true for building them with intent and intentional action.
Hey Cristie,
Everything you wrote sounds amazing. Your explanation hit me so hard that I want to know more from what you have to share. Please let me know if you have some blog/social media account where you discuss such topics :)
I am a believer. I worked in Marketing and Communications for many years doing very detailed work and extra caution is needed during this time. I have sat in business meetings and claimed "Mercury Retrograde" in my own defense.
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