Mercury Retrograde: A Glitchy Cosmic Mayhem On The Horizon
Are your words being lost in translation? Do you feel stuck? You're probably feeling the effects of this second Mercury Retrograde of 2022. Here's what you can expect!
Mercury Retrograde Timeline
At the heart of eclipse season, which is a period of major shifts, changes, and karmic endings/beginnings, glitchy cosmic mayhem is on the horizon. Here are the important dates to remember:
From April 25th to May 10th: Mercury retrograde pre-shadow period. This time is similar to the opening credits of a movie, a time when things begin stalling.
From May 10th to May 22nd: The planet of communication, technology, intellect, thoughts, and memory will be moonwalking through the early degrees of the sign of Gemini.
From May 22nd to June 3rd: The retrograde will continue in the earth sign of Taurus.
From June 3rd to June 18th: Post-retrograde shadow period. Think of this as the closing credits (or audience applause) after the main act, a moment to recollect our energy before exiting this transit for good.
What is Mercury Retrograde?
Three or four times a year, the witty planet of thoughts and communication, Mercury, appears like it is moving in reverse motion for a couple of weeks. This optical illusion is called a retrograde, and its energy creates major introspective shifts.
Paying attention to this retrogradation can help you see the amazing plethora of possibilities and unconventional solutions. The world will still be the same after the Mercury retrograde, but your approach will be different!
In astrology, Mercury represents our intellect, transmission, links, memory, how we absorb and comprehend data, short-distance travels, learning, and "high-tech devices." So when brain-savvy Mercury looks inwards, there could be some updates, glitches, misspelled words, misunderstandings, and delays of all sorts.
How can you cope with this transit? Remember the 7 R’s: revisit, rethink, reshape, reassess, reexamine, recreate, and remember. Use this opportunity to course-correct and restructure before taking concrete action.
Mercury Retrograde Energetic Themes
The Mercury retrograde happens right after Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld, goes retrograde on April 29th. With our inner ability to transform, transmute and alchemize already in "introspection mode," having our intellect regress is a beautiful message to heal our thoughts, self-talk, and narrative.
Since Mercury will be traveling through two different signs, it will be conspiring to help us re-adjust not one but two different areas of our lives. Locating where the early degrees of Gemini and late degrees of Taurus fall in your birth chart could help you determine where you act with characteristics of a Gemini or a Taurus, thus bringing more mindfulness awareness to these areas.
As this backtracking journey begins, the lucky, expansive, and optimistic Jupiter will be entering the cardinal fire sign of Aries. This is a higher call to shift our collective and individual awareness from external sources of validation to the self.
You can now focus on your dreams and goals in a brave act of courage. Mercury Retrograde is a great moment to boldly ask the questions you may have been shying away from:
How can you reach your destination?
What's standing in your way?
How are you sabotaging your growth?
How are you nurturing your own mental and physical well-being?
How can you change your thoughts and actions to live a more purposeful life?
Learning from your mistakes and taking an honest look at how you spend your time is important. What have you put in place to get to where you want to go? Are your steps taking you closer or further away from that destination?
Locate your blind spots and get inspired by your past to course-correct while preparing for the next cycle ahead.
Mercury Retrograde in Gemini
When Mercury roams the sky in the chatty Gemini from May 10th to May 22nd, it's time to pick up those great ideas and projects you've put aside. Mercury is at home in Gemini because it rules over this mutable sign, so expect things to move quickly.
If you're born on a Mercury Retrograde or have a somewhat repressed Mercury in your birth chart, this can be a time when "everyone is on the same page as you." So enjoy this time to shed new light on your inner needs and thoughts.
You can now be more expressive and introspective, and chances are, the people around you will be as well, giving you more odds of being heard, understood, and seen. Use this time to come to terms with the thoughts, conversations, and ideas you've been suppressing or avoiding.
With Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion, in the self-serving Aries, it is also time to cook an exciting, passionate, yet well-thought-out plan for the future. This could mean going back on certain tasks you thought you wanted to do, revisiting goals, or completely rewriting your own story.
Mercury Rx in Gemini Reminders:
Pay attention to your thought pattern, synchronicities, and your daily beams of inspiration.
Have the uncomfortable conversations you've been dreading with your siblings, colleagues, friends, or partner.
Practice active listening by reflecting on what's being said, and retaining the response for later.
Trust your inner voice.
Get curious about fleeting moments of insight and perception.
Pick up that book you put aside, that course you’ve purchased but never attended or that YouTube watchlist.
Reinvent your self-talk and inner narrative by introducing positive affirmations and mantras to your daily life.
Rewatch your favorite movies as a child/teenager for a daily dose of inspiration.
Start a writing challenge or tap into your inner best-selling author with NaNoWriMo, whose moto is basically the gist of the Mercury retrograde in Gemini “Every story matters. Let's start writing yours.”
Mercury Retrograde in Taurus
On May 22nd, Mercury will continue to backtrack in the fixed earth sign of Taurus. In this security-seeking, pleasure-oriented zodiac sign, Mercury is slow and unhurried. Compared to the motormouthed and loquacious Gemini, when Mercury enters Taurus, our mental processes also tend to slow down. This will have our minds focus more on practical considerations.
Allow yourself the necessary time to formulate your thoughts, think about your conversations, and even re-read your emails and texts as many times as necessary. Reviewing the state of your finances is also key with this transit since Taurus deals with our income, money, values, and possessions.
As a result, there could also be delays and problems regarding the banking system or food supplies. Prepare accordingly. Because Mercury in Taurus likes to take things slow and learn by doing, avoid multi-tasking. Instead, focus on your primary task and seek to master it before moving on to the next.
Mercury Rx in Taurus Reminders:
Slow down. Whenever you feel like you’re racing around the clock, remember time is an infinite resource and a tool working FOR you, not against you.
Enjoy the simple pleasures of life: watching the sunrise or sunset, spending time with a pet or loved one, cuddling in bed, catching up with a good friend, taking a long shower…
Reconnect with comfort, safety, security, and pleasure.
Use aromatherapy to calm your racing thoughts and anxiety. Lavender, chamomile, cedarwood, vetiver, or frankincense are great essential oils to start with.
Stock up your pantry and buy food in bulk.
Enroll in a cooking class or browse Pinterest for fun culinary challenges to improve your cooking skills.
Reassess your money situation, goals, and objectives.
Use your free time to reconnect with the places, things, hobbies, and people that make you feel gleeful.
Not So Fast…
Mercury will be squaring the Cosmic taskmaster, Saturn, currently in Aquarius, for most of the retrograde. This tense transit favors mental hard work and self-discipline, reinforcing the theme of focusing on longevity and durability when setting goals and undertaking new projects.
Whatever you will come up with these upcoming weeks will need to stand on solid ground and have a long-term flavor. Build a castle, or watch the wind destroy your brittle tent.
With the possibility of more structured thinking, you can bring order to the situations that have gotten out of hand while also adding the Mercurial flexibility to any situation. Saturn will begin its retrograde on June 4th, so there could be restrictions and obstacles to executing your plans all along the ride. But rest assured: you have all the mental force, self-discipline, and inner authority necessary to achieve your dreams.
In a Nutshell
Things could get confusing or even funky during Mercury Retrograde, but with the proper mindset, you can thrive as you tie up loose ends, evaluate old mental patterns that don't serve you, finish the projects you've been avoiding, and set clear financial goals.
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Fatima-Zahra, founder of Living Simplyy, is a Holistic Astrologer, Modern Mystic and Spiritual Mentor with the desire to guide people to the sacred remembrance of their true divine nature. You can follow her on her website livingsimplyy.com, YouTube or Instagram.
