Welcome to the latest Mercury Retrograde cycle.. This is that exciting time when all of your mistakes and technological uh-ohs can be blamed on the tiny planet that rotates closest to the sun.
If you have never heard of Mercury Retrograde, here’s a quick explanation. Every 88 days Mercury completes an orbit around the sun. Because Mother Earth’s rotation is more of a jog than a light footed sprint, we take approximately 365 days to complete the same rotation. Occasionally, Earth “catches up” with Mercury and for a few weeks it look like Mercury is going backwards. That’s the easy scientific explanation.
The Astrological explanation goes into a little more about how retrograde causes communication breakdowns ranging from technological to personal. This is allegedly that time of year when your ex is going to make a sudden re-appearance, like a sitcom trying to create a season 6 character reboot. (Unrelated fun fact: While writing this, it was pointed out by my editor that 30% of Americans believe in astronomy. As a classic Libra, who once wrote horoscopes for a project, I’m pretty balanced in my viewpoint of astrology and won’t say I fully believe in it or not.)
No, you don’t need to lock yourself away or put yourself into a cryogenic state when you hear the phrase Mercury Retrograde. After all, communication breakdowns do happen and people sometimes reappear. It’s just a part of being human.
Don’t stop everything, but take time to go easy on yourself. It’s summer, anyhow, and we should slow down as much as we can because it’s hot and I know I’m tired. Think about your next steps in life. What goals do you want to have for the next season? Think of it as a quarterly New Year. Instead of creating new goals once a year, mark Mercury Retrograde as that time to rest, review, and reset what you want to do for the next quarter of the year.
