Crossing a few stars makes the internet glow like Mercury Retrograde. Mercury Rx is known for simulating all communication systems. Think faux pas when you’re speaking, edit blunders galore and be technically brilliant in general. It’s almost surprising that word about it is spreading so well. You’ve probably heard the following warnings: Don’t buy new technology, check your email three times, and be careful when signing contracts. So, as Mercury takes this position in the sky on April 21st, you may be wondering: It’s a good time to take a break from all social activities and maybe live in the wild for a few weeks?
Romantic as the idea is, what if I told you that this retrograde might not affect you as much as you think it will?
I’m really looking forward to Mercury Retrograde. For starters, why is it so popular? Many astrological transits happen regularly. So, how did Mercury Rx get into the most active PR teams?
My interest in retrograde was sparked when a friend looked at my birth chart and discovered that I was born during Mercury Retrograde. He continued to tell me that in any way I could fly because of it. Fighting disease? Let’s just say I’ve found lost emails, flashy laptop situations, and random conversations to be suspicious. Still, it got me thinking: Despite so much evidence to the contrary, do some of us get off Mercury Retrograde scot-free?
I decided to go to a specialist. So I went to him Jessica Lanyadoo— the celebrity of the astrologers meet-advice. Spirit of the Podcast, in the astro-maven environment. If you are not already obsessing it the description of the planet speaks on Insta, you are good.
Jessica Lanyadoo
Jessica Lanyadoo is the host of the popular Astrology+ weekly show, Ghost of Podcast, every Sunday, and the author of Astrology For Real Relationships. Read her weekly horoscopes at lovelanyadoo.com’
Why is the Internet obsessed with Mercury Retrograde?
First, I asked Lanyadoo a basic question: Why does Mercury Retrograde get so much attention? “I don’t know if the return of Saturn will kindly suggest that Mercury retrograde is the most famous transit in the sky!” he scolded him. And it’s fair, honestly. A Saturn return is different for everyone, but it’s a journey that happens about every 29 years when Saturn “returns” to the same place it was at the time you were born. When it does, it changes your life dramatically. We talk about career changes, existential crises, and the like.
So, maybe Mercury Retrograde is less popular. Still, Lanyadoo aptly explains our interest in it: “We live in such a mercurial world. Communication, verbally and through technology, is a limit aspects of how we connect—and those elements are ruled by Mercury. So are friendships, colleagues, social media, email, making plans, signing contracts, and so much more! ” So, if you are a person who connects with other people, you will notice when those connections fall on the edge. Lanyadoo added, “When this world pulls shenanigans, it is obvious. , even to those who are not interested in astrology.”
Who Does Mercury Retrograde Affect?
I want to learn more about the idea that some of us can get away with free cards. Who among us will escape this famous journey unscathed? What I have discovered is that in some way, at some point, we all do.
As it turns out, Mercury Retrograde strikes differently for different people each time it passes.
Mercury retrograde stations in a different zodiac sign—and to varying degrees—each time it transits. So if it crosses a sign that plays well in your birth chart, it complements the planets and their positions in your chart. Therefore, you may not feel retrograde at all. Also, if it’s crossing a sign—or an angle—that aggravates the difficult parts of your chart, you might feel like your favorite zodiac trickster is calling you out. As Lanyadoo says, “This is why sometimes during Mercury retrograde you don’t really notice it, and other times it creates great drama in your life!”
How do you know if Mercury Retrograde will affect you?
If Mercury Retrograde is so bad on every visit, how do you know if you’ll be around it?
First, it is important to know where Mercury resides in your birth chart. As Lanyadoo explains, “Mercury’s placement in your birth chart (by zodiac sign and house) defines how you process information, how you learn, and how you communicate, including how you listen.” It also paints a picture of “how others perceive you to communicate,” he added. When this station is repeated, the way you express your thoughts becomes “more effective, because retrogrades are when we want to be more internal in our structure.” This means that we all feel a little sluggish after a relapse. And hey, that’s not a bad thing! Where it gets tricky is when Mercury’s position in the sky opposes the aspect of your chart. That’s when it’s safe to expect more chaos.
To see exactly where Mercury lands in your chart, you can try Free Astro-Chart Tool on the Lanyadoo website. It will tell you the sign Mercury lives in. Additionally, if it is retrograde when you were born, you will also see an “r” in parentheses. If you don’t know your birth time, Lanyadoo recommends logging in after 12:00 PM. “If you do this, you will ignore the rising sign, house, and placement of your Moon, but it will tell you which sign Mercury is in and if it is retrograde or not. is not,” he said.
Of course, deciphering those details can take a bit of research. If you’re curious about the nitty-gritty Mercury Retrograde compatibility in your chart, talking to a professional helps. It will take less time than going down the Google rabbit hole.
However, what I can tell you is that Mercury has something called a “shadow system.” This is a period of about two weeks before and after the global flight. This shadow period is called a “retroshade.” It’s a little canary in the coal mine. Because Mercury continues to decrease, it has already begun to lose its focus. So whatever drama this trip might spark is starting to make sense.
All of this to say, if the pre-retrograde shadow system waits a bit, you will experience a retrograde effect. On the other hand, if something works well with retroshade, that’s an indication that you might be one of the lucky ones.
What does it mean to give birth during Mercury Retrograde?
For those of us born during Mercury Retrograde, are we the true unicorns of this dreaded journey? Do we communicate easily regardless of what is written in the stars?
Not so, unfortunately. At first, Lanyadoo told me that I could have “an easier feeling during this journey, while others are at the end and (I) have a long time.” But when I prodded him to explain exactly what kind of simplicity we were talking about, he hit me with the hard truth. People born during Mercury Retrograde often struggle with “understanding and communication in general, which includes both listening and speaking. You may also be ruminating or have difficulty getting out.” in your head,” he explained.
Let’s just say I’m having a hard time getting that out of my head. Are you telling me I have it easy because retrogrades make everyone as miserable as I am? Am I stuck in perma-Mercury Retrograde reality 24/7? I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
After my devastation, I decided to focus on the other half of what he said, which includes the fact that this part can motivate us to work even harder in the way we express ideas and communicate. This means that people born during Mercury Retrograde are more likely to find creative ways to strengthen their skills. It suddenly became clear why he had such a hard time expressing my thoughts out loud. It’s hard for me to understand why it takes so much effort to express myself clearly when others do it so easily. But that frustration led me to find a place to write—and here I am, making a living from writing.
How to Make Mercury Retrograde Work for You
As with all things in astrology, where there is weakness, there is also hidden strength.
And, frankly, Mercury Retrograde offers us all a little gold brick if we’re willing to dig for it. No matter how it affects your chart, Lanyadoo assured me that there are ways to make Mercury Retrograde work for you, not against you. “Retrogrades follow the rules of RE: reverse, review, review,” he says. As this journey slows us down, it asks us to “re-evaluate our attitudes, beliefs, and plans. “It’s a good time to go back to things you’ve lost and spend time in reflection and meditation,” said Lanyadoo. What you discover about yourself in the process can be very valuable. worth every social mistake it took to get there.
So the next time you send the wrong email or trip over a Freudian slip of shame in front of your crush, use that moment as a cue to hit pause and consider. How strongly do you express your thoughts or beliefs? Should you take a second to review them again? If you approach Mercury Retrograde from this point of view, there’s nothing you can’t do. And who knows, maybe you’ll thank the stars for doing the wrong things when the station is ruled by Mercury. Or, at least, make peace with them.
