How to Use Mercury Retrograde To Your Advantage
I still remember the first time I went through a Mercury Retrograde… consciously. I was in my mid-20s, and I didn’t know much about astrology.
This was a time in my life when I was quite blind to fluctuations in energy. And when things would go wrong, it never occurred to me that the Universe was trying to teach me something.
So when everyone seemed to lose their minds and even the smallest of tasks became difficult, learning about Mercury Retrograde was a welcome explanation.
“Oh! It’s the planet’s fault!”
“There’s nothing I can do about it… everything’s just going to be harder and more annoying for a few weeks.”
Some of us may welcome the ability to blame miscommunications and other difficulties on planetary phenomena. Others just dread the three to four times per year when Mercury seems to travel backward in the sky, praying for it to go direct again.
But after studying the cosmos and going through a few dozen Mercury Retrogrades, I started to use this planetary energy to my advantage.
No more crying and praying for a swift ending to retrograde season. Instead, I started to compile a list of tools and tasks to help me zero in on various lessons in communication and patience.
How To Use Mercury Retrograde To Your Advantage
All retrogrades happen to teach us something about ourselves, how we communicate, how to structure our days, and how exactly to live our souls’ purpose.
I know… that’s a lot.
With Mercury, the planet of communication, the intellect, travel, and technology, we can use its retrograde season to tune in on those particular areas of our lives.
Here’s what that might look like:
Communication
Learning productive communication techniques is a life-long journey. There are a few major components to conscious communication, and MRx tends to create situations in which we’re forced to experiment and practice these components. The biggest ones are:
Learning to listen
Learning to speak your truth
Nonviolent communication
A good example of how MRx triggers communication lessons is how situations with your boss or a challenging coworker may seem to blow up during the Mercury Retrograde period.
All of sudden, the way this person communicates with you reaches a critical mass and you can no longer handle it.
While you could look at this situation as something to run away from (can you call in sick for three weeks straight?), the Universe may be challenging you to think of creative communication solutions.
Maybe you start talking to your friends, coach, or therapist about different ways to speak to this person. Perhaps the problem is that you’re holding all of your opinions inside, or you don’t feel like you get to express your creativity at work.
By MRx pushing you to actually address the situation, your whole relationship to this person and your job could change for the better!
Communication is a big topic, but the most important component is being true to yourself...
Denial Isn’t Just a River in Egypt
Being honest with yourself can be tricky. I’d like to think I’m pretty darn self-aware and I still find myself negotiating my truths. Or talking myself into a state of deep denial.
Denial is a warm, cozy place where we don’t have to deal with our shit! Who wouldn’t want to live there!? The thing is -- the truth always has a way of coming out. Better to have a good relationship with your truth before it sneaks up on you!
The Intellect
Mercury isn’t just the god of communication but also rules how we interpret and communicate ideas and concepts. Mercury Retrograde can actually be an insanely productive time for writers, speakers, teachers, and other types of intellectuals.
Use this time to read, learn, study, and maybe even experiment with different communication styles and platforms. Maybe you’ve been thinking about making a series of educational YouTube videos or writing a book.
We often think of Mercury Retrograde as a bad thing, when maybe the Universe caused a fender bender or a shitty day at work so you can cancel all your meetings, hunker down and CREATE!
Travel
Cancel your travel plans; it’s Mercury Retrograde!
Nope.
Any Astrologer worth their salt will tell you that it’s not necessary to cancel your flights and lock yourself in your bedroom for the usual three-week span that is MRx. Instead, it’s a good time to give yourself a ton of space and time to get where you need to go.
It’s also a good time to practice an immense amount of patience and let go of ANY expectations. THAT right there is one of the most profound lessons of this human life -- letting go. And in a day and age when we’re all under a strong illusion of control, letting fate take the reins is one of the most freeing, profound experiences possible.
I encourage you to, in fact, make and/or keep your travel plans during Mercury Retrograde! Then strap in for what could be a wild ride that takes you on unexpected adventures and forces you into a state of receiving and letting go of any expectation that things will go to plan...
Technology
You may have heard (or experienced) that MRx can cause some major technological snafus. We’re talking software hiccups, dropped computers, and cracked phone screens.
It all comes back to the transfer of information. Because Mercury Retrograde guides all forms of written and spoken communication, it makes sense that most of our more tech-focused ways of communicating can go haywire when Mercury is retrograde.
That’s why so many experts recommend triple-checking that you’ve backed up up your phone and computers before Mercury Retrograde starts!
Better safe than sorry when it comes to saving and backing up hours worth of work or giving yourself plenty of time to log in to a meeting via Skype or Slack.
Digging Deeper: How To Get the Most Out of Mercury Retrograde
There are a few more practices that can help you tap into MRx a little more deeply. One of them is to explore your unique Mercury placement.
Where is Mercury in Your Chart?
Everyone has a unique astrological chart, sort of like a cosmic fingerprint. And every planet has a special placement in your chart.
Once you get a copy of your chart (from a site like astro.com), check to see where your Mercury is. You’ll see that it’s in a little pie piece… that’s its house placement. Now look to see what sign it’s in.
For instance, my Mercury is in Sagittarius (no surprise there) in the 11th house of friends, colleagues, and social situations. So, when Mercury is retrograde, this is a great place to expect some challenges and, ultimately, lessons.
Since Sagittarians (god love us) are already known for being outspoken and putting our feet in our mouths, it’ll be extra important to think before I speak, especially when it comes to work and social situations.
What Sign is Mercury In?
Your retrograde experience can also heavily depend on what sign Mercury is in when it’s retrograde.
Knowing what sign Mercury is in can help you in a couple of ways. First, get to know the qualities of that particular sign.
For instance, Mercury retrograde in Scorpio may mean that your communication style and/or the way you think about things takes on a Scorpionic tone.
Scorpio is all about death, rebirth, and embracing what lies beneath the surface of a situation. Mercury retrograde has a way of unearthing hidden things, so expect even more of that during an MRx in this sign.
You can go even deeper by seeing if you have any planets in Scorpio. If so, write these down and what each planet represents. These are areas you might be called to work on during this particular MRx.
I have Saturn in Scorpio.
Saturn is an ambitious planet that strives to accomplish through hard work and responsibility. Saturns in Scorpio are used to being in control and getting their way. They tend to be a bit stubborn and go after things they’re passionate about at all costs.
With Mercury in retrograde in Scorpio, I’ll want to make sure not to be too unmoving or stubborn, especially when it comes to tasks and goals. Like all things MRx, I’ll want to go with the flow for a few weeks, lest things become even more challenging.
I may also be challenged with making or keeping boundaries during this retrograde season, as Saturn rules work, business, boundaries, and limitations.
You Can Thrive Through Every Retrograde
Every planet goes retrograde at some point. And when a planet goes retrograde, it’s a huge opportunity for us to dig deep into what area of life that planet represents.
Instead of thinking of Mercury Retrograde as a time to hide and avoid things like travel, technology, and product launches, it’s super easy to track your challenges and emotions and figure out what needs to be re-evaluated or upgraded.
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