
Mercury, planet of communications, travel, technology and information went retrograde in the sign of Gemini on May 29th 2021 and this will last through to 22nd of June, with some astrologers saying that shadow effects of the retrograde will continue until July 7th.
Mercury is the ruling planet of Gemini and some astrologers are saying this is one of the most potent Mercury Retrogrades in awhile. It is conjuncting Venus AND the New Moon Eclipse on June 10th, so its powers are magnified.
So if you are feeling kinda weird and off this month, it could be because the astrological energies are very strong currently.
I am usually pretty in tune with and effected by the Moon cycles as well as certain eclipses. I can feel my energy get abit low, dark and lethargic, but these energies are also very transformative. I’m usually not very affected my retrogrades, let alone the Mercury Retrograde, though I will see alot of people in my spiritual circles panicking over it.
But woah, this one has hit me pretty hard. So I thought of going a little in depth into the Mercury Retrograde in this post and how to deal with its energy as well as the one from the Solar Eclipse.
What does it mean that Mercury is in Retrograde?
When a planet is in retrograde it simply means that when viewed from the earth, it seems like it is moving backwards in this orbit. I say “seems” because no planet suddenly starts to orbit backwards around the Sun. It just seems that way from where we are.
As Mercury is a small planet and further in front of our planet, it has a shorter orbit and as a result more frequent retrogrades as well. We go through a Mercury Retrograde probably twice or thrice a year.
The first one in 2021 was from Jan 20th to Feb 20th, in the sign of Aquarius. The second one is happening right now in Gemini and the last one for the year is from Sep 27th to Oct 17th in the sign of Libra.
Interestingly these are all Air signs and Mercury is rather at home in air signs, being a planet of communication and thought. Hence, the Retrogrades this year are set to transform wherever these signs/whichever houses they fall in your astrological chart.
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How Mercury being in Retrograde can affect you?
My Mercury is in Aquarius and it falls in a very important House for me, so it really has been shaking things up for me spiritually and professionally. When the first retrograde occurred, I experienced some very nasty verbal/communications issues at work right in the middle of it, and that was when I made the decision to move out of my current professional experience.
When the second retrograde hit, I was still experiencing deep professional transformation – my eyes were being opened to what I could do or not do. But I was and am still experiencing some blocks in terms of decisions being delayed.
So that might be your experience too. Astrologers have posited that these are some of the things you might experience:
- Miscommunication or aggravated communication. For some reason, you may feel like people’s words can trigger you really easily and you feel like you are up for a debate or an argument anytime. If your natal Mercury is blocked or has difficult relationships with other planets (I.e. my Mercury is square my Pluto which heightens my already quite argumentative self, yikes), it’s best to not say anything. Anything said right now will be very impulsive and said in the heat of anger.
- Delayed communication. This might mean delay in replies to emails or decisions you were waiting on. So if you were expecting something and it hasn’t arrived, be patient and surrender to the process. If we were allowed to travel now, there might also be more flight or travel delays than usual.
- Items going missing. It’s common for people to report items going missing for no reason or emails ending up in junk for no reason or not arriving at all.
- Breakdown in relationships and misunderstandings. You might be experiencing misunderstandings and aggravation in some of your personal relationships during this time. So if you are feeling slightly peeved with your partner or best friend and wanna unleash your fury, remember to take a step back and take a pause before you say anything that you may regret later.
Struggling with the Mercury Retrograde? Or is there something in your spiritual journey that you are feeling troubled by? Perhaps you are also feeling like your intuition is blocked and you don’t know why? I can help you unpack all that and more. Come drop your question in 100 words over here, and I will write back with some solutions 🙂
Why does Mercury Retrograde affect your emotions?
Mercury is not known to be a very feeling planet. That’s usually the job of other planets like Mars. But what we think affects how we feel and what do after.
So whilst the retrograde is playing with your thoughts and your mind, your emotions are subsequently being affected. And you might feel like you don’t seem to have much control over your reactions, your energy levels and your feelings during this month.
Some other emotional/energy related things you may experience:
- Frustration/annoyance/quick to anger. As described above, you may be very quick to anger, and tiny things that didn’t use to irritate you may get your skin very quickly. You may feel like you need to correct someone for no reason, and feel rant-y, i.e., you start to complain and ramble about all the negative things in your life. And this could be set off by a very innocuous event or someone passing a very neutral comment.
- Low energy levels/Lethargy. I experienced this the past week. I just had no energy or mood to do anything. And had to drag my feet to work everyday. In the evenings, I’d just lie there listlessly. I was tired every single day although I slept at least 8 hours. It’d be 930am in the morning and I felt I needed to retire to bed. If you felt absolutely lethargic and are having no energy to do anything, listen to your body.
- Lack of focus/fuzzy thinking. You may also be experiencing very slow thinking, a lack of ideas or just general inertia in your thinking. It’s like you are driving through a fog and can’t see clearly. You may also feel held back and can’t seem to really get anything done, cause your mind feels like it’s in a dream. It may be difficult to focus on work (more than usual) and you may be easily distracted and find yourself just mindlessly doing things.
- Sudden spurt of mental activity. I experienced this the week of the Eclipse, and it dipped right after the New Moon arrived. I was incredibly alert, productive and clear-minded – the best I’ve been in awhile. You could be experiencing sudden flashes of creativity or downloads from who-knows-where in between those periods of lethargy.
What should you do (or don’t do) in a Mercury Retrograde?
Despite all the communication and emotional/energy related challenges we may be experiencing, retrogrades are not events we should be afraid of. Think of it as an astrological reminder to check in with ourselves and our lives.
#1 Do not make big decisions, especially financial ones or sign new contracts
As the retrograde is affecting how we think about things, and our decision-making, it’s best to hold off on those big financial agreements right now. Bought or a house, or about to sign a job contract, taking a huge loan etc – best to delay it. The retrograde is not only making people’s minds abit woolly, there’s a certain impulsivity and impatience that is surrounding the way we are communicating, and could lead to decisions we regret down the road.
#2 Let go of the past/old grudges
Time to cut those cords and transform your life! When the Retrograde began, I was suddenly inspired to cut my cords to my past. Over the past 6 months, I’ve been pulling Oracle cards that were telling me to let go of my past in order to move forward, and I just couldn’t seem to do it. Finally, after things came to a head in late May, when I found myself going down the rabbit hole of obsessing and overthinking, I decided that it was enough. I wanted to start focusing on myself and focusing on feeling better.
So if you are having an hangups about friendships or you still can’t move on from people in your past, take this chance to set them free. Forgive yourself, accept that the situation happen and send them on their way. It’s your turn to shine and to carve a new path in your life 🙂
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#3 Unplug, sleep, self-care
If you feeling lethargic, tired and just low on energy though you feel like you haven’t been doing much – stop judging all of that and just take some time out. Veg out, rest early, hydrate. Sleep in if that is what you want to do. Also, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
#4 Protect your energy
There’s alot of cosmic energy swirling around us at the moment and if you are particularly sensitive, your energy might be leaking without you knowing. So take the time to indulge a little bit more in your spiritual practices. Mediate, journal, pull some cards. Ground yourself and cleanse your space!
#5 Do not speak hastily
As mentioned above, we will feel easily triggered and quick to anger during this time. Whenever you feel like you want to start an argument or that you need to correct someone in conversation, just hold back. Communication is at cross-wires right now and it’s best to be extra careful about what comes out of your mouth. Take a deep breath (or several) and make sure you are calm before speaking.
#6 Surrender to the passage of time
Ah, the art of surrendering to uncertainty. So difficult to do. Especially when you are waiting on a big decision or an important contract or response to come through. With things being at an energetic high, it can make you feel uneasy or anxious and impatient as well.
So the way to counteract this is to.. wait. Yes, it will happen – at its own time. Things will be delayed during this period of time, and it’s not that is very much in our control. So let’s practice a bit of patience and in the meanwhile, do fun, meaningful things that will distract you whilst you wait.
#7 Tune in with your guides and intuition
Having my own spiritual guides to speak to has probably been one of the best things that has happened in my spiritual journey. If you aren’t sure what are Guides or how to select them, do check out this post. I have been communicating alot with my guides, writing letters to them and receiving quite a number of intuitive downloads and messages from them.
The easiest way to start doing this and tuning into their messages is to get yourself a quiet spot, close your eyes, take in a few deep breaths and then start writing. Don’t think any thoughts and just let your pen (your guides) guide you. If this doesn’t work, t’d be helpful to do a little meditation to get into the zone of quietude before you begin.
Thoughts?
Just like with any event in life and any cosmic occurrence, this retrograde shall pass. So hang in there and look after yourself!