Mercury turns retrograde in Gemini from May 18, 2015 - June 11

Click here to learn about Mercury. Click here to learn about Gemini.

About a month ago, I posted about Pluto turning retrograde. Click here to learn about retrograde motion. Mercury turns retrograde 3-4 times a year, more frequently than any other planet. Cool tidbit from EarthSky:

On Mercury, for example, the Sun sometimes moves in retrograde! As the planet speeds through its closest approach with the sun, its orbital speed overtakes its rotational speed. An astronaut on the surface would see the sun partially rise, then dip back below the horizon, then rise again before resuming its east-to-west trek across the sky. Once a year, Mercury gets two sunrises on the same day!

To be very clear, planets in retrograde are not actually spinning backwards – it is entirely an optical illusion as seen from Earth. Backwards motion appears to happen when Earth passes slower moving planets in the outer solar system. In astrology, this illusion manifests as a sort of “backwards” functioning of the planets and their roles. Mercury is concerned with communication and mental activity. Mercury aptly typifies the human mind: never static – constantly processing – always moving above and beyond, on to the next stimulus. Areas associated with this planet: travel, transportation, negotiation, bargaining, personal expression, technology and writing. When Mercury is retrograde, these realms are particularly affected.

Significant changes begin cropping up about 10 days before, at the dawn of what is known as the “shadow period” (starting this Friday, May 8). Think of it as a trial run, an opportunity to gauge what’s ahead. I have a feeling this Rx period will be more vicious than the last, but it’s too soon to say for sure. On the bright side, we will now go back and finish that which has been forgotten or ignored. I always get lots of great work done during this period Be on the lookout for: delays, cancellations/sudden changes to travel or social plans; technological failures, especially with cell phones, laptops or anything Internet-related; communication breakdowns; objects mysteriously disappearing or getting lost/stolen; a creeping feeling that nothing is going right no matter how hard you try; everything seemingly breaking, quitting, falling apart or malfunctioning for no apparent reason! Like many fellow astrologers, sometimes I find myself unnecessarily fearing or over-dramatizing Mercury Rx. With the power of the mind, we can and will have a successful transit. From astrologer Molly Hall:

I’ve come to see the expectation of mishaps as a meme that feeds on itself. That being said, I’ve had some wildly “as above, so below” Mercury retro experiences over the years. Like finding a water-soaked missing book on my neighbor’s porch, after Mercury came out of direct shadow in Pisces.

HOWEVER! I do not recommend making major purchases or signing significant (read: any) contracts/documents during this time. This is NOT – repeat NOT – a good time to make life-altering commitments or invest in major entities such as houses, cars or expensive vacations. Be extremely careful with both your words and your money. Despite all of the confusion and impaired decision-making, I see this transit as a lovely reminder of what’s good in life. Sometimes we need things to go wrong in order to see where we’ve become disorganized. Expect to do a lot of reflecting and/or journaling at this time– it may be difficult to express to others how and what you’re feeling, so it helps to have another outlet for your thoughts. Be compassionate and gentle with yourself and remember that we don’t have to make sense of everything right now. Keywords are review and adjust.

Meditation is strongly suggested, or at the very least some silent time set aside to look back on old work/plans that need attention. As stated, this is generally a very unfavorable time to start new projects for two reasons: it is quite possible that you will completely change your mind when Mercury turns direct again, even if you feel very strongly about something now; additionally, whatever you say or do now carries more weight than normal, so missteps will cost you greatly. Be aware and take precautions. Having said this, there is no need to suspend work or projects that are already in progress. What I’m speaking to now only applies to new endeavors.

One more silver lining, from CafeAstrology:

Minor breaks in the mechanical aspects of communication can actually re-connect us to other means of communication, such as when there is an unexpected power outage and we’re forced off the computer and television, finding different and often satisfying ways to entertain ourselves.

To determine your Mercury sign and whether he was direct or retrograde at your time of birth, click here. It is interesting to note that, if you were indeed born with Mercury Rx, you may not notice the effects above as strongly, if at all. If you are curious about how this transit affects you personally, please contact me for more insight.

Mantra: change is good