Last Updated on October 11, 2022
The last few months have been challenging for everyone, and Mercury going into retrograde certainly didn’t help. Unfortunately, this retrograde was more than just a universal scapegoat for all your misfortune and bad choices, and the effects will be felt for months following this astrological transition.
What Does “Mercury Retrograde” Even Mean?
For those new to this unfortunate occurrence, planetary retrograde is when a planet appears to stop, pivot, and even move backward in the sky during its regular orbit. A planetary retrograde occurs at different intervals and for varying lengths of time, depending on the planet and how long the orbit is. If this seems confusing, think of it like driving a car on the highway. When you pass another car, it looks like the other car is moving backward. It’s not, obviously, but it appears that way for a few moments as you pass them. Planetary orbits are the same way, just on a much larger scale.
Generally speaking, Mercury goes into retrograde about once a quarter and stays there for around three weeks. The planet is named for the Roman god of commerce, and the planet and god represent travel, technology, communication, and transportation. These are some of the most important aspects of life in the 21st century, so it’s a pretty big deal when something throws them for a loop. That said, the retrograde period can feel like the universe is making a mess just for the hell of it. That’s pretty rude, universe.
How Does Mercury Retrograde Affect Our Lives?
Now that we understand the basics of what retrograde means, how does this affect your life? And more importantly, what can you do to fix this colossal universal sucker punch? Each retrograde is said to affect a different portion of our lives. For example, the most recent retrograde in the Libra months began the second week in September, affecting your love and work life. This means your current romantic life, business relationships, partnerships, and even your relationships with exes were thrown out of balance in a seemingly overwhelming car wreck that would put the “Final Destination” movies to shame.
While it certainly may feel like it, Mercury retrograde is not the end of the world. So even if it seems like your partner and your boss are against you, and everything is going wrong, you can use this as a growing opportunity.
The Growth Mindset
If your work life or business partnership is falling apart out of nowhere, take this opportunity to restructure that balance or grow in a different direction. Things may become uncomfortable or messy for a couple of weeks, but just like seeds, we must shed our shells to grow. You may have been passed over for a big promotion or denied an upgrade to the corner office, but this can be a blessing. Maybe the corner office gets unbearably hot in the afternoon, or you will receive a later promotion that suits your interests better.
For romantic relationships, you may find yourself arguing with your partner or even having exes emerge from the swamp they disappeared into after your breakup. This emotional rollercoaster is complex and can even be heart-wrenching, but it’s also an opportunity to seek closure or sort out differences that can form a stronger bond in the long run. Remember why you left the person that seemed so perfect in your memory but is pretty unpleasant now. That argument with your partner may end up unveiling a pet peeve that you didn’t even know existed, and avoiding it in the future will make everyone happier now that you’re aware of it.
The important thing in both situations is not to let yourself become overwhelmed or lose your temper but instead pause and think about what sort of growth can come from this particular planetary retrograde if given a chance. Can you find a way to compromise with your business partner in a way that helps your business and profit growth? Can you forgive and find peace with your ex and allow that closure or repressed emotion to fade into memory? Are you willing to compromise with your romantic partner and find a way to learn from any squabbles so your relationship can be even more concrete and beneficial to you both?
It’s Not Just You
If you feel alone in your unfortunate retrograde luck, or if you’re a bigger-picture type of person, Mercury’s retrograde also affected everyone on a global level. The United Nations held a high-level meeting comprised of many world leaders, and gender equality was lacking, to say the least. Out of 190 speakers, only 23 were women. This world-level imbalance in government officials probably seemed daunting and demoralizing for those 23 women. However, the end of the retrograde at the beginning of October brought this long-standing issue to headlines worldwide and set in motion the beginning of a new realization of inequality at higher government levels worldwide. The negative occurrence during retrograde brought forth an opportunity for growth that may not have been discovered otherwise. While this is an extreme example of the retrograde results lasting for decades, we ultimately found a way to improve our situation despite planetary interference.
Making it Out in One Piece
The most important thing to remember as we come out of this retrograde is that you have to communicate with those around you, even if you don’t want to. Be patient with others suffering the same aggravations and situations you find yourself in, and be open to growth as a way to move past your stagnant comfort zone. The results of your ambition and focused determination may surprise you!