Don’t let things slip through the cracks during Mercury RX!
Using the power of “re” to maximize your Mercury Retrograde energy.
Poor Mercury retrograde… it really does get a bad rap in pop culture. Don’t sign any contracts or make reservations! Count on travel troubles! Watch your language! Back up your computer! Be prepared to feel depressed/confused/pessimistic! And while all of those are possibilities, there are also lots of powerful ways to use that energy to your advantage.
Let’s backtrack a bit for the un-initiated and look at what Mercury retrograde (or Rx for short) actually is. In astrology, Mercury is the planetary archetype that governs how we think, and how we communicate what we’re thinking, whether it’s writing, speaking, teaching. It also governs transportation (Mercury was the messenger of the gods) and when it goes retrograde, which it will on March 22nd for ~3½ weeks, all of those areas can be affected.
And while we’re talking about the astrological effects here, there really is a planetary cha-cha happening in the heavens. Picture us Earthlings riding along on our planet, circling the Sun, while our neighbors on Mercury are zooming around with us. 3 or 4 times each year, we pass them in our orbiting race, and like passing a car on the highway, they seem to be moving backward… voilà, the retrograde.
As a Life & Relationship Coach and Counseling Astrologer (certified by the NCGR, one of the preeminent organizations dedicated to the education and certification of professional astrologers), I’ve been watching the effects of Mercury Rx in my own life and in the lives of my clients and friends for a few decades now… no formal research studies here, just some general observations.
One thing I’ve found is that sometimes you can just sail through a Mercury Rx period without a blip!
My theory is that if Mercury is not triggering (or “transiting” as we say in astrology) something significant in your natal chart, you might not feel its effects at all. Obviously, you need to have your birth chart in hand to know that, and you can get that calculated in a number of places, including at Café Astrology. Then you just need to find someone to interpret the astro-language on it to see if/when you’ll be affected.
But even when you do get whacked by a classic Mercury retrograde snafu, the results can be surprisingly positive, as long as you just let it unfold. Years ago, when my younger son was a senior in high school we made plans during a Mercury Rx (couldn’t help the timing) to bring him and a bunch of friends on a Spring vacation with us – arranged for them to have a suite on the other side of the resort from where we were staying. Apparently, that wasn’t far enough away from parental influence to suit them, so they decided to stay home, back in the chilly City and do their own thing while we went off on our first child-free getaway in years. It was perfect for all of us! (And yes, there were still parents around at home, but somehow that was OK with the kids).
That was a lovely resolution to one of those Mercury Rx blips, but there are actually many ways to intentionally use any upcoming Rx period in powerful and supportive ways. Since there are so many big DON’Ts during this time, a good place to start is to simply slow down, go within, and spend some time ruminating, daydreaming and reviewing your life.
Here are 5 ways to redefine your relationship to Mercury retrograde using “Re“ words:
1) Reorganize – Is your office a disaster area, your attic a fire hazard, or are your closets overflowing? It may not be the best time for big new purchases, but it’s perfect for cleaning up and out (re-leasing!) in order to make room for them when the Rx is over. Likewise, if business has been sluggish, a good purging of your filing cabinets can open the space, literally and figuratively, for new work to flow in.
2) Reconnect – I’ve noticed that people from my past seem to spontaneously show up more often during a Mercury Rx… friends I’ve lost touch with, old co-workers I’ve been meaning to call, people I haven’t thought about in years. You can also just reach out to those friends/acquaintances yourself, not with an agenda (that might be a little linear for an Rx period), but just to catch-up and schmooze.
3) Resolve – This one has multiple “re” possibilities! Do you have a few BIG projects that you’ve been waiting for a chunk of time to work on? It may be simply REsearching your healthcare provider’s database to find a new primary care physician. Or maybe it’s REviewing all of your banking, investment, and insurance records with the intention of getting everything documented in one place… that’s been on my personal to-do list for a while. Where do you have unfinished business that you can tackle during prime Rx time?
4) Renew – In the spirit of REclaiming or REcycling vs. buying something new, take a look in your closet and pull out a favorite old outfit and play with how you can update it with different accessories. Consider re-covering your special comfy chair or reframing a cracked picture. All of these are creative ways to use to use the Rx energy to make what’s old new again.
5) Retreat/reflect – Since Mercury governs the logical, linear left brain, when it goes retrograde, it’s a powerful time to really go within and rely on your intuition, to daydream, to let your right-brain, creative side come to the forefront. Conventional Rx wisdom says not to start anything new or make big decisions, so this can be a wonderfully quiet, peaceful time.
Obviously, life and work must go on during Mercury retrogrades… considering the fact that they happen 3-4 times a year and many people can feel their impact for weeks before and after (called the “shadow” time), not much would get done if we just hibernated in our beds and waited for them to pass. Hopefully you’ve now got some great prescriptions for moving through the next one with grace and ease… a healthy Rx for your next Mercury Rx! I’d love to hear your experience.
Hi, I’m Deborah Roth, a Career/Life Transition Coach, and also a Counseling Astrologer and Interfaith Minster. I love blending all of that expertise together to support spirited women and men through life’s big changes with joy and ease. You can learn more about my work HERE or email me at Deborah@SpiritedLiving.com to schedule an introductory coaching session.