When so many of my friends and clients hear of the "dreaded Mercury retrograde" they all seem to want to hide and run for cover for the duration of the retrograde. But what does this planetary phenomena really mean and what does it have to do with us?
Let me begin by simply explaining what happens when a planet goes retrograde. The term retrograde, in simple terms, means that a planet is giving the appearance of moving "backward" in its orbit. The planet doesn't actually stop and change direction. What happens is that the appearances of the planet in the sky seems to be moving backward in its path. This has to do with the relative position of the Earth and the view of the planet from the Earth itself. What affects us here on our planet is the "vibration" of the light and "energy" that travels toward the planet. Remember, everything in the Universe is a "vibration."
When a planet is retrograde in our charts, it means that the properties of that planet, in a sense, are reversed. The times that Mercury goes retrograde defines a time for us to slow down and go within. Think about what is happening in our lives and where we are going. Most of us see this time as an annoyance, but once again, Astrology is a tool and we need to use the time for our benefit.
Generally speaking during a Mercury retrograde, we can expect delays, traffic situations, problems in communications (especially with telephones and cell phones), computer problems, delays in mail, and we never want to sign any contracts or legal documents, especially long term ones. We don't throw logic completely out the window, if something needs to be taken care of and is of an urgent nature, we don't put it off, we just do what we need to do and see what unfolds.
For more personal affects, we see what planets and houses are effected in our Natal charts to define what area of our lives the retrograde will influence and what we can potentially experience during that time.
©2016 Raymond J. Sette
