5 Ways to Thrive Through Mercury Retrograde in 2022
Key dates:
August 20th: Mercury pre-shadow period begins at 24º11’ Virgo
September 9th: Mercury retrograde begins at 8º55’ Libra
August 25th: Mercury re-enters Virgo
October 2nd: Mercury goes direct at 24º11’ Virgo
October 17th: Mercury post-shadow period ends at 8º55’ Libra
Mercury, the cosmic comedienne and marketeer, goes retrograde September 9th through October 2nd, igniting a chorus of unnecessary shrieks and shudders. Mercury retrograde periods are notorious for coinciding with loads of mishaps, miscommunications, and mechanical misfires, but there is, as always, a message in the madness. There’s a code to be cracked.
All retrograde periods are powerful, necessary, and potent periods of time, they just dance to the beat of their own anti-capitalist drum. They are about introspection, reevaluation, and integration. Mercury retrogrades in particular remind us to have a sense of humor — life doesn’t always have to be so gloomy and serious.
The compulsion to text your three-years-ago lover who probably hasn’t looked in a mirror since the last time you showed him one? Probably just Mercury’s mischievous way of trying to slow you down and shift your focus inward. Mercury is the prankster of the zodiac, after all. This is all one big practical joke. Mercury retrograde slows us down in order to, ironically, get us where we’re going more efficiently. Tortoise and the hare shit.
We don’t like retrogrades because we don’t like to wait, take our time, or turn inward. We’re used to running forward and grinding away to the hurried pace of the machine. Fear of Mercury retrograde is thus intrinsically linked to capitalism and its insistence that we must, at all times, keep traveling full steam ahead without ever taking a moment to slow down, review, or think. Because nonstop productivity is all that’s permitted in a capitalist society. It’s required in order to keep the machine running. Planetary retrogrades, especially Mercury Rx, demand something else of us. Something more primal, chaotic, and earth-centered. Something more human.
Mercury retrograde is non-literal and non-linear. It’s one big practical joke. It’s satire, it’s art, it’s poetry, and it rejects immediate action. Things that come up during Mercury retrograde are super symbolic - mull ‘em over. Have a laugh. Remember that rest is radical and learn to speak the language of pranks, puns, and symbols. Revel in absurdity.
Here are five common Mercury Rx mishaps and ways to flow with the deeper symbolism within them in order to come out the other side grounded and renewed.
The issue: Being (or feeling) haunted by people from the past
The symbolic message: Consider what remains unresolved and what lessons haven’t been learned from this relationship. What does this person symbolize? Is it possible that the reemergence of this specter of the past is more about something unresolved within you than it is about them? What are they really bringing up for you?
Dive into latent feelings, journal profusely, but consider waiting to act on whatever’s coming up until Mercury goes direct on October 2nd (or better yet, wait until October 17th when Mercury clears its post-retrograde shadow). Then tie up whatever loose ends haven’t tied themselves up. In the meantime, have a good laugh about it.
The issue: Purchases gone wrong
The symbolic message: Stop buying shit you don’t need. Instead, go outside and connect with the material world in a different way. Reconsider what you’re putting your money into, and who/what you’re supporting. Connect with yourself and with others. Brainstorm new ways to create sustainable emotional security for yourself and others. Consider your relationship to the unknown - are you able to lean into it? Meditate on your values. Rewatch a comedy you already know and love. Laugh.
The issue: Miscommunications, arguments, misunderstandings, typos, general haziness
The symbolic message: Talk less, think and listen more. Take time to process things. Allow silence, rest, and introspection. Respect your own mental process and go at your own pace. Communicate through art. Come into your body; when was the last time you felt something soft against your skin? When was the last time you sat down to eat with no distractions? Give yourself the gift of presence. And of course, laugh.The issue: Car, transportation and travel issues; scheduling errors
The symbolic message: Slow down, review, and reevaluate your choices, options, and life trajectory (you know, cars, trajectory… the symbolism writes itself). What do you want? Spend some time alone. Rest. Plan ahead, and again, wait ‘til at least early October to act. Laugh at the ridiculousness of planets actually foretelling your flat tire.The issue: Trouble with technology
The symbolic message: Get your brain off of autopilot! Are you living your life or are you just drifting? Are your systems sustainable? Now is the time to plot your way back into the driver’s seat. Sift through physical, digital, and figurative clutter and ground yourself. Make backup plans and backup your data. Strengthen your relationships with others. Create something tangible, something you can hold in your hands and experience through the senses. Go the fuck outside. Laugh.
We’re not supposed to be reaping immediate benefits during a retrograde. We are taking a good, hard, necessary look at ourselves, our lives, our goals, our choices, everything, and reevaluating. “Do I really want this? Is this really the best way to go? Am I happy with where I’m at? What does and doesn’t fit with me, my needs and my desires?” Sometimes this is done consciously and sometimes it’s unconscious, but we’re asking these questions in order to integrate what we’ve learned into ourselves and our reality in whatever way we deem appropriate.
Mercury retrograde is a time for turning inward. More allowing than pushing. As many planetary events are, it’s a “let go or be dragged” type of deal; trying to fight the current of The Universe™ (AKA our own currents!) is always gonna be a no-go. These time periods are a lesson in going with the flow of the planets instead of trying to direct them.
Exhale. Now have a laugh.