Have you ever been on a train that overtook a slower train on an adjacent track and it looks like the other train is going backwards? That's basically what happens when you talk about any retrograde planet, Mercury or otherwise.
Here we are on Earth and when we look at the planets moving through the narrow band of space we've designated The Zodiac, all of them circling The Sun, every so often, from our perspective, a planet APPEARS to move backwards, their forward motion through the Zodiac APPEARS to stop, stand still and then go backwards, or displays retrograde motion, as both astrologers and astronomers call it.
Astrology is a symbolic psychological language and in astrology the planet Mercury, the Winged Messenger in mythology, represents our logical mind, how we think, how we process information without that process being informed by emotion, our intelligence, our aptitude for eye-hand coordination, communicating in every possible way including writing, texting, calling, speaking, and, wait for it, LISTENING!!!!
Put simply, Mercury Retrograde is a time when you should make a special effort to Be Aware and, if you are not aware, then and only then should you Beware. If you have to sign something, buy something, make plans, travel, etc., do it, only be aware that you should be aware and be ready to be nimble about changes and curves thrown at you. Take it easy. Don't push the river. Decide to decide later.
But Life does not stop during Mercury retrogrades. Astrology is one of the spices of life and you can’t live on spices, alone. Life is the meal and we have to live it.
Be aware is the message of Mercury Retrograde and it's a good message to always live by. Beware is something else again. When it pops up, adrenaline flows and if you have too much Beware you will wear yourself out and not be able to stay a part of the movement to make the world a better place.
It's just like "Put your mask on before you help the person next to you." and "Make your base secure." And here's another one, Don't make yourself sick about things you can't do a damn thing about, just do what you CAN do and stay healthy so you can continue to do so! And that's all I'm going to say about that!
This Mercury Retrograde period started on March 23rd of this year, occurring on the 17th degree of the sign Aries and lasts until April 15th. But there is a “shadow period” until May 3rd, because Mercury will not get back to the degree it was on when it started t(o drive me crazy and screw up my phones!)
Anyhow, take notice of the events until then and see if Mercury Ret things are As Bad, A Bit Less Bad, A Lot Less Bad, or Normally Bad regarding communications, which are always difficult even in the best of times.
