Mercury appears to move backward across the sky three times a year. These intervals are referred to as Mercury retrograde or simply Mercury retrograde periods. These times in particular were traditionally regarded by astrologers as being marked by uncertainty, lag, and frustration. Think of unfinished love letters, careless emails, and hurried travel arrangements! However, it is thought that intuition is strong at this time, making it a great time to think back on the past. Exceptional coincidences can occur.
In This Article...
What Is Retrograde Motion?
Comprehending that the planets in our solar system orbit the Sun at various distances and velocities is the first step in understanding the astronomical reason for retrograde motion. We can see the other planets traveling across our sky along their own courses while we ourselves round the Sun.
From our vantage point, a planet may occasionally seem to have abruptly reversed course and begun to move backward across the sky. The fact that Earth is positioned so close to the planet creates this illusion since a planet in orbit cannot suddenly change its course and always moves in the same direction. Because it merely appears that the planet is traveling backward (“retrograde motion”), this phenomenon is known as apparent retrograde motion.
When Is Mercury in Retrograde in 2022?
Mercury will appear to be moving backwards in 2022 between the dates listed below.
- 13 January to 3 February
- October 1 to September 9
- 28 December to 18 January (2023)
What You Should Do When Mercury is Retrograde
Mercury is the planet that governs all forms of communication, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as well as activities that are closely tied to communication, such as contracts and negotiations. It also governs transportation, motor vehicles, shipping, and mail.
As a result, when Mercury is in retrograde, strive to maintain your flexibility, patience, and understanding. Also, give yourself extra time to travel. Before you take that vacation, double verify your email responses and contact the bookings.
Review projects and plans during these times, but don’t make any decisions that are definitive until Mercury is direct once more. You can’t stop life, but you can prepare for it by planning ahead, having backup plans, and being understanding of other people’s shorter attention spans.
Take a Moment to Reflect
Some people attribute all the upheaval in their life to Mercury being in retrograde. But now is a good moment to take a step back and consider what you focused your efforts on.
If your faith and family are essential to you, for instance, are you investing enough time and effort in them, or have you become overcommitted to other activities like your job or a hobby? Being conscious of the links between different aspects of your lifeespecially during Mercury retrogrademay help you keep that equilibrium or at the very least, better understand how it functions. Losing that balance can have an adverse effect on all of them.
Think about that for a moment. When Mercury is in retrograde, it can be a great time to sit back and reevaluate who you are and what you are doing, but wait to make any significant changes until after the retrograde is over.
Mercury and the Zodiac
The zodiac sign Earth is in when Mercury turns retrograde affects the kind of effect you experience as well. There are 12 zodiac signs.
Check out our monthly horoscopes and learn more about the characteristics of the various zodiac signs. By consulting your zodiac profile for gardening, you can make sure that nothing goes wrong with your gardening during Mercury’s retrograde.
What actions should be avoided when Mercury is retrograde?
Ellen Bowles, an astrologer and co-author of Astrology SOS, claims that “we can have technical or mechanical troubles, and our wires can seem crossed in all our channels of communication.” “Planetary retrogrades are occasions for everyone to stop and think. We are being advised to slow down and double-check the details when Mercury is retrograde.” The urge to meticulously examine every last aspect extends beyond the three to four weeks of the retrograde period itself. The same guidelines for what not to do during Mercury retrograde also apply during this time, which lasts for a week or two before and after the actual retrograde. This period is known as Mercury’s shadow phase or “retroshade.”
How does Mercury going backwards impact us?
According to Daisy, Mercury’s retrograde phase could lead to serious marital problems like infidelity, betrayal, or loss of closeness. It may seem like everything is going wrong in your love life when you bring up old concerns and disagreements, the astrologer warns, as this planet looks to be moving inside.
Communication is essential, but it’s especially important right now because Mercury, the planet of communication, seems to be going backwards. By communicating and being open-hearted and honest, put your attention on strengthening your relationship.
How can you maintain your optimism while Mercury is retrograde?
Mercury Retrograde causes the mind to spin out of control just thinking about it! Everybody has heard about the negative effects of Mercury Retrograde: malfunctions with technology, misunderstandings, and poor business judgment. The list continues. It appears as though everything is absolutely out of control!
Everyone, guess what? Mercury Retrograde has the potential to be GOOD for us! We don’t have to blame this celestial event for the majority of the year and the years to come; we can view it from a different angle. We can all improve how we view this uncertain time. Even better, we can take use of Mercury Retrograde and be thankful for the quiet period!
To start, we must determine precisely when retrograde starts and finishes. Make a note of it in our calendars, be careful, and stay ahead of it to avoid being caught off guard by its effects.
Beginning on February 17 and lasting until March 10, this retrograde. Additionally, you should be aware that there are two-week pre-shadow and post-shadow periods.
This year, Mercury is in retrograde three times. (This is the year’s first.) We have entered a retrograde that is intended to be less intense than the previous two retrogrades. The decade’s first retrograde has begun.
Our intuition will be disclosing our false realities while this energy is there. We’ll find stuff that we’ve never seen before. There will be an increase in psychic powers and premonitory dreams at this period. This is an excellent time to revive a fresh strategy or hone your skills.
Retrograde astrologer Lisa Stardust claims that this retrograde causes a variety of astrological disruptions, all of which revolve on bewilderment. You may not agree with me, but that drives me nuts. Mercury will move into Aquarius on March 7th, making our emotions lighter and more lucid.
The following actions can be taken to keep retrograde on your side:
- During this time, it might be extremely beneficial to be upfront and clear about everything in your life, so avoid living in chaos and confusion.
- We are all entangled in this.
- Don’t be so serious about everything.
- Keep a keen awareness of your surroundings.
- Be on the lookout for confrontational persons.
- DO NOT interact. The burden on your emotions is not worth it! Their issue, not yours, is this. They don’t mean it, you know that. They are also being negatively affected by their tension.
- Be happy and loving.
- Remain above the conflict.
According to astrologer Helen Frost, it is crucial how you direct your energy. Being a couch potato and remaining motionless could have negative and unforeseen effects. I am aware that in the past, I experienced a paralyzing sense of immobility. But once I had clarity, I understood that it was my responsibility to avoid becoming mired in “the Mercury Retrograde rut.”
Take charge by:
- maintaining your everyday schedule
- taking good care of your body and self.
- Ensure your own wellbeing.
- watching what you eat.
- keeping an eye on your sugar and alcohol intake.
- being conscious of excessive indulgence.
Bad decisions, brain fog, nervous feelings, disordered thinking that results in a confused condition, and unconscious big miscommunication and decisions can all be consequences of poor diet and a lack of self-care.
Imagine your friends or coworkers being in the same fog as you if YOU are feeling this way. During the retrograde, use these tips to look for yourself:
- Reduce strain and tension that everyone could be experiencing by demonstrating compassion for others.
- Practice doing kind things at random.
- Learn to listen well.
- Don’t interrupt someone when they are speaking. Listening is a better learning tool than speaking.
- Always start your day with appreciation and be flexible. You can nearly always get through anything by being grateful.
- Be forgiving and slow to pass judgment if someone cancels or misses an appointment.
- Keep an eye on any tension you may be feeling between your heart and your head.
- If you find yourself giving in to your feelings, encourage them with self-love.
- Play some love music
- Go on walks and observe nature.
Mercury Retrograde, according to astrologer Vaness Henry, aids us in identifying mistakes we’ve previously made rather than causing us to make new ones. The perfect time to reflect, renew, relax, rest, slow down, and heal has come.
In addition, the additional retrograde periods in 2020 are from June 18 to July 12 and from October 14 to November 3.
What zodiac signs will be impacted by the 2021 Mercury retrograde?
The other cardinal signs in the other elements will feel this particular backward turn the most because it is occurring in cardinal Libra. Aries (cardinal fire), Cancer (cardinal water), and Capricorn are included in this (cardinal earth). Aries, it will manifest in your fourth house of domestic life, Cancer, your seventh house of partnerships, and Cap, your tenth house of careers.
Don’t get a new haircut.
Not exactly the finest time to begin something new is while Mercury is retrograde. Instead, the emphasis throughout this time is on redoing, reevaluating, readjusting, etc. Avoid getting a radical haircut for your hair at this time. You should avoid committing to a new look during the transit, but you can conduct your study for when the retrograde is finished. Speaking from personal experience, we have never enjoyed a haircut during a Mercury retrograde.
Don’t dye your hair a different color.
In keeping with the aforementioned concept, you should refrain from making any drastic hairstyle modifications. Keep your existing shade or at least tint your hair a similar shade. Platinum instead of jet black might not be the best choice. Save those hairstyle modifications for after the retrograde, if possible.
Don’t switch up your haircare routine.
Use the stuff you already have instead of throwing away all your go-to items and buying new ones. You can certainly reevaluate which elements of your routine are and are not effective, but hold off on making any significant choices just yet. Wait until Mercury retrograde is over before making any necessary changes to your haircare routine. As Lina points out, “I would go for it as long as it’s not anything permanent.
Don’t rush into anything.
Mercury going backwards can make us feel powerless and uncontrollable. When that occurs, we tend to act hastily in order to feel in control. Lauren emphasizes not to “rush into things” because this is particularly true when it comes to our strands. She advises waiting or “investing the time and money it takes to getdone right” as an alternative.
This idea also applies to significant investments in haircare. Lina advises you to postpone making any pricey purchases at this time. Wait until early February when Venus and Mercury are both still straight if you’re considering buying a Dyson Airwrap because, as they point out, devices bought when Mercury is in retrograde might be glitchy.
What zodiac signs are impacted by Mercury’s retrograde motion?
Nothing in astrology is more notorious than the dreadful Mercury retrograde. Because it rules both cognitive and communication processes, Mercury has a significant impact on how you live your daily life. This quick-moving, very intelligent inner planet tends to confuse people and lead to errors in judgment when it goes retrograde, which can derail all of your goals. Fortunately, you don’t have to prepare for total disaster if you belong to one of the zodiac signs that will be least affected by Mercury retrograde in spring 2022: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.
On May 10, as Mercury is transiting through Gemini at a 4 degree angle, the next Mercury retrograde will start. As a result of this mutable air sign’s propensity to think more quickly than it speaks, miscommunication is a major theme of this erratic and capricious retrograde. Mercury won’t stay in Gemini for very long, though, as on May 22 it will turn back into Taurus and travel through that sign’s obstinate and slow-moving zone once more. Mercury is returning to this fixed earth sign, so you may find yourself second-guessing every choice and finding it difficult to look past your attachments to particular beliefs and viewpoints. Be careful you know what you’re talking about and try to have an open mind.
Despite the fact that Mercury retrograde can throw your life for a loop, you must keep in mind that it only lasts for around three weeks. This retrograde, which will terminate on June 3 at 26 degrees Taurus, could transport you back in time and bring up unfinished business that has to be attended to. Let this retrograde give you another chance to attempt because there might still be things you need to say or decisions you need to make.
In either case, cardinal signs might not experience the full effects of this retrograde. This is why:
Does Mercury going backwards impact feelings?
Expect to have either more or less energy than usual, especially worried energy. will either drain you of your typical vigor, leaving you feeling tired, or fill you with chaotic, scattered energy, possibly leaving you feeling restless, distracted, and agitated.
Does Mercury’s reversal have an impact on sleep?
There is no proof, according to science, that mercury retrograde can interfere with your sleep. However, the assumption that Mercury retrograde can affect your daily life may result in a nocebo effect, which is more accurately described as a placebo effect.
A nocebo makes you feel as though you are experiencing unpleasant consequences, whereas a placebo causes you to believe that you are experiencing beneficial results.
It’s possible that your uncertainty over Mercury retrograde’s propensity for negativity will keep you up at night. This is because instead of dealing with whatever problems that Mercury retrograde’s antics may have caused, you’re internalizing them.
This might seem incredibly familiar to people who routinely experience nighttime worry. It can be difficult to get a restful night’s sleep when your mind is racing or distracted with tension. But it’s not necessary to be.
Is everyone impacted by Mercury’s retrograde motion?
One of the most well-known astrologers in the world is Susan Miller; whose website Astrology Zone receives 309 million page views annually, has 11 million unique users, and that doesn’t even count her wildly popular app of the same name. “According to Miller, the only occurrence that has an impact on everyone equally is the retrograde of Mercury. “However, because they are under the planet’s dominion, Virgo and Gemini are more impacted. When Mercury goes retrograde, situations are shifting, but we can’t yet tell which way they’re going. This is a time of change in the world. Hence the confusion.
Can wonderful things occur while Mercury is in retrograde motion?
the wonderful news now. Since astrology doesn’t deal in binary events, as Worth previously stated, good things will undoubtedly continue to happen to you at this time. According to Worth, the period of Mercury retrograde can really be incredibly beneficial and productive. “Pay close attention to the first two letters of the word “retrograde,” in particular. That indicates that it is time to go back and review, revise, and reassess. Think about updating your social media posts by deleting some of the old, off-brand material. Or taking a moment to reflect on whether your current situation genuinely reflects who you are.
During Mercury’s retrograde, people from your past can also reappear. Although it might not be someone you especially want to reconnect with, this encounter could serve as a reminder of how much you’ve changed. Make contact with old acquaintances that you’ve lost touch with as well. ” Contrary to popular belief, people can experience life-altering adventures during Mercury retrograde, such as travels to their ancestral origins or profound epiphanies about who they are, according to Worth.
