When Mercury Goes Retrograde

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by James Lyn

In my coven, nothing elicits more groans, moans and wailing than the words "Mercury is going retrograde." You can almost see people mentally battening down their hatches and lashing themselves to the mainsail to ride out the storm. (Yes, I've seen a lot nautical movies in the past year.) I believe that if we could vote on changing one astrological element of our lives, it would be "Don't let Mercury go retrograde ever again."

Mercury goes retrograde about three times a year. A planet is "retrograde" when it appears to be going backward in its orbit around the Sun. Astronomically speaking, this occurs because Earth has caught up with the planet and is moving past it (in their respective orbits). You can see this same effect when you're driving down the highway: When you pass a slower moving vehicle, you can look back and, for a few moments, it appears as though the other vehicle is standing still. (Don't try this when you're the one driving!)

Astrologically speaking, Mercury affects communication and information. When Mercury is direct, or appears to be moving forward, communications are normal. But when it goes retrograde -- watch out! Everything gets turned upside down, and problems are rampant. Communication is a vital part of our lives, and we're all familiar with the conflicts that can arise because of miscommunication, whether we misunderstand one another, important messages are lost or garbled in e-mail and voice mail or computer systems go completely down.

What can we do when Mercury goes retrograde? It's a fair bet it will continue to go retrograde, a few times a year, every year, until the Sun explodes and none of us have to worry about it any longer. So it's something we can count on -- and it's something we can predict and put on the calendar. In that respect it's a lot easier to deal with than problems that occur without any warning! Other than hang up signs saying "Talk to me when Mercury's feeling better," there are several things you can do to cope with a planet in retrograde. But you can do more than just cope! This is something that will continue to happen over and over, so why not find ways to make it a more positive event?

When I was a kid, we would sometimes declare "Opposite Day." Whatever we said, the opposite was true. We'd spend all day confounding our elders by doing the opposite of what we were told to do, and tormenting our younger siblings and cousins by reversing Opposite Day halfway through their uttering a particularly disagreeable sentence. (I know it wasn't just me who did that!) Mercury going into retro doesn't mean "There will be problems." It means "What normally is, is not and what normally isn't, is." It means that Mercury has declared Opposite Day for the next three weeks.

While I don't suggest you go around telling your family and friends that you dislike them, I do suggest you try doing things you don't normally do. Have you been putting off writing someone a letter? Mercury retrograde can be a great time to sit down and communicate with someone you haven't spoken to in a long time. Have you been busy playing phone tag with someone at work? Stop calling! Maybe it would be better to visit in person. If you and your spouse always seem to fight and argue when Mercury is in retrograde, why not agree to spend time alone, take a weekend off and go on separate vacations or just agree to ignore one another for an evening? You could even declare a "no verbal communication" day and use written notes and hand signals.

Take this chance to be creative. Think about what problems Mercury in retrograde usually causes you. How would you describe those problems on Opposite Day? "My boss never answers my questions" can turn into "My boss leaves me to my own initiative." "My computer keeps crashing" can be "I get to spend time reading a book." The idea is to stop looking at what is wrong and start looking at what is right. Focus on what goes well, and let go of what doesn't. Destructive energy is a good thing, if sometimes unsettling, because it clears out what's no longer needed to make room for new growth.

In addition to changing your perspective, there are lots of things you can do to help cushion the effects of Mercury's Opposite Day. Marking Mercury retrogrades on your calendar is a good start so you know when they're coming up. Pay attention to the sort of things that go wrong during a retrograde. Maybe you can keep a journal, and for two or three retrogrades, just write down the sorts of things that happen in your life so you can make plans. Notice those around you, and whether they seem to be affected, and how much. You can leave yourself a note saying "Joe + retro = big grump!" to warn yourself about someone who seems to get hit particularly badly.

You should also make note of the things that go well during a retrograde. Maybe parties planned ahead of time always fizzle but spontaneous get-togethers are successful. Maybe it's the only time you seem to get those birthday cards written, or the only time you manage to find time to read a novel. Keep track of what works for you -- and do more of it!

Last, but certainly not least, you can cast spells to help you through the retrograde period. You can cast a spell to help keep energy flowing among your loved ones, to remind you all of what's important when words seem to be difficult, or hurtful. You can ask for guidance to see what you should be focusing on during a retro period -- what opportunities are you being offered? You can protect yourself from misunderstandings with a ritual to remind yourself that what people say may not be precisely what they mean and to be patient and not jump to conclusions. If nothing else seems to work, you can cast a spell to "Let me just get through this!" Adversity can certainly make us appreciate the times when things go right!

As witches, we're familiar with how intent and focus can affect our lives. Spell casting is all about using energy with intent and focus. The same spell can be cast by two different witches, for two different purposes, and yield different results. In the same way, two people affected by Mercury retro can have two completely different experiences because one is convinced the universe is out to ruin everything she does, and the other has decided to accept things the way they are and work within the "new rules" of Opposite Day.

Mercury -- and any planet -- in retrograde gives us an opportunity to look at things differently. It turns everything upside-down, blocks things that flow smoothly and unblocks things that normally don't go anywhere at all. Instead of fighting it, and bemoaning how our lives are getting "messed up," we can move with the change and do things differently. Even if things don't go well, a new perspective can give us insights we wouldn't have had otherwise. You and your spouse may still fight, but at least an argument on paper is quiet.

Editor's note: In 2004 in the Pacific Northwest, Mercury is retrograde from April 6-April 30; August 9-September 2 and November 30-December 19.