Have you noticed a shift in your mental clarity? Are meetings, appointments and dates getting cancelled and rescheduled? Have you been thinking of texting your ex? There’s an astrological explanation for this phenomena, and it’s called Mercury Retrograde.
Beginning Sept. 27, Mercury, the planet of communication, is retrograde in Libra until Oct. 18. Now, Mercury Retrograde happens three times every year, so it’s really not that big of a deal. Right? Eh, not so much.
As I briefly mentioned, astrological Mercury rules all forms of communication, from thinking, learning and studying, to writing and texting, as well as all telecommunications (smartphones, laptops, smartwatches– you get the idea), electronics and appliances. As this article from Allure says, “When the swift-moving Mercury cruises backward, we can expect frustrating miscommunications, technological meltdowns, and travel mishaps.” The article also cautions us to be careful with our words since Mercury, named after the Roman messenger god, holds dominion over our verbal communications as well.
If you read my article on Mercury like a good astro-student, than you know that mythological Mercury is also a trickster god. And we best see Mercury’s tricks when the planet is retrograde. However, these tricks aren’t optical illusions or magic spells. They often take the form of Freudian slips, badly worded texts, DMs sent to the wrong person (or people– yikes), problems with Zoom, and email misspellings or subject-line flubs.
Mercury Rx’s tricks also have to do with interpersonal communication.
During Mercury Retrograde, exes magically reappear into your life, either in person or through some sort of correspondence. This will be especially prevalent during this upcoming Mercury Retrograde cycle, since it takes place in Libra, the sign of partnerships.
Former flames may all of a sudden send you a “Hey, it’s been a minute” text, DM you on IG or re-add you on Snapchat. Exciting though the seemingly unexpected communication may be, don’t continue the conversation. (They’re your ex for a reason, aren’t they?) It’ll fizzle out before anything serious happens anyway.
Another important note to keep in mind during 2021 Mercury Retrograde are the three R’s: Review, Revise, and Reconsider. These were coined by astrologer Trish McGregor, and they refer to the following:
- Review any texts, emails, or essays before sending or submitting (this includes proposed texts to that ex).
- Revise errors and look for content that could be misconstrued by the receiver.
- Reconsider sending out job/internship applications, or agreeing to any contracts.
Our decision-making abilities are skewed during 2021 Mercury Retrograde, but that doesn’t mean we can’t navigate its choppy communication waters. Mishaps and mistakes are unavoidable, but they’re also not the end of the world. Mercury Retrograde happens three times a year, and this 2021 Rx in Libra will be the last of the three. If we’ve already survived two Mercury Retrogrades this year, we can certainly get through another one.
