There are plenty of logical explanations for things going wrong in your life. You could accuse Murphy's Law. You could also blame yourself for waking up on the wrong side of the bed! But more often than not, we blame our luck, the stars and sometimes the planetary conjunctions. Whether you believe in astrology or not, there's a certain amount of faith anchored to the pseudoscience. We've all grown up reading up on our zodiac signs -- even if it is out of entertainment!
However, those who are a little more involved in astrology know that there's a lot more to it than just the twelve zodiac signs. Ardent believers comprehend that the art studies planetary alignments a little more profoundly and draws conclusions based on the same. So, if you ask an astrology kid why things are going wrong, don't be surprised to find them blaming the ongoing Mercury retrograde. It isn't uncommon to hear about this phenomenon, considering how the internet is full of hipster millennials lamenting about this particular astrology event. But instead of simply jumping onto the bandwagon, we've listed a detailed explanation for you to understand this puzzling phase better. Read on to find out:
What is Mercury retrograde?
Mercury retrograde is an event that occurs roughly three to four times a year. During this phase, the planet appears to go 'retrograde' or backward. But it doesn't really regress, as we already know. "Mercury doesn't actually move backward. If you do a bit of stargazing, you will see that Mercury appears to move backward, just as the ancient astrologers perceived thousands of years ago," Susan Miller, an American astrologer, explains on her blog. "After a while – in Mercury's case, a three-and-a-half-week period – the planet will reverse itself and move "forward" again," she further mentions.
But if Mercury retrograde is more or less an optical illusion, why does it hold so much importance? "Because Mercury is the planet situated closest to the Sun, its orbit is much shorter than Earth's," explains Susan. "About three or four times a year, Mercury speeds past Earth, and that is when we experience a Mercury retrograde period," she adds. Explaining the phenomenon, Susan additionally writes, "If you were in a car and another car passed you, you could tell it was going faster than you. But if it slowed down and you then passed it, it would appear that that car was actually going backwards. Then when the other car speeds up and crosses you again, it kicks up all of the dust in the road."
Who does this phenomenon affect?
In (strictly) astrological terms, Mercury is considered the planet of communication — this means it rules intellect and ideas. So, in its span of four weeks, it could cause glitches, miscommunication and utter chaos! So, if you feel like you don't have the right words to express nowadays, you can rightfully blame it on Mercury.
Astrologers mention how this celestial phenomenon has several repercussions on Earth as well. During its period of 'regression', the planet tends to disrupt anything it rules — including travel, communication, and technology. "Mercury rules all types of communication, including listening, speaking, learning, reading, editing, researching, negotiating, selling, and buying," Susan mentions. "It also rules all formal contracts and agreements, as well as important documents such as book manuscripts or term papers, agreements, deeds, contracts, leases, wills, and so forth," she adds.
So, Mercury does not really discriminate, but some signs feel its effect more than others, depending on their current placements.
Do's and Don't's of Mercury retrograde
Sure, four weeks is a long enough time to find yourself avoiding crucial decisions in your life. "It's not that the people you are dealing with are necessarily duplicitous. It's just that nobody can fully predict what conditions will be like later," Susan explains. "If you start a new job, it won't necessarily be the position you thought it was when you accepted it. If you are a manager, you will have difficulty choosing the right candidate for the job. If you buy a house, problems could crop up later that were completely unanticipated," she adds. Here are some measures you can take if you're going through an unmanageable retrograde in your life:
Do's:
A simple way to remember your do's during a Mercury retrograde is to add 're' to your list.
- Revise, repair and re-evaluate your life.
- Recycle what you don't need.
- Put away your planner and rejuvenate.
- Recount your accounts, manage your safe.
- Clean your house, throw away anything unwanted.
- Remember important dates (due dates of bills, rent, etc.)
Don't's
Keeping in mind the area of concern (communication), avoid some of these tasks during a Mercury retrograde.
- Do not sign important papers or contracts.
- Do not purchase new gadgets or electronics.
- Do not rely on your memory; write it down instead.
- Do not change your ATM pin or password.
- Do not start a project that requires more than a day to complete.
- Do not plan important events (marriage, house warming, etc.) during these dates.
Important dates to remember in 2021
In 2021, Mercury will be entirely retrograde during the following date ranges:
January 30 to February 21
May 29 to June 22
September 27 to October 23
On her website, Susan Miller also has a guide on how to tackle the retrogrades. While astrology is not something everyone likes to put their faith in, there's no denying that there's some science behind many incidents in our life. Some have a valid explanation; others, on the other hand, don't. What matters is that there's something to anchor our faith onto during these trying times. So, the next time you find your parents yelling at you for misplacing something significant, you can blame it on the retrograde! Don't worry; we have your back!