It’s yet again the transformative, emotional, and highly energetic time of the year, where we welcome in the notorious Mercury retrograde. Despite the fact that Mercury retrograde is an occurrence that happens multiple times each year, it never seems to fail to stir up the same old feelings of needing to bunker down and lie low for a few weeks. This is because, unlike planetary retrogrades, Mercury’s reversed influence can make our lives do a complete 180-degree turn, which can cause some difficulties in our communication, career development, and relationships.
However, while Mercury retrograde tends to get a bad rep for its ability to completely change our lives, it can also be an excellent time to complete tasks, work on creative projects, as well as do some inner workings. With that said, today, we’re going to talk all about Mercury retrograde, what it is, and what you should and should not do during it.
To start, Mercury is known spiritually to be the planet of communication. It is believed to spiritually govern our conscious mind as well as how we perceive and relay information.
With that said, when Mercury goes retrograde, the planet gives off the illusion that it is orbiting backward, which can mess up the current flow of energy it is giving off. Therefore, since this planet rules communication, technology, and travel, when it’s retrograde, it can cause miscommunication, issues with technology, delays, feelings of mental fog, as well as anxiety. Because of this, Mercury retrograde has a bad reputation and is known for its ability to stir up chaos in our lives. However, it isn’t all bad vibes, and there’s actually plenty of ways you can seize opportunities during this retrograde to help improve your life and your mindset overall.
With that said, let’s go over a few things that you should and should not do during Mercury retrograde season. 
When it comes to the do’s of Mercury retrograde, because of all the energetic shifts taking place, this is a great time to do a lot of inner reflection, personal development work, as well as put more focus on creative endeavors. With that said, here are the best things to do during Mercury retrograde to help glide through it smoothly.
Next, since Mercury retrograde has a high tendency to cause both miscommunications through technology as well as technical errors, it’s best to keep any serious conversations with a partner, loved one, or boss in person, as emails and text messages always have a higher chance of being misunderstood. Because of this, make sure you save any serious conversations until you are face-to-face with someone if you want to keep misunderstandings and arguments to a minimum.
Next, because Mercury retrograde is considered to be more of a stagnant period of backward movement more so than progress, it is an excellent time to lie low, reflect on the past, rejuvenate your energy, and realign yourself with your goals. Nowadays, many of us can get so caught up in the mindset that we aren’t doing enough to get to where we want to be, which can leave us feeling negative, bitter, and depressed. But in reality, we are doing so much more than we give ourselves credit for.
With that said, try to focus on the good rather than the bad, as well as all the things you’ve gone through in the past that have helped you to get to where you are now —the hardships, the accomplishments, the achievements; all of it. You are a divine creature of the Universe, and you deserve to own it fully. Make sure you make plenty of time to show yourself a little love and realign yourself with your current path to feel more connected.
Next, another great thing to do during Mercury retrograde is to reconnect with people. Since we are being influenced by the backward movement of its energy, it’s a great time to reconnect with those from the past. Many times, we all get so busy that we often let beautiful connections with others fall apart, and we may not even realize how much we miss them until we connect with that person again. Therefore, it’s a beautiful time to set up a date to visit old friends and family you have seen for a while, as well as release past grudges you may have had with them, as Mercury is certainly on your side to mend broken connections.
With that said, with the backward movement pulling old relationships back into your circle, be wary of exes and past lovers also coming back into your life again, which could stir up more negative energy than it could good energy. Above all else, just remember to tread carefully and trust your intuition more than anything else if you want to find where you truly need to be.
And lastly, since there won’t be any significant forward movement in your goals or workspace right now, it’s a great time to bury yourself in creative endeavors. This can not only help you to lift your spirits, but it can also help you to cope and express any frustration or anger you may be experiencing in a healthy way. With that said, whether your passion is reading, writing, painting, or music, make sure you make plenty of time for some fun activities such as this to help keep you grounded during this transitional period.
Now, when it comes to the list of things that you definitely don’t want to do during Mercury retrograde, you’ll want to avoid anything that requires advancement or forward movement right now, as you’re going to be working directly against the flow of the energy surrounding you if you do. That means promotions, new projects, difficult conversations, and confrontations should all be put on hold and avoided as best as you can until the retrograde is over.
With that said, let’s go over a few key things you definitely want to avoid during Mercury retrograde.
The first big don’t that you should try to avoid this retrograde is getting sucked into drama. Of course, drama is never a good thing to begin with, but since miscommunications are very likely right now during the retrograde, you’ll want to be especially careful with getting involved in it and save any sensitive topics for another time, as this is likely to result in a lot of personal frustrations. Not to mention, tensions are incredibly high right now, and that could lead to a lot of heated arguments and rash decisions, like abruptly calling it quits with your lover. With that said, it’s best to try to hold your tongue in regards to drama until the retrograde is over, as nothing positive is likely to come out of it anyway.
Next, another thing that Mercury retrograde tends to do is mess with your outlook on life. In general, Mercury retrograde is considered to be a frustrating time mentally, which can put our minds in a gutter of negativity for several weeks. Because of this, our outlook on life can become especially foggy, making it difficult to remain positive about achieving your goals and dreams, which could make us want to give up on them entirely.
However, more than anything, Mercury retrograde will remind us how to be more present in the moment, so do your best to keep any future-gazing to a minimum, and instead, use this as a time to reflect on your past and how far you’ve come to be where you are today.
Next, as we mentioned above, Mercury is also the ruling planet of technology, so when it goes retrograde, it’s likely to cause some mishaps with your phone, computer, car, and other tech pieces. For that reason, while Mercury retrograde is lingering in our space, try to be extra careful with your tech devices. That means making sure you've backed up all your latest files on your computer, double reading messages and emails before you send them, and making sure to save any projects you are working on online. More than anything, even if it may seem repetitive and tedious, for the time being, it’s better to be extra cautious right now, as there is a much higher probability for technology to crash, break, and glitch.
Next, one of the biggest elements of Mercury retrograde is that you don’t want to start anything new. This is because there’s a high probability that you may be missing crucial information or aren’t considering all aspects of it. With that said, try to put new projects on hold for a bit and instead work to either revise current projects or complete old ones for the time being.
To go along with this, be sure not to sign any contracts right now either, as the last thing you want to do is get sucked into an agreement that may not have been discussed or written properly. If you can, try to put this off until after retrograde. However, if you have to make a decision with something right now, just make sure you are extremely thorough when reading your contract and ask questions as needed to avoid any issues.
In conclusion, Mercury retrograde can be a trying time for many. It can push our boundaries, stir up drama in our lives, put a damper on our plans, and leave us feeling stagnant. However, Mercury retrograde can also be a beautiful time of change, reflection, and divine alignment. Truly, your perspective on the retrograde season, as well as your approach to it, will certainly play a large part in shaping how you experience it. Regardless, we hope this list of do’s and don’t have helped you to better understand what to expect this retrograde, as well as how you can move through this transitional period as easily as possible.
Happy Mercury retrograde!
Written by: The Spirit Chic
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Fan of the dilly-dally? Our relationship game is on the starting block for this Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. It’s up to you to surrender to your true love nature to heal a sense of identity OR keep the mask on until the next eclipse season. Let the Nesters unite! You’re not alone, as our collective psyche as a species is going to have this axis eclipsed. Think war & peace, sport & rest, Mars & Venus, Aries & Libra.
What’s under review for this total solar eclipse? The potential balance of our true cardinal fire nature (Aries) coupled with our diplomatic and conditioned peace-at-all-costs (Libra) is up for an overhaul review (oh, is that all…). Why is it more pronounced for us this time around? Because the North Node of the Moon s currently transiting Aries and the collective has Pluto’s ingress to Aquarius supporting evolution at this time: freedom to be. Can’t put it any simpler!
S.
January 09, 2024
It’s important to note that Zoom/virtual options make things accessible to people with disabilities, without childcare or transportation, live in remote/rural areas, etc. Perhaps provide some advice without asking those folks to further isolate themselves, like logging in early to make sure tech works, being flexible about meeting times, or switching to a phone call when Zoom is malfunctioning.