Mercury Going Retrograde - Again...ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

Alrighty folks, Mercury is going retrograde, again, and it is NEVER a good thing. Communication gets confused. Mechanical things seem to gain a life, and uncooperativeness that is just WRONG! I will include here what I have that is relevant. Not a pretty time for anyone, so fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight!

Work for the next few weeks....from "A Low Man's Lyric"

Life for the next few weeks...from Cartoon Stock

And finally, an anti-stress kit

for immediate relief...from Email Goodies

This from Witchvox, one of the best pagan websites out there. You can find out just about anything about just about anything pagan there. A great resource, interesting articles, currently relevant news & articles, as well as an archive just full of great information. One of my personal favorites...***please note, this article is from 2002, so the dates may seem a bit "off" LOL***

Mercury Has Left the Building



Author: Wren

Posted: January 21st. 2002

Times Viewed: 4,044

The oven broke. Three out of the eight light bulbs in our apartment burned out in the same afternoon. (Okay, one of those was cat related.) Our dot.net isp dumped all of its DSL customers (including us) without notice. The new credit cards- the ones that we had to order because our dot.net isp dumped us without notice- got lost in the mail. Christian evangelists who won't take 'no thanks' for an answer spammed half of the Pagan web. And then, Fritz's computer fainted. Who knew that electronics could actually pitch a fit of the vapors?

I am sure you'll understand then if during this upcoming week I don't want to give my heart to Jesus, enlarge various parts on my body, refill the toner and ink cartridges, open a bank account with millions of dollars for anyone from Sierra Leone, invest in a 'hot' guaranteed-to-go-up stock or learn how to beat the casinos at their own game. I have other priorities.

I simply want an oven that works, a computer line that is fast and stable, e-mail messages that do not contain the words 'burn in hell', a government without any '-gates' in it, and my snail mail delivered to me on time and without powdery substances. But I can take a hint: This may not be the right time to ask.

For three weeks, four times a year, our dear little solar system sharing planet Mercury goes retrograde. And this past Friday welcomed in that time of the year once again. Hold your applause. Because if the days leading up to this periodic trifecta of havoc is any indication, I'll be taking Bette Davis' advice and fastening my seatbelt because "it's gonna be a bumpy, bumpy ride!"

Mercury retrogrades come and go. Each one is different and each one affects different people in different ways. So your own mileage in terror may vary. This one, according to Terri McCartney over at Astrology Resources, is bludgeoning its way through my tenth house. The tenth house rules "public life and standing in the community, vocation, profession, career, reputation, business, achievements, parents, people with power & authority." Looks like I'll be writing on eggshells for the next three weeks...

As a planet (not including the Sun or Moon) crosses the sky, it periodically appears to be spinning backwards. It is not actually spinning backwards; it just looks that way to we Earthlings from our vantage point. But there does seem to be an impact on how the energy of each particular planet affects us when this orbital back-stroking occurs. When any planet appears to do a reverse spin, it is said to be in 'retrograde' and when it returns to normal spin, it is said to go 'direct'. The point at which the movement changes from one direction to another is called a 'station'. Here the planet seems to be standing still. A station point from which a planet is poised to go retrograde is generally considered by astrologists as not to be the best time to begin anything using that planet's energy. Apparently just minding one's own business is no big safety net either.

Mercury retrograde can result in lost letters, garbled communications, and various sorts of technical difficulties, misspellings and misunderstandings. Since a retrograde planet's regular energies are 'reversed', delayed fruition or delayed timing can result. Rituals that usually work with the planet's energy may not manifest until that planet again goes direct. Mercury and Venus are called the "personal" planets-they are the ones closest to us- and their effects tend to be more noticeable to us since both communication and affections can affect us in a very 'personal' ways indeed! The little darlings also turn retrograde more often as their orbits are shorter than those of the outer planets. Lucky us!

It's not all bad news however. Retrogrades can be useful. The period just before a planet goes direct-the station- is a very powerful time to do any ritual involving that planet's energy. When the planet does go direct again, the energy will then get a 'kick start' which can propel your magic(k) forward in quite exciting ways. Little Mercury will go direct again on February 8th, 2002 at 12:28pm (EST). You can start making your plans for that now. You may have to rewrite those plans a few times, but at least that will keep you out of the chat rooms where you will have to explain to everyone what you really meant to say many more times than that.

Kate, a Strega friend of ours, had one of those old Mercury head dimes made into a pendant that she would then wear during each Mercury retrograde. Other Witches of our acquaintance wrap an orange ribbon around their left ankles to help dilute some of the effects. Orange ribbons can also be tied to the mirror in your car, on the bottom of your computer chair and around your palm pilot and phone. I don't know if any of this stuff really works, but it is a good way to use up some of those leftover Samhain decorations.

Maintaining a sense of humor helps a lot, too. If you can do it. I particularly like The Weekly Horoscope over at Humor.com. Warning: If you are kidding yourself about possessing a 'wonderful sense of humor', don't go there. If you are in doubt about whether or not you actually do possess a wonderful sense of humor, you can ask your friends. Of course, if you ask your friends about your wonderful sense of humor during Mercury retrograde, these people will probably then no longer be your friends. So just restrict the asking of the humor question to those friends who you really don't like all that much anyway.

The oven did get fixed and so we can have cookies again. The computer lines are little slow, but at least they are working. Our ex-dot.net isp guy swears that a check for the advance payment will be in the mail. At least one of the new credit cards showed up yesterday. Fritz's computer turned out to be fine. After an hour of purring like a kitten for the tech guy at the mall, we surmise that it just wanted to take a trip to the Apple store in order to see the new iMac. I have an extra package of light bulbs in the closet. I only had to rewrite this column five times. I haven't yet strangled anyone with an orange ribbon. The pot is still making coffee. Most of my friends and some of my relatives are still talking to me. And so with only nineteen more days to go, I'm feeling pretty darn optimistic.

But I am definitely not going to ask anyone what he or she thinks about my 'wonderful sense of humor'.

Walk in Love and Light,



Wren Walker

Co-Founder - The Witches' Voice

Monday, January 21st., 2002

From Patricia Kirkman

Hold On Tight:

Mercury Goes Retrograde May 26

Shadow Period May 18 - June 28.

The next retrograde will be with from September 24 to October 15, 2008.

Well, it’s that time again, and it's working on us from the get go. Mercury goes retrograde once again. It happens 3 times a year and it lasts for about 3 weeks. This time is from May 26 to June 19, 2008. Remember that there is a shadow period that goes with the retrograde, so we are already into it. And it will stick with us to the end, around June 28.

Mercury's retrograde creates communications issues of all kinds, and screws up any thing that depends on electronics. Any issues that deal with studying, communication, businesses, travel and the like, you’ll find under attack. You will find it affects the study of new subjects and all forms of communication with the others. Travel, businesses, and communications you will find having problems and delays. Computers, telephones, answering machines etc., will have problems and may experience crashes or unexpected failures. Prevent important papers and information from being lost, back up you information, double check what has been put together and double check yourself so as not to leave any loose ends. Remember to save your work more often. Nothing seems to move in the right direction so relax and let the period pass. You might want to just get away from it all and go on vacation - well it sounds good anyway - but we will just have to make do until it passes.

This is not a good time to start anything new, nor is it a good time to sign any legal documents or any papers of importance. It's not a good time to purchase expensive items and of course this isn’t a good time to marry. Of course there is one exception, that is if you were born during a retrograde. For you, it's a great time to go over unfinished business and start to review and redo it. You will find that this is an excellent time to work on old projects that have been left unfinished. So, think about the things you started and never finalized.

Survival Techniques During A Retrograde Mercury retrograde can be an extremely productive time if you know how to use the period properly. It's all about energy. During a retrograde the energy from Mercury is reduced significantly, but not cut off completely. You get in trouble because you are not aware that this energy output has been reduced, so your frustration is misdirected. Mercury governs the logical and/or mechanical processes. This includes contracts, communications of all sorts including talking, email, regular mail, cars, computers, and all other electronics. Mercury governs all mechanical things. Prepare for the cycle by making needed mechanical repairs in advance. For example, have your car tuned up before the cycle, not during it. During the retrograde, stay in your spiritual center. Pack plenty of humor and heaps of patience. It's not affected by the retrograde. Use positive avoidance with people who might be having problems with the energy shift, don't start new projects, don't sign binding documents, exercise caution when you are around mechanical objects, and, finally drive defensively. Just because you are aware, doesn't mean the other guy is.

There are meaningful, and productive things you can do during a retrograde. It's a great time for introspection. During a retrograde you can review things for a full three weeks. But don't take any actions or make decisions until Mercury goes direct! A Mercury retrograde can be a very quiet and restful period. Don’t start anything new or making any decision during this period. for a while. This can be an ideal time for research. Things left undone at other times will pop up to be corrected or redone. Consider retrograde a "catch up" period. Consider this the time to finish up old business, reflect on past issues left undone and look into things in a new way. When Mercury goes direct, you will have fresh ideas and insight that will enable you to make better decisions.

This is from Karmastrology

Retrograde Mercury is the most commonly known astrological signature for Murphy's Law ("If something can go wrong, it will"), and is one of the first features intermediate astrology students learn about. Say it to a seasoned astrologer and you'll likely get an amused smile and some delightful stories about how things can get quite unexpectedly unhinged. Computers crash, software develops unexpected glitches, traffic jams ensue, telephone service snarls up, letters get lost on the mail, machinery breaks down, new projects fail. Ah, yes, the trickster Mercury is up to his old pranks again. In fact, at least three times a year for about three weeks each time Mercury has his way with us.

First let's look at what Mercury retrograde is, and then look at what can be done about it. Those of a keen astronomical bent actually watch the planets each night as they travel through the zodiac. Mercury, which is only visible just before sunrise or just after sunset travels in a forward direction most of the time. But three or four times a year, if you care to watch carefully, it appears to turn around and go backwards for about three weeks! Now Mercury really isn't going backwards. It's just an optical illusion based on the relative speeds and orbits of the Earth and Mercury around the Sun. Here's an easy example. Think of riding in a fast car on an expressway which is passing a slower-moving car. The slower moving car appears to be moving backward, but it isn't really. It's just the relative speed and direction of the two cars gives that illusion. Retrograde Mercury is similar to that. The apparent backward motion of Mercury is called retrograde, and it has been known and studied in western astrology for thousands of years.

In general the effect of Mercury retrograde is annoyance. Little things get snarled up and a low-grade frustration emerges. Anything involving communications, verbal activity, technology, short trips and journeys, primary education, and siblings can be affected. While Mercury retrograde usually is in the minor irritant category, every now and then a colossal screw-up can take place. Consider the Bush-Gore 2000 American presidential election in Florida. Now there's a classic colossal screw-up. For reasons best known to the Americans, they chose to have their 2000 presidential election on the day when Mercury retrograde energy peaked, called stationary direct. Oh, my goodness. In the end, after weeks of wrangling and legal battles, George W. Bush was declared the winner. History now records what a mess he made of virtually everything he did, a classic Mercury retrograde presidency. FWIW, astrologers, too, learned much from that election. For instance, prior to the Florida election I had always thought a dimpled Chad was a good-looking man.

With only a small amount foresight here are the precautions you can take to prevent colossal screw-ups in your life during the next Mercury retrograde:

• If at all possible, avoid signing legal documents.


• If at all possible, finish projects which involve communication before the retrograde.


• If at all possible, avoid closing big deals during the retrograde.


• If at all possible, avoid launching new projects during the retrograde.


• If at all possible, avoid scheduling meetings to make a big decision.


• Allow extra time when traveling.


• Backup your hard drive before the retrograde.


• If at all possible, avoid installing new computer software during the retrograde.


• Do needed repairs on machinery before the retrograde.


• Do not hold an election during the retrograde.

This is not to say Mercury retrograde is always a bad thing. Far from it. It is actually an ideal time to do some other things, like:

• Do the follow-ups on a project already started


• Wrap up or complete a project already started


• Research a new project thoroughly


• Catch up on paperwork


• Hold an information-sharing meeting


• Enjoy someone's wacky sense of humor

To find out how Mercury retrograde might affect you personally usually requires a fair knowledge of astrology (which could take months or years to learn) or a visit to your friendly local astrologer who can check the unique placements in your natal chart and guide you appropriately. Check the table below for the next few times when Mercury will be retrograde. Note that the retrograde is particularly strong at the very beginning and the very end. These beginning and ending points are called stations by astrologers.

****All dates and times have been changed to my time zone, which is Eastern (Indiana). You can change to your zone as needed.

Upcoming Mercury retrogrades

Begins: (stationary retrograde) Ends: (stationary direct)

Mon, May 26, 2008 10:43 a.m. Thurs, June 19, 2008 9:28 a.m.

Wed, September 24, 2008 2:11 a.m. Wed, October 15, 2008 3:01 p.m.

Sun, January 11, 2009 11:37 a.m. Sun, February 1, 2009 2:05 a.m.

Wed, May 6, 2009 11:56 p.m. Sat, May 30, 2009 8:18 p.m.

Sun, September 6, 2009 11:40 p.m. Tues, September 29, 2009 8:08 a.m.

Sat, December 26, 2009 8:32 a.m. Fri, January 15, 2010 11:47 a.m.

Sat, April 17, 2010 11:01 p.m. Tue, May 11, 2010 5:23 p.m.

Fri, August 20, 2010 2:53 p.m. Sun, September 12, 2010 6:04 p.m.

Sat, December 10, 2010 6:58 a.m. Thurs, December 30, 2010 2:16 a.m.