I just had one of those scatterbrain weeks where it feels like you’re juggling 800 different things – and 799 of them come down and hit you squarely in the head. Yeah, not good. Not very productive, either. Although, as I mentioned to someone, I can be a functioning scatterbrain. I guess the same way I was a so-called functioning alcoholic.
Sharing my scatterbrain-week story also caused more than one person to remind me:
Mercury is in retrograde, you know.
“Well, that explains it!” I exclaimed with a knowing look, although I really had no idea what that actually means.
While I have learned over the years that “Mercury in retrograde” does bring on discombobulation, but that’s about as far as my knowledge goes.
I have a strong connection with the divine. I’m totally into high-vibe living. I know I’m a Gemini. But when it comes to additional astrological knowledge, I am somewhere between preschool and kindergarten. So I decided to find out what this discombobulation-inducing state of Mercury in retrograde is really all about.
Mercury retrograde basics
Let’s start with a quick review:
- Mercury is the fastest-moving planet in the solar system, circling the sun three times for every earth year. That means it goes through all astrological signs three times instead of the single revolution we get here on earth.
- Retrograde means going backward.
The state of Mercury in retrograde thus means the planet APPEARS to be moving backward in its orbit around the sun. The appearance of moving backward is just an optical illusion – the same way we can sit on a train or in a car and feel like we’re moving backward even when we’re moving forward when you look out the window a certain way.
When the planet goes into retrograde, it doesn’t merrily zoom through the astrological signs and keep moving forward like it usually does. It instead loiters in a specific astrological zone, clogging things up for everyone.
You can think of it as those people who stand still in the “walk” lane of moving sidewalks at the airport. Just clogging everyone else up and not giving a hoot. Great. Thanks, Mercury.
How it affects us
Because Mercury is the planet that rules communication, anything in that arena can get all bunked up. Relationships and technology are reportedly hard hit by this retrograde, which explains why a Messenger business call I had the other day kept disconnecting every three minutes. No kidding. During a 30-minute call, that’s a real pain.
It could also explain why:
- My car needed $1,100 worth of surprise repairs
- My computer decided it MUST perform an update in the middle of my workday (instead of at night when it usually does)
- Alexa kept randomly disconnecting from Spotify
Actually, Alexa ALWAYS randomly disconnects from Spotify, so scratch that last one.
Gemini, Virgo hardest hit by retrograde
Zodiac signs ruled by Mercury are more susceptible to the effects of the retrograde. One of those signs is Gemini, which explains my discombobulation. The other is Virgo, which explains why it took my Virgo mom more than an hour and two different computers to print a prepaid postage label last week.
In addition to technological glitches, the retrograde is known to cause general disruptions, delays and roadblocks in other areas of life. It’s a bad time to buy anything related to technology or start a new project or venture, but a great time to get lingering tasks and projects off your list.
OK. Now that I know that a backward-looking motion of Mercury is what this ominous-sounding condition means, and that Geminis are susceptible to its antics, I feel much better. The discombobulation doesn’t mean I’m losing my mind forever. It just means Mercury is in retrograde for now.
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Weird Week? Blame Mercury – VIDEO
Just Blame Mercury in Retrograde – PODCAST
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