Unless you’ve been off the grid lately, it’s likely you’ll have seen the social media storm or heard a spiritually-minded friend refer to the current phase that is ‘Mercury retrograde.’
A planetary transition that occurs three times a year, Mercury retrograde gives the illusion of moving backwards and as a result gets a bad rep for throwing everything energetically off course.
Computer crashed this week? Blame it on the retrograde. Stuck in another country unable to get anywhere? Likely culprit, the retrograde. Old ex resurfaced out of nowhere? You guessed it, our cunning friend Mercury retrograde strikes again.
An incidental schemer of sorts, it has a sneaky way of shaking things up and throwing our day-to-day experiences off balance and as a result, stops us moving forward.
With its presence gracing us right up until the 28th March, it means we’ve still got a few weeks to roll with it so we’ve called on self-proclaimed Sydney based ‘Lunar Lover,’ spirituality blogger and yoga teacher Jordana Levin to get a grip on it and navigate our way through it.
What exactly is mercury retrograde?
“Unlike other planets that retrograde only once a year, Mercury orbits the earth at least three times a year. When it’s in ‘retrograde’ it gives the illusion that it’s going backwards but is actually moving super fast around the earth,” says Levin.
“A great example is when you’re sitting on a train that’s still but you feel like you’re moving because the train next to it is moving—that’s the kind of energy it creates. So from an astrological and energetic point of view, when a planet is in retrograde the energy is dormant and not functioning.”
What does it mean for us?
“Astrologists believe the planets rule different aspects of our lives so from an energetic point of view when a planet retrogrades it’s not able to govern the areas of life we need it to. With Mercury, it’s said to rule communication, travel, technology and transfer of information, so when the energy that functions those areas goes dormant, people have issues with travel, tech, contracts.”
Are there any benefits… or are we doomed?
“While people tend to freak out, there are actually a lot of positives that occur as a result of retrograde,” explains Levin. “The main thing to acknowledge is not all of us will feel these things. Often people assume they will because an astrologist told them so but you may or may not feel them. If you do, then here are some positives to take from it….”
- It heightens our intuition:
“Intrinsically we know the answers, so during this time it actually heightens that. Tune in and listen to yourself. Don’t go looking for external validation, trust you already know the answers.”
- It forces us to slow down:
“When the planet is dormant, we too can become dormant in a way, so instead of becoming frustrated, just slow down and get back to things when mercury is moving forward again.”
- It encourages us to practise patience:
“If you have a project and want to escalate the timeline to be now, and move forward, just wait it out. Focus on being patient for now and not force it.”
- It allows us to greet old lessons with a fresh outlook :
“Often during this phase, past lessons resurface. While it can appear frustrating if it hadn’t worked out last time, try it again in a new way. And no this doesn’t mean going back to your ex! It’s more that if an opportunity came your way early on and you weren’t ready and let it go and have regret, then it comes back around (such as job promotion), give it another chance this time.”
- It invites us to feel:
“During any moon or planet phase, it’s a good chance to really tune into how you’re feeling and physically reacting. Notice during each stage the physical sensations and emotions arising and then both tend to them and surrender them. It’s a real dance between action and surrender.”
To learn even more about how to roll with the retrograde, read our Amodrn survival guide here.
