Why does Mercury go retrograde?
14 jan 2023 - Every year Mercury goes retrograde, just like other planets, but we tend to notice this planet’s retro motion more, since it is a time with problems.
Rarely doesn’t something break. Rarely doesn’t someone die. Rarely doesn’t a relationship suddenly end. Some of the most important events take place right when Mercury stations or when the communication planet switches from one sign to another.
What we can do when Mercury is retro
Mercury goes retro in fire, earth, water or air and it coincides with the new moons in the affected signs ruled by the element in question. Sometimes Mercury will also end up backing into the earlier sign, making two areas of life stagnant.
We can only restart things. We can go back to previous things. We can only follow through with already made decisions.
It is beginning to make sense
We are forced to work with existing relationships and finish projects. We get to talk to people we lost touch with and to tie lose ends.
In this way there is continuity in our lives. We do not just turn our backs on people and work, the minute things get tough. Starting whole new relationships when Mercury is retro can sometimes happen but often you end up wishing you had never met. Mercury retro also help us grow by getting us to pause, to rethink, repair, redo, reflect. This also creates stability in life.
Plus that we get to stay true to our purpose.
Mercury retrograde i houses
In houses 1, 5 and 9, Mercury retrograde makes us rethink and relearn. We might not be able to learn whole new things or go on an adventure, no matter how much we need it.
In houses 2, 6 and 10, Mercury requires we keep the same line of work and things we already know instead of jumping into something totally different. We get to get better at what we already do instead of learning a bit of everything. We also get to revisit and rethink health and diet.
In houses 3, 7 and 11, Mercury retrograde helps us work on existing relationships and we get to call it quits if we realize that it is time to part. But we get the chance to have one last discussion.
In houses 4, 8 and 12, we can focus on inner growth and letting go. We also get to revisit family and old friends, as well as take care of our home.
The bottom line
Maybe without Mercury retrograde, and probably other retrograde movements as well, we would remain childlike shallow individuals that would jump from one person to another and from one thing to another, and there would be no masters, no wisdom, no true know how, and we wouldn’t be that interesting in revisiting the past.
Mercury retro helps us connect the past with the present and it helps us find out where we stand in life. When technology or our toilet breaks, we get to go back to simpler ways to live our lives, because it is possible. And sometimes things break down because we need to replace and so renewal is also possible during Mercury retrograde.
What do you think?