Mercury is Retrograde (Again!)

Have I got news for you.... Mercury is retrograde (again!).

Has your entire life come to a screeching halt?

Are you feeling utterly paralyzed?

I bet not, however frustrated you might feel about some matters at the moment.

Mercury retro gets such a bad rep, and so many people seem to dread it or fear it.

Is all that really necessary? Is this transit really all bad... or even bad at all?

Read on and see what you think.

Aspect and Time Period

Mercury is retrograde for 20 to 24 days at a time, three times each year. The exact dates of these retro periods vary from year to year. 

At 4:41 am EST on Saturday, February 23, Mercury turned stationary retro at 16 degrees 52 minutes Pisces. 

Mercury will turn stationary direct at 4:03 pm EST on Sunday, March 17, at 5 degrees 37 minutes Pisces. 

Mercury moves an average of 1 and 1/2 degrees per day through the zodiac. Though Mercury's retro period technically ends on March 17, like some astrologers, I think that the change in Mercury's apparent motions will continue to be felt until he gets back up to his average speed again. This will happen by about March 19.

Once this particular retro period is over, Mercury will next be retro from June 26 till July 20, and then again from October 22 till November 10.

What Does It Mean To Be Retrograde?

Mercury temporarily slows down his speed in his orbit around the Sun, so from the vantage point of our position on Earth, Mercury appears to be moving backwards,  thought that's not actually the case. it's like being in a car that is moving at a constant speed. if another car next to you slows down, then if you look out your window, it appears that the car is moving backward. In this case, our "car" is Earth, orbiting the Sun, and the other "car" is Mercury, doing the same.

Changing direction from apparent forward to apparent backward motion (and then to forward motion again, later) is not an instant thing. it happens gradually.

Mercury's daily speed in orbiting the Sun gradually slows down, like a clock winding down or a ball rolling to a stop, until he appears to be standing still.

At the time that he stations retrograde, he appears to be standing still. At the time when he stations retrograde, he appears to be standing exactly still in his march across the sky. Then he appears to move backward for a few weeks. After that, Mercury stations direct. When that happens, he again appears to be standing exactly still, and then he appears to start moving forward again... until he gets back up to his regular speed once more.

Is Mercury Being Retrograde a Big Deal or Not?

Mercury is retrograde almost 25% of the time, and during such times, we're all more likely than usual to experience changes (some of them annoying) in connection with communication or transportation.  However, given how much of the the time we experience such changes, Mercury retro periods are not terribly significant for many purposes. A lot of it depends on whether you're looking at your life in large or small chunks of time. 

Let me explain what I mean.

If you are looking at your life in terms of a chunk of time that's, say, six months or longer, and if you're keeping your sights on your personal development and spiritual growth when you reflect on your past and contemplate your future, then transits from Mercury to your particular birth chart are not terribly significant.

There are so many more transits that you are experiencing that are more significant than Mercury transits. 

Why?

These other transits are formed by slower-moving planets, so they are each in effect for a greater length of time, and over time, they affect your life more deeply. Also, they happen much less frequently, so relative to your entire lifetime, they are much more remarkable. However, there are at least a couple of notable exceptions to what I've just said. 

First, if you anticipate having exceptionally critical experiences (such as delicate high-stakes negotiations at work or an intensive marathon stretch of trying to develop or strengthen a personal relationship), and if these experiences will happen during a relatively short time period (for example, during a particular month or week), then transits by Mercury to your natal chart are indeed much more significant than usual.

When you're living life at such a narrow scale of time, briefer transits by quicker planets (such as Mercury) take on grater importance.

In contrast, longer transits by slower planets (such as Pluto) function more like a backdrop against which changes happen, rather than like actors at center stage in the drama of your life.

Secondly, if you have natal planets that are triggered very closely by Mercury when he changes direction from direct (forward) to retrograde (backward) motion (or vice versa), then Mercury transits are again more important for you than they are for most of us. This is because 

1. closer aspects are generally more significant than wider aspects, and 
2. when a planet changes direct, it is moving at a much slower speed than usual, and that also makes its influence greater. 

The idea is to try to maintain perspective as we approach these periods. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I do think it's a good idea to approach communication and transportation more deliberately than usual when Mercury is retro, but my point is this: give these retrograde periods their due--no more and no less.

In my next blog entry, I'll take about exactly which people are likely to experience Mercury retrograde significantly and other related matters.