🙃 It’s that time of year again; we’re gearing up for our quarterly Mercury Retrograde and this one looks like it’s going to be a doozy!  On a personal level the last week or two seemed populated with minor annoyances like random phone glitchiness, TV quirks, and – more recently – email login wonkiness, but yesterday’s large-scale half day mini-meltdown of multiple social media platforms (FB, Instagram, Twitter, etc.)  had me fully convinced “The Trickster” (that would be Mercury, FYI) was indeed in full effect if there was even a shred of doubt left in my mind.

Many folks are inclined to focus solely on the period that Mercury is actually retrograde (in this particular case, from July 7 – 31, 2019) as the segment of time when wacky things tend to happen with our technology (and oh so much more!), but the weeks before and after the retrograde can be just as funky; usually moreso before as Mercury’s kinks have been mostly  worked out by the time it turns Direct.  This time frame is often referred to as the “shadow”, and it’s a madcap stretch because Mercury is already traversing a patch of the zodiac it will have to cover again in a few weeks or it will have already covered that same spot twice in the last month in a half.  Mercury doesn’t seem too keen on this review/redo, so to keep things interesting it releases a few krakens gremlins because if it has to suffer, we might as well suffer too, LOL – that’s *my* theory, anyway!  😂 Mercury has always been a rather impish figure with a notoriously low threshold for boredom so perhaps it’s just how this planet gets its jollies; by screwing with our phones, gadgets, communications, cars, and whatever else it can get its hot little hands on for ha-has. 

I’m not an astrologer who advocates canceling everything during Mercury Retrograde, but we do need to bear some extra things in mind.  Back up your data prior to the Rx.  Don’t even think about applying non-mandatory software updates or doing something wack like picking now to switch to a different OS.  No, don’t buy a new phone or car and do take extra care with the ones you currently have.  Pick your words more thoughtfully; think twice about what you write or say. Don’t put yourself in the position to have to “sign on the dotted line” if you don’t absolutely have to.  Try to avoid travel if possible, or if not be patient and account for the possibilities of SNAFUs or delays.  And last but not least – and this is coming directly from personal experience – don’t accept or start a job when Mercury is retrograde.

Instead, try and use this period to get caught up on some (re-?)reading. Tweak your nutrition or daily routine.  Have a conversation you need to have again.  Write yourself good old-fashioned memos; preferably on paper (careful with putting them on your phone/computer in case of technology hiccups). Review and revise things.  Pick up the phone and call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while to reconnect (be cautious if this is with an ex or anyone you suspect you might later change your mind about ).  Redo your resume.  Unplug more & make it a point to be more alone with your thoughts so you can hear your inner voice more clearly.  Simplify your schedule and minimize distractions.  Diversions are allowed, but be conscious instead of mindless about them.  De-stress.  Take a trip down Memory Lane and uncover a blast from the past while also appreciating where/who you are now – sometimes it’s nice to dust things off and sit with them for a spell, but not everything/one from the past necessarily has ongoing relevance in *this* era.  Clean and reorganize.  Tend to your mental health.

07/04/2019