Is Mercury Retrograde Bad Luck, Per Astrology?
Relax, it's not that bad.
unsplash In short order, Mercury retrograde will be upon us again, and again, and again, and again... basically, for as long as there is a planet Mercury there will eventually be a retrograde.
If you didn’t know, Mercury retrogrades approximately three times per year and we are about to get our third and final hit for 2018.
It's also a personal planet and the ruler of both Gemini and Virgo zodiac signs.
Mercury retrograde will take place in December 2018, and runs from November 17th through December 6th, passing through Sagittarius. What does that mean from an astrology standpoint? Is it good or bad? Is Mercury retrograde evil?
And I know that when you read the words Mercury retrograde, it was time to cue the eye rolls and audible exhaling. You're already to bracing yourself for the impending doom you think is on the horizon.
Mercury retrograde gets such a bad rap. It has become a drastically overblown and over-dramatized phenomenon. If you look up Mercury retrograde, chances are you will read that it's bad luck. As long as retrograde season is happening, nothing will work.
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Nothing will go right and nothing will be good ever again. Relax it’s not that bad. Mercury retrograde is not pure evil, believe it or not, good things can happen too.
First things first though, let’s put something to rest. During a retrograde, the planet in question, in this case, Mercury, is not actually moving backward.
It just appears that way from the earth’s perspective. I’m not even sure what would happen if Mercury did, in fact, move backward.
What Is Mercury retrograde?
Mercury retrograde has been written about as far back as the 18th century in agricultural almanacs which farmers used to schedule their planting.
By sheer coincidence, they repeatedly saw rain during “retrograde periods” and this, of course, became a “bad omen”. In this case, one plus one equaled two and retrogrades took on a bad connotation.
The idea of Mercury retrograde wreaking havoc on our lives gained even more momentum in the 1970s. Horoscopes were a regular part of every newspaper, and the idea of Mercury being retrograde seemed to consistently make an appearance.
It was such a prevalent idea that in 1979 The Baltimore Sun even ran the headline “Don’t start anything when Mercury is in retrograde”.
Today the idea of avoiding anything new during Mercury retrograde is as strong as ever. If you consult anyone who follows astrology that’s the advice you would most likely get.
Sure, maybe you’re advised not to move forward with something new but that doesn’t mean that you can’t go back. Wink, wink.
Why Mercury retrograde is good:
Retrogrades are a great time to revisit, review, reassess and redesign. Basically Anything with the prefix “re” will work. As much as they warn you not to go forward, they remind you to look back in equal measure. And this is where the magic of Mercury retrograde lies.
The buzzword you hear so often these days is “hustle.” This word has taken on a life of its own and it is used today in every sense of its meaning. “You need to have a side hustle”, “life is moving too quickly you’ve gotta hustle to keep up”.
Mercury retrograde, however, offers you a little reprieve. Mercury retrograde will remind you that it’s OK to slow down and take a moment. Sometimes it’s necessary to revisit and maybe revise something that hasn’t been working.
It’s the universes way of giving you time to reflect and maybe looking at something from a different perspective. And maybe that’s just what you need in order to begin moving forward.
Mind blown, I know...
Why Mercury retrograde is bad luck:
Just as Mercury retrograde encourages us to go back, it also works to bring things back to us, in a good way. Retrogrades are when we are most likely to see something come back from our past.
Maybe an old friend re-connects out of the blue or the job you applied for a while back suddenly contacts you for an interview or an offer. Missing things tend to be found during retrogrades as well.
So see, Mercury retrograde is not the universe unleashing its fury in an attempt to destroy you. It’s all in the way you look at it, you just need to change your lens.
Mercury retrograde gives you something we all need, time; time to reflect and slow down. If you pay attention you may see that the next Mercury retrograde may come bearing gifts.
Sharon Brandwein is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.