I'm Going to My Room!

  • One of my Twitter accounts is nonfunctional, yet Twitter support insists there’s nothing wrong with it.
  • I’m 18 minutes into broadcasting my daily radio show and my desktop computer gives me the blue screen of death and shuts down.
  • While trying to continue with the broadcast, I move something on my desk and rip the phone line out of the wall.
  • All incoming calls to my office today are being answered by what sounds like a fax machine – and it’s unplugged from the phone line and power source.
  • All three appointments I had scheduled were no shows because they didn’t have the right time (but they couldn’t have gotten through anyhow … remember the fax line issue)

It’s 3 p.m. and I’ve gone back to bed. I’m writing this blog from the safety and comfort of my bedroom. Have I been cursed?

No, Mercury is in retrograde.

These are just some of the things that I tend to encounter when we go into a retrograde. While they are challenging and even frustrating, I don’t take them personally.

The fact is I have six planets in my sixth house, which is Virgo, so I am hugely influenced by the planet Mercury. For me, retrogrades are about taking it easy, reflecting, letting go of my attachment to outcome, and simply going with the flow. So I’m not hiding in my bedroom, per se – I’ve just decided that a quiet place away from technology is the best thing for me for today.

A retrograde period is the time when the planet appears to move backwards. And with Mercury specifically, challenges in communication, technology, timing and function tend to pop up. Even people who aren’t aware of a retrograde in Mercury will comment that they just feel off – as if they’re a step behind and can’t catch up. So if you find yourself feeling that way, just know you’re not alone.

Here are some things you might want to avoid during a Mercury retrograde:

1. Signing any legal document. This is a time for reflecting and reviewing, not deciding.
2. Entering into agreements. See if you can time the start of new jobs, closing sales, and anything else for after the retrograde is over.
3. Travel, meetings, and moving. I’m not saying put your life on hold, but if you can postpone these things, you’ll find you have fewer canceled, confused, and/or screwed up plans.

Again, I’m not expecting you to hole up for the next three weeks waiting for Mercury to go direct. Just understand that if you can put it off, do. And if you can’t, be patient with the challenges that show up.