Why Mercury Retrograde is Important

Why Mercury Retrograde is Important: How it affects us, balancing logic and intuition and the benefits of slowing down. (Updated Jan 2022)

In one form or another we have all heard or experienced a Mercury Retrograde cycle. A phenomenon that happens usually thrice a year when the speediest planet to the Sun appears to be orbiting backwards, influencing the collective by disrupting our daily lives, transport and communication. What may not be clear, however, is why the Mercury Retrograde cycle is important.

Mercury in mythology was the sprite messenger to the gods, communicating between deities, sending messages, delivering news and parcel. In astrology, the planet symbolizes the duties and qualities of the messenger god, naturally ruling over the mutable signs of Gemini and Virgo, along with 3rd and 6th house matters. The difference being, Gemini operates on a masculine, external level, while Virgo works on a feminine, internal level.

The airy Gemini or 3rd house energy deals with daily interactions with others, communication, commerce, travel and transportation. Gemini connects people by spreading news, writing and sharing ideas, exchanges predominantly via technological devices today. A social, and engaging sign, curious to a fault and versatile, an energy having ease of navigation, quick wit and grace through changing scenarios.

The Virgo is the earthy, practical problem solver. The sign known for improvement, with a systematic approach, they are about the minute details, drawing up lists, creating routines, having a knack to reach precision and perfection. The administrator or the task-master, the energy always has its nose to the ground. This Mercury thrives in the daily grind.

Gemini fits the archetypes of the Messenger, the Trickster and the Shapeshifter. Today, they’re considered the Marketer, the Influencer or the Maven. Whereas, for Virgo energy is associated with the Servant, the Hermit, the Engineer, reflecting the pervasive relationship we have with technology, placing logic over intuition and emotion.

It’s obvious in our modern age of connectivity, social media, multiple avatars, speed and constancy of information and interaction, these archetypes are ingrained in all of us in one form or another—charging the global matrix itself. An ecosystem that has come to a sudden halt with Covid 19 forcing shutdowns of daily exchanges, interactions of entire cities and nations into isolation mode.

No doubt, it has accelerated the frequency on the social media front, glued us to the boxed screen more than ever, but it has also slowed us down physically, in a way forced us to be with ourselves and given us opportunity to connect with others, with whom we would normally not engage, considering our busy, complicated lives. 

Despite the social restrictions, being challenging for some, and business as usual for others, it’s apparent how some of us have connected in creative and compassionate ways. These unprecedented times magnifies the importance of slowing the hamster wheel, slowing the speed of daily grind and interactions—the importance of Mercury Retrograde.

Physically speaking, Mercury retrograde appears to move backwards, but is technically moving slower in speed than the rest of its cosmic neighbours. When it appears to stop moving it is called STATION, then as it slowly moves backwards it’s referred to as STATION RETROGRADE. As it stops and begins to go forward it is then seen as STATION DIRECT.  Referred to as the RETROGRADE ZONE are the degrees affected by the retro cycle. The transit involves travelling 3x across these degrees. This is the area known to be pre-shadow, retrograde and post shadow. These are the areas where mis-communication, delays, slow progression, mis-interpretation can occur.

As with any overworked machine, it can breakdown, unable to perform at its best.

The Gemini energy when off-kilter can get overwhelmed by information overload, entangled in the business of others, turn curiosity into drivel, ideas into flightiness, flitting from one thing to another. Vacillating in thoughts, they can easily get distracted, skim information to a superficial level, lose sight of purpose and float adrift. The Virgo energy can lose itself in the details, forgetting the bigger picture. Operating on low vibration, the Virgo can turn into the critic, having high unrealistic expectations of themselves, in turn, projecting the behaviour onto others through extreme judgment and skepticism.

In a very Mercurial world, the retrograde motion is a way to step back and re-assess, oil the areas that can be strained by the high velocity of life. The retrograde zone, where delays occur, where we feel slow-progressions, and where there can be potential miscommunication is the part of our lives with which we can re-align. It’s an internal journey that gives us opportunity to become whole again, reaching other parts of ourselves—down the halls of compassion and humility— to balance, quiet the critic and ground the monkey running around our minds. It is when logic takes a back seat and gives intuition and imagination the wheel.

Depending on personal chart, the intensity of the Mercury Retrograde cycle impacts everyone differently. Gemini and Virgo being the most affected, then the other mutable signs, Sagittarius and Pisces, and to a lesser degree, Libra and Aquarius, being in the family air sign(all signs are affected in one form or another). The best way to work with any given retrograde period is to consider your own Mercury, its health, the sign, the house it is in and the aspects it makes to other planets and significant angles to the chart. Your reaction or non-reaction and the ease of comfort to the retrograde transit depends on the compatibility level with your own natal Mercury.

Mercury is the hardest, the fastest working personal planet. It can turn us into workaholics, keep our minds incessantly running a hundred miles a minute. Turn perfection into neurosis and bog us down in trivial thoughts. Mercury retrograde pumps the breaks on our cyclical, technologically charged lives, allowing us to reboot and reconnect to an authentic inner self. It’s a period that can help give us intent, meaning into the work we do, and generally the lives we perform. In these times of crisis, when we truly need to step-up and support each other to avoid further collapse, checking in on ourselves means we can operate at our most optimal and effective heights, thanks to the Mercury Retrograde season.

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