In case you’ve been living under a rock, ‘Mercury retrograde’ is the phrase on everyone’s lips right now. And for good reason, it has the power to change—in both positive and negative ways—your life during this retrograde period. But what actually is it and how will it potentially affect you and your starsign? We caught up with Yana Yanovich, a top astrologer of Nebula app with more than 20 years of experience, to answer our burning questions.
Take note, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Mercury retrograde.
What Is Mercury Retrograde?
“Retrograde” means moving backwards but in fact the planet does not change its direction of moving. It is the difference in the Earth’s and Mercury’s orbits which results in periods when Mercury appears to move backwards if viewed from the Earth. This happens three to four times a year for about three weeks. Yep, that means three weeks of holding your breath and blaming everything that goes wrong on that damned little cosmic body which apparently has got a personal vendetta against you.
Ok, that only describes people who tend to take it a little too far. The opposite side of the spectrum is people who firmly insist they feel absolutely no influence. The truth is (as always) somewhere in the middle. You see, in serious astrology we know that it is all about the Natal chart and its individual placements. In other words, one Pisces can be different from another Pisces just like a starfish is different from a blowfish. Yes, they are both fish. Yes, they have some similar features. But they are still not going to react the same way to some external challenge like threat or temperature change. The same goes for astrology.
How Can Mercury Retrograde Affect You?
What most people know as their Zodiac sign is in fact the position of the Sun on the day of their birth. Astrology deals with 10 planets, Mercury being one of them. Since they all move with a different speed, they are all positioned at various points during each particular date, so each person has not only a Sun sign (Virgo, Libra, Aries, etc) but a Mercury sign as well. Very often the sign is the same, but it can also be the sign before or after.
This is important to understand when it comes to reading (and making) predictions for different signs: most of them are generalised by Sun sign only, and thus they are true only for some representatives. Which means they are false for the others and this gives rise to astrology’s bad rep.
To demonstrate this with another example, let’s say the weather forecast says: “It’s going to rain in Europe. If you live in Europe—take an umbrella with you today!” However, the serious approach would be to specify the locations because it will only rain in, say, France and Spain. If we only go with the general one (It’ll rain in Europe), then the citizens of other countries will see that there’s no rain and stop believing in the weather forecast.
Astrological predictions for various conditions of astrological “weather” are just as useful, if not more, in helping you navigate your life, but they need to be more specific, otherwise it is a waste of time. Mercury retrograde has both negative and positive impact and the nature of the influence will depend on how it contacts your own Natal chart. Maybe, in this particular case of retrograde motion from 29 May till 22 June, 2021, it will have no contact at all—then you’re in the clear. You’ll be a part of the group who’ll say “I didn’t notice any computer glitches or communication malfunctions. This retrograde thing is bogus!”. But you also might be the person who’s going to get hit not once, but twice, or even three times if you have a cluster of planets in the part of the Zodiac wheel which is going to be affected this time.
What This Coming Mercury Retrograde Means For Your Star Sign
This coming period of Mercury retrograde will happen in the sign of Gemini between 16 and 24 degrees.
The people whose charts are going to be affected for sure are the ones born between the 5th and the 15th of the month of the signs. If you’re born on a different date, don’t be in a rush to dismiss the rest of this and check your Natal chart—you might have Venus, or the Moon or some other important planet between 16 and 24 degrees of the signs below:
Pisces, Virgo and Sagittarius: This is going to be a challenging contact, bringing the negative influence of the retro phase. Avoid making serious decisions during this time as you are likely to change your mind afterwards. It is better not to start new projects or look for a new job for the same reason.
Libra, Aquarius, Leo and Aries: For you this is a harmonious contact to your Natal Sun, and thus it brings an opportunity for a refreshing of some old contacts, getting back to projects or ideas you haven’t finished or simply taking a step back to reflect on your current situation and see it from a different perspective.
Gemini: For you guys, this is going to be a mixed bag because on the one hand, Mercury is in its own sign and thus is more likely to have a positive influence conjuncting your Natal Sun. However, if your own Natal Mercury is not placed well, it may activate the problems which are connected with it. Be alert, be careful. Double-check your messages and contracts. But also make sure you’re on the lookout for the positive opportunities that may come your way.
The second group of signs (below) is sort of in the clear this time… but not quite. Read on for explanation:
Taurus and Cancer: Your Natal Sun is not going to be contacted, but there is a high chance you have your Natal Mercury or Venus in the neighboring sign of Gemini (for both) or Aries (for Taurus) and Leo (for Cancer). Calculate your Natal chart and check the degrees. If you have a contact—refer to the applicable sign forecast above.
Capricorn and Scorpio: This is similar to the above. You both have a high chance of having something in Sagittarius, also Aquarius (for Capricorns) or Libra (for Scorpio). Calculate your Natal chart (you can do this via the Nebula app) and check the degrees. If you have a contact—refer to the applicable sign forecast above.
And finally, remember this: a challenging contact is not a conviction. If you’re proactive, you can avoid the trouble of retyping a five-page report or applying for a job you end up hating a month into it!
Have you checked your May horoscope yet? Read all about what’s written in the stars for you right here.
Image Credit: Mahdi Soheili