retrograde planets
review revisit retrieve
slow down to speed up
Today Mercury begins its first retrograde of 2022. Venus is also retrograde. By the end of January they will be retrograde together in Capricorn.
If you follow astrology even superficially, you may have heard of Mercury Retrograde. Everyone seems to get into a panic when Mercury stations retrograde.
You may wonder what all the fuss is about.
What is a retrograde?
Retrogrades are illusions. When a planet is retrograde it appears, from our perspective on Earth, that the planet is moving backward. It happens when a planet slows down. Essentially, it’s Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in action.
It’s like when you’re on a train and the train next to yours is stopped, that train appears to be moving backwards as your train slowly rolls past it.
How Often Do Retrogrades Happen?
A Venus retrograde occurs approximately once every two years. And every eight years, Venus retrogrades through the same part of the sky.
Mercury retrograde happens about three times a year. Each retrograde lasts for about 3 weeks.
That’s a good chunk of the year. If you don’t want Mercury retrograde to take your life hostage, it’s best to learn how to work with this astrological signature.
Review and Retrieve
A retrograde is a time for review, reflection and retrieval.
With the planet appearing to be moving backward, we are invited to review the area of life represented by the planet and retrieve what we may have left behind before we move forward.
Venus is the planet of beauty, art, relationships, love, and money. Venus speaks to our personal appearance, material possessions, currency, and resources.
Mercury is the planet of communication. It is the messenger. It also rules travel, technology, and the things we learn.
Back Up, Leave Extra Time, and Pause Before Sending
Because Mercury rules technology and travel, many people blame Mercury retrograde on tech snafus, travel delays and miscommunication.
The planets don’t cause events to happen on Earth. It’s more likely that we notice these things more at these times because we are looking for them.
Still, it doesn’t hurt to reinforce the basics of good technology practices. In the same way that you might use the clock change to check the batteries in your smoke alarm, you can use Mercury retrograde as a seasonal reminder to back up your hard drives.
Some other practical protocols for Mercury retrograde (that you can use throughout the year):
- double check the times of meetings
- set a back-up alarm
- leave extra time to get where you’re going
- log in early for virtual meetings — assume you’ll need to reboot your computer
- check over emails before you hit send
- proofread everything, especially contracts before you sign them
Slow Down to Speed Up
Our cultural imprint habituates us to rush through life. Especially at the start of the year, we may be eager to “*get the ball rolling*” on projects. Hit the ground running. Full speed ahead.
Retrogrades invite us to slow down to speed up.
It’s great to want to get to where you’re going, but rushing ahead doesn’t get you to your destination faster if you’re heading in the wrong direction.
Think of this retrograde period as an opportunity to pause and double check your destination and your GPS so that when we emerge from retrograde you are headed in the right direction, and you have what you need for your journey.
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