Mercury Retrograde Isn’t Out to Get You!
A survival guide for the mischief and medicine of these much-maligned transits…
I don’t always give a ton of attention to Mercury going retrograde, mostly because it happens three (sometimes four!) times a year. But because I do get asked about it so often, I want to take a minute to share about how I work with this potentially chaotic and often disruptive transit… The thing to remember is, Mercury Retrograde is a regular occurrence, and doesn’t have to be the cataclysmic, groan-inducing event it’s often made out as.
That being said, sometimes a Mercury Retrograde cycle can really throw us for a loop… I’ve definitely experienced some that were particularly wild — where the technical glitches and weird electrical snafus were popping off right and left to an… excessive degree.
“When Mercury, the god who presides over all things that facilitate communication, travels backward or retrograde, we are meant to be reflective. Mercury says, ‘Go back, you missed something crucial on the first sweep.’”
Why Mercury Retrograde Affects People Differently:
I’m often asked: “If Mercury retrograde is happening to all of us, why do some people seem totally unbothered while others feel like their life’s unraveling at the seams?”
It comes down to how Mercury is interacting with your personal birth chart. If the retrograde stations near one of your natal planets — especially the Moon, Mercury, Venus, or Mars — or touches a sensitive point like your ascendant or midheaven, you’re more likely to feel its effects. This can bring specific themes to the surface that are ready to be reworked, healed, or seen with fresh eyes.
It also depends on your natal relationship with Mercury. If you were born during a Mercury retrograde, you might find these cycles grounding or clarifying — like the world finally moves at your pace. Others may experience more frustration, especially if they’re used to moving fast, multitasking, or relying on uninterrupted communication.
The bottom line is: Mercury retrograde doesn’t throw everyone into chaos — just the people who need to pause, reflect, and realign the most.
If you're unsure how a retrograde is impacting you personally, a Mercury retrograde can be a beautiful time to get curious — and receive support.
A Tarot + Transits session with me can help illuminate what’s rising to the surface and offer psychic insight on how to work with it rather than against it. We’ll explore the timing, the tension, and the invitations that the planets are offering, all through the lens of your own transits, and the cards.
Retrogrades are nothing to fear. But they are potent portals. You don’t have to walk through them alone.
Mercury the Messenger:
But before we get into the realm of tech glitches or making appointments, let’s zoom out a bit...
Mercury is an ancient archetype, a god, a psychopomp. Known as Hermes to the Greeks and Mercury to the Romans, he’s the winged-sandaled messenger who moves between worlds: celestial and terrestrial, divine and human, conscious and unconscious.
Mercury governs language, logic, and learning — as well as dreams, intuition, and thresholds. He rules over all liminal spaces: crossroads, transitions, the edges of things. As a psychopomp, he can travel freely between the living and the dead, the mundane and the mystical. He’s a translator, a trickster, and a guide through the unknown.
In astrology, Mercury is the ruler of both Gemini and Virgo, linking airy curiosity with earthy discernment. He governs how we speak, think, write, listen, and interpret.
When Mercury goes retrograde (appearing to move backward in the sky) we’re invited to slow down, retrace our steps, and tune in more deeply. Not just to what's being said, but to what's truly being communicated.
If I think of Mercury Retrograde as intensified trickster mischief, I tend to have a better sense of humor about it all. So, here’s a few things I try to remind myself:
💫 A sense of humor is essential (like, all the time — but especially during these transits!)
💫 Patience is everything. And all too often, it’s the hardest thing to access.
💫 Perspective helps. Most of our systems run so smoothly that we forget all the invisible work happening behind the scenes. When they falter, we freak out — because the capitalist hamster wheel insists on more, faster, better, now now now.
I like to think of Mercury Retrograde functioning like a cosmic wrench tossed into those gears. It slows everything down — sometimes painfully. It invites us (or forces us) to step back, breathe, and recalibrate.
So: take your time with your responses. Review messages a few times before hitting send (this one constantly bites me in the ass, arrrghh!). Practice deep breathing if you happen to be traveling during Mercury Retrograde. Revisit unfinished those conversations, and try to clear up misunderstandings. Consider reaching out to the people you’ve been meaning to touch base with and check in on.
It’s not easy, but Mercury Retrograde can be a gift — a necessary teacher, if we’re willing to pay attention.
Why It Hits So Hard Now:
I’ve been thinking about why Mercury Retrograde seems like such a big deal these days, compared to other times in history. And I think a lot of it comes down to our intense reliance on technology — and the sheer volume of communication we send zipping across the aethers every day.
Sometimes I imagine Hermes (and all the other messenger/crossroads deities) utterly exhausted — overworked and under-thanked, running constant errands through fiber-optic cables and electromagnetic waves, with no offerings left for them anymore. Just a lot of complaining and frantic bitching when everything goes haywire!
No wonder they mess with us. Honestly? I’d be a little petty too.
I’ve also been contemplating how dependent we are on these gloriously advanced tools — while our actual interpersonal communication skills are often seriously lacking.
It’s pretty ironic, eh?
I remember being a kid (pre-internet!) dreaming about communicating with people all over the world. I had penpals in other countries, and we waited weeks or months for our letters to travel across oceans. I used to fantasize about video calling — and now that it’s here, I find myself kind of over it. I’d rather talk on the phone — especially for tarot readings.
We’ve never had so many ways to connect — text, email, DMs, voice notes, apps on apps on apps — and yet ghosting, avoidance, and shut-down seem more common than ever. So much goes unsaid, even with all these ways to say it.
Most of us never learned how to talk through the heavy stuff. Our families didn’t model it. And though we have access to so many tools and teachers now, the learning curve still feels steep. Mercury Retrograde amplifies this, big-time — but it also gives us the chance to relearn.
I want to believe that someday, our emotional intelligence will catch up to our technology. That we’ll learn to communicate clearly, openly, and with kindness — not just with a quickness. That we’ll understand how precious these tools are, and how vital it is to wield them with intention.
Maybe it will take us returning to the old ways — to telling stories around a fire, or painting them on cave walls. Or maybe we’ll find a new kind of magic, one that honors both the spark of the divine in our screens and in our hearts.
Until then, I’ll keep leaving offerings at the crossroads. I’ll keep listening. I’ll keep trying to be a more honest and compassionate communicator.
Mercury Retrograde is a time to revise, re-examine, recharge, recalculate, remember, rearrange, rediscover… and maybe even rekindle. Maybe try to let it re-enchant you? Or at least not drive you up a wall!
Have you been feeling Mercury’s mischief?
Whether you're tangled in tech troubles, tripping over your words, or revisiting old convos, I’d love to hear how Mercury Retrograde tends to show up for you. What messages are coming back around? What are you rethinking, reworking, or remembering? Is there a trickster lesson in the mix — or a moment of clarity amidst the static?
Drop a comment below and let’s talk it out…
