Mercury Retrograde 2023 and 2024
How and when will Mercury Retrograde affect you in 2023 and 2024?
Is the bad reputation of Mercury Retrograde deserved? That may depend on where your car breaks down, how badly your travel plans are disrupted, how long you wait at the wrong restaurant or how much you need your computer. With a little preparation, you can help alleviate possible problems and even put these periods to good use.
Be sure and read the Top 20 things to do during a Mercury Retrograde period: http://diannelawson.com/86-2/mercury-retrograde-2/ and the Top 20 things to do during when Mercury is direct: http://diannelawson.com/86-2/top-20-mercury-direct/
What is Mercury Retrograde?
From time to time, each of the planets appears to go in backward motion across the signs of the zodiac, depending upon the relative positions of the earth and the planet. That apparent backward motion is called retrograde motion.
Since Mercury is going in apparent backward motion, it sometimes brings a repeat of people or events back into your life. It also often brings more Mercury related concerns, circumstances and things into our lives.
Mercury has a correspondence with everything related to thoughts, including studying, taking tests, making decisions and signing contracts. It also has a correspondence with all machines, including computers, phones and vehicles.
Mercury is the planet that has a connection with all forms of communication, including writing, editing, reviewing, talking, giving speeches, and being on podcasts and radio shows. And Mercury is connected with travel.
What to do under Mercury Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde is a good time to renew, revise, refurbish, rethink, reorganize, reflect, redo and get rid of anything that no longer serves you. As a Feng Shui consultant, I am always happy when the planets are helping us get rid of clutter. During a Mercury Retrograde is also a good time to complete long overdue tasks. Many people have a heightened sense of inner awareness. This is a great time to resolve old conflicts, re-evaluate your thought patterns and fix problems that have been hanging on for a while.
Whenever Mercury is retrograde, communications, contracts, machines and travel plans may go awry. For ordinary life, including communications and travel, I pay little or no attention to when Mercury is retrograde. However, I do pay close attention to when Mercury is retrograde for important communicating, contract signing and passport vacation traveling. I will continue to go about my daily life and do what needs to be done, but I will not send any manuscripts to new publishers under a Mercury retrograde period.
Under Mercury Retrograde, take extra care while communicating with others. Make sure that everyone understands what the plans and expectations are. Signing important contracts to buy expensive items may need to be redone or may come to naught. Applying for or starting a new job, could mean that the job will change or be short-lived. This is not necessarily bad.
If you travel when Mercury is retrograde, make allowances for changes in schedules and allow extra time to arrive. Mercury also rules telephones, computers, printers, machines and cars, so do everything you can to have them in good running order before Mercury goes retrograde.
Because Mercury also rules, or has a correspondence, with health, I would not have any elective surgery under Mercury Retrograde periods. If you have to have surgery, go ahead. There is never going to be a perfect time for anything and Mercury is just one of many planets that have an influence at any one time.
Mercury Retrograde Shadow Period
The effects of Mercury Retrograde are felt before and after the planet is actually going backwards through the signs of the zodiac as seen from the earth. These times before and after Mercury Retrograde are called shadow periods. A shadow period begins when Mercury is at the same degree of the zodiac where it will later go in forward motion again. A later shadow period is when Mercury starts going forwards again but is not yet at the same degree of the zodiac as it was when it first started going backwards.
Astrologers differ in their beliefs about shadow periods, but I think the shadow periods are not as strong as the actual retrograde periods. Recently, shadow periods have been affecting me and others strongly, so I may be paying more attention to them. I will sign contracts in shadow periods but not in retrograde periods.
How Mercury Retrograde may have
special importance for you
Astrologers pays attention to much more than just when Mercury is retrograde or direct, but Mercury Retrograde should be taken into consideration. With really important things, consult a professional astrologer to explain to you all the planetary configurations than apply to you specifically. I include Mercury Retrograde periods when I talk to people about their yearly forecasts.
If you have your Sun, Moon, Ascendant or planets in Mercury-ruled Gemini or Virgo, you will probably be more affected by Mercury Retrograde than will people who don’t have those placements in their birth charts.
People who were born when Mercury was retrograde often don’t feel the effects of when Mercury in the sky is retrograde as other people do. If you have Mercury Retrograde in your birth chart, I would be interested in knowing how you feel Mercury Retrograde periods affect you.
Mercury Retrograde matters, but it is just one of many things astrologers look at
Mercury Retrograde matters, but keep in mind that Mercury is just one of many objects that astrologers look at. We pay attention to the Sun, the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, the Moon’s Nodes, Eclipses and more. Not only do we look at whether of not they are retrograde or in direct motion, but we look what sign of the zodiac they are in and what angular positions they are in relation to each other. How all of this, and more, affects your individual chart matters most of all. That is what astrologers can tell you in explaining your individual birth chart.
So don’t worry about a Mercury Retrograde, but do plan for it. And remember, that I have had many challenging trips under a Mercury Retrograde, but I have always been glad I took those trips. And when my husband and I went to Egypt, it took us three exhausting, frustrating days to get home to Topeka, Kansas from Aswan, Egypt. And Mercury was in direct motion, not retrograde.
Mark your calendars as to the times below. Mercury is retrograde from the time it goes retrograde until the time it goes in forward motion.
December 12, 2022 Mercury enters its shadow period
December 30, 2022 Mercury goes retrograde
January 19, 2023 Mercury goes in forward motion
February 6, 2023 Mercury is out of its shadow
April 7, 2023 Mercury enters its shadow period
April 22, 2023 Mercury goes retrograde
May 14, 2023 Mercury goes in forward motion
May 31, 2023 Mercury is out of its shadow
August 4, 2023 Mercury enters its shadow period
August 23, 2023 Mercury goes retrograde
September 15, 2023 Mercury goes in forward motion
September 30, 2023 Mercury is out of its shadow
November 25, 2023 Mercury enters its shadow period
December 13, 2023 Mercury goes retrograde
January 1, 2024 Mercury goes in forward motion
January 21, 2024 Mercury is out of its shadow
March 18, 2024 Mercury enters its shadow period
April 2, 2024 Mercury goes retrograde
April 26, 2024 Mercury goes in forward motion
May 13, 2024 Mercury is out of its shadow
July 17, 2024 Mercury enters its shadow period
August 5, 2024 Mercury goes retrograde
August 29, 2024 Mercury goes in forward motion
September 11, 2024 Mercury is out of its shadow
November 7, 2024 Mercury enters its shadow period
November 26, 2024 Mercury goes retrograde
December 16, 2024 Mercury goes in forward motion
January 2, 2025 Mercury is out of its shadow
