Camp Thirlby’s Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide
It delays buses! It cancels flights! It rattles your schedule! It makes you late on the student loan payments you were sure you made on time! It sends exes crawling back to your missed call list!
Run! Don’t walk… from Mercury retrograde!
Whether or not you’ve noticed the effects of Mercury retrograde since this cycle began last Wednesday, you’ve most certainly heard the frightened murmurs. Perhaps no astrological event instills so much fear into the general population as this one, which occurs multiple times a year for a few weeks at a time. This particular period will continue until November 20th.
Before we get into mercury retrograde survival tactics, let’s clear the air on what it actually is:
For those of you who don’t currently have your eighth grade diaraghama of the solar system on your person, Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, separated from Earth only by Venus. In astrology, Mercury controls communication and transportation and rules the signs of smooth-talking Gemini and meticulous Virgo.
A planet is said to be “retrograde” when it appears to move backwards from the perspective of us on Earth. Astrologically, a planet in retrograde indicates a shift from business as usual, a call for things from the past to reappear and, well, sheer chaos in the realms ruled by that particular planet.
Mercury isn’t the only planet that goes into retrograde; every planet in our solar system appears to be retrograde at some point in its orbit around the Sun, as each planet orbits at a different speed. However, as the planet closest to the sun and. therefore, with the shortest distance to circle around it, Mercury retrogrades most frequently. So, we don’t hear about Mercury retrograde the most often because it’s the biggest storm but rather because it’s the one we have to weather the most frequently.
So, prepare your bunker and get ready to ride this one out. Here’s our guide to survive Mercury in retrograde.
Build in buffer time.
Take it from me, a woman who was voted “most likely to be late to her own wedding” by her senior class, Mercury retrograde is NOT the time to sleep in five more minutes. In fact, I’d recommend setting your alarm even earlier than usual. Interruptions in transportation threaten to appear at every corner, so prepare for delays delays delays.
Have backups. LOTS of backups.
Not only should you prepare to set your alarm early, you should also prepare for your alarm to not go off at all. This is a time to keep alert and double-check anything that involves communication which, in our digital age, is EVERYTHING. Set multiple alarms, keep an eye on your spam folder, pay extra attention to the send button, and make sure to double check the details of any plans you make.
Choose your words with intention.
During this period, miscommunications become the norm. This might manifest in unexpected arguments that stem from simple lapses in communication, people flaking on plans due to mixups, or a general difficulty for anyone to read the room.
To prevent this, be extra mindful of the way you address others and the way you phrase your interactions. Prepare to take things the wrong way and for others to do the same in return. Do your best to say what you mean directly and concisely, and give others the benefit of the doubt when missed connections inevitably occur.
Somethings are best left in the past.
As Mercury moves backward, it tempts us to move backward with it. That’s the reason dreaded Mercury retrograde is so often associated with unexpected correspondence with people from our pasts, be it lovers, friends, or foes. So, whether you receive an unexpected text or just have a stronger urge than usual to drunk call you ex, make certain to make moves with intention. Lots of things that are in our past are put there for a reason.
If you are compelled to reach out to someone, examine your motivations. Are they selfish? Are they self-sabotaging? Are you risking bringing up feelings and behaviors that have been comfortably laid to rest? Sometimes, Mercury retrograde can remind us of things that very much need to be addressed or of our own wrongs that need to be righted. If this is the case, gather your thoughts and approach communication with a level head.
If you are the one who has been reached out to, be strategic in your response. Is this an energy you want to welcome into your life? Is this interaction going to bring you closure or interrupt the healing you’ve already accomplished?
Don’t be afraid to disconnect.
If tension of communication becomes too much, carve out time to disconnect and channel your attention inward (both in your mind and in your home, where you don’t have to worry about the whims of transportation). Embrace a healthy dose of nostalgia induced by the retrograded motion and remember, we only have to make to the 20th!
About the Author
Victoria Middleton (she/her) is a third year student at The George Washington University studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in women’s, gender and sexuality studies. She discovered her love for writing as a little girl, typing fairytale stories on her parents old Dell and printing them out before taping them into glitter-glue-encrusted cardboard covers. These days, she thinks honest and fully developed stories about women are even better than fairy tales. When she’s not scheming against the male hegemony of the media industry, she can be found thrifting, watching cult films and TV and badly dancing to good music. She has been known to get overly excited about intersectional feminism, astrology and David Lynch.
