Mercury Retrograde

May 23rd, 2005

Three times per year the planet mercury slows down in its orbit and appears to be going backwards, much the way a more slowly moving train will appear to passengers in a faster moving train (another example of parallax.) When this happens, the affairs ruled by mercury seem to happen at a slower pace, thereby becoming more internalized. It becomes a difficult time to accomplish things in the external arena of life; for example appointments, phone connections, meetings, purchases, and contractual agreements.

The best way to utilize a mercury retrograde period is to flow with it, i.e. go back in time – catch up on correspondence, do inventory, return outstanding phone calls and email messages, clean out the closets and desk drawers, and get together with people from our past. Oftentimes, items that we thought were lost will resurface, and people we haven’t thought about or heard from in a long time will contact us.

It is best to doublecheck all appointments as miscommunication is common during this period; and there’s no point in driving somewhere if it’s not necessary because customary routes are often blocked. It can be a wonderful period of time if we remain flexible and maintain a sense of humor.

From the Native American point of view a mercury retrograde period would be considered “coyote medicine”, as the planet Mercury/Hermes signifies the trickster or heyoke.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is an account of the disastrous 1986 Mount Everest expedition during which many people died. While extreme, it’s a perfect example of how people aren’t thinking or planning clearly during these periods of time.

The contested presidential election of 2000 is another example. And while we don’t want to live in fear of these periods (which happen every few months for three weeks at a time) it makes no sense to plan anything of great import. Save your major purchases and decisions for those times when the forward momentum of the planet supports you.

The dates for retrogrades will be posted here in order to assist you in making future plans, and understanding past effects of the planets retrograde action.

2009

  • January 11th - February 2nd
  • May 7th - May 31st
  • September 7th - 29th

2008

  • January 28th - February 19th
  • May 26th - June 19th
  • September 24th - October 15th

2007

  • February 14th - March 8th

  • June 15th - July 10th

  • October 12th - November 2nd

2006

  • March 2nd - March 25th
  • July 4th - July 29th
  • October 28th - November 18th

2005

  • March 20th - April 12th
  • July 23rd - August 16th
  • November 14th – December 4th

2004

  • April 6th - April 30th
  • August 10th - September 2nd
  • November 30th - December 20th

2003

  • January 2nd - January 23rd
  • April 26th - May 20th
  • December 17th - January 6th, 2004