The next Mercury Retrograde will be from Oct 31st to Nov 20th 2019.
Here’s what you need to know:
TIMING
Mercury will technically be in retrograde from 11:41am EST on October 31st, at 27° 38 Scorpio, to 2:12pm on November 20th at 11° 35 Scorpio.
However, the Full Mercury Retrograde Cycle (including the influence of pre and post-shadow periods) extends from October 11th (around 7pm EST) to December 7th (around 12:30pm EST), 2019.
Although most people focus only on the time when Mercury is actually going to be ‘retrograde’, it’s VERY helpful to understand how we are influenced by retrograde vibes during this entire period.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Beginning on October 11th, the influence of this retrograde cycle will start to ease in. Remembering that retrogrades are a sort of ‘astrological season’, you can expect the energies to build slowly and perhaps subtly at first. Nevertheless, there are often clues during these early days to indicate where and how this cycle will influence you personally.
The ‘peak’ or most intense retrograde vibes will be present on November 20th, right before Mercury stations direct once again, and from there the retrograde energies will gradually fade, finally passing around December 7th.
Common Experiences during Mercury Retrograde
- Frustrations or confusion resulting from miscommunication
- Key information is missing or ‘veiled’, especially related to plans, key decisions, agreements (contracts) and financial commitments
- Plans are disrupted, and plans that you make now for the future are more likely to become disrupted down the road
- Feeling tired or wanting to stay close to home; backing out of social commitments at the last minute
- Transportation blunders, breakdowns, delays etc.
- A focus on the past, which may involve working through something currently unresolved
- A focus inward; introspection and reflection
- Being in a state of receiving; heightened intuition
- Spontaneous inspiration leading to ‘magic moments’
- Unexpected opportunities and synchronicities come to you
Instead of perpetually looking FORWARD, this 8-week cycle calls us to look INWARD or TO THE PAST with a renewed sense of perspective, which can bring valuable inspiration and insight.
Mercury Retrograde during Summer 2019 occurs in Scorpio
Mercury Rules:
- Communication
- Learning
- Planning
- Decision-Making
- Travel (especially domestic or short distance)
- Transportation (vehicles, planes, trains & their schedules, etc)
- Technology
- The transmission of ‘messages’ – In Greek mythology, Mercury was the messenger god.
In the Zodiac, Mercury rules Gemini and co-rules Virgo with Chiron.
Scorpio Vibes
Scorpio rules deep emotional vulnerability, your desire to be fulfilled by your relationships, sexuality, intimacy and trust. This energy naturally sees beyond the surface to the deeper layers, sensing hidden motives and desires as well as unrealized potential.
Working consciously with the energy of the Scorpio season means turning your attention inward, and being honest with yourself about:
- your deepest emotional needs
- the ways in which past hurts are playing out in your present life
- the expectations you are putting onto loved ones, whether consciously or unconsciously
- your willingness to trust others and have faith in new endeavors
- who it may be time to forgive in order to move forward
Learn More About Scorpio Energy
‘FLOWING’ WITH MERCURY RETROGRADE VIBES
When we learn to flow with astrological rhythms, we maximize energetic support for our actions and minimize resistance. You can do this by avoiding actions which are not supported by retrograde energies.
Some ‘quick tips’ for flowing with retrograde vibes:
- Go with the flow!
- Relax and trust that you don’t know what ‘ought’ to be
- Create extra time and space in your schedule for rest and self-care
- Look for the ‘silver lining’ when there are unexpected derailments to your plans, magical opportunities lie beneath the surface!
General Activities to avoid during retrograde!
- Making financial commitments or plans which are inflexible – making big purchases or locking yourself into plans that you cannot easily back out of without a financial penalty are all very risky during retrograde. Remember, key information is missing or hidden during retrograde and its shadow periods. This is also a time when unexpected events are more likely to arise, which can shift the assumptions underlying these commitments.
- Initiating New Long-Term Projects – Starting new projects such as beginning a new job or launching a new product or service through your business during Mercury retrograde typically lend themselves only to short-term prospects. So, if you want to launch a new long-term endeavor, plan to do it before or after the retrograde and shadow periods.
- Signing contracts – When you sign a contract, you do so with the assumption that all of the relevant facts and details are known – however during Mercury retrograde, remember that the chances are much higher that we do not have yet all of the relevant information!
8 MORE TIPS FOR ‘FLOWING’ WITH MERCURY RETROGRADE ENERGY!
Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind over the coming retrograde period that can help you maintain balance in your life, minimize the resistance and ‘flow’ with this energy.
Remember the natural rhythm of the universe brings cycles of ‘ebb and flow’, like inhale and exhale, masculine and feminine, plant and harvest. Enjoy!
- Embrace the need for balance. Retrogrades represent a necessary universal balance in life. Think of the need for retrograde cycles in the same way that you think of your body’s need for sleep: in order to have the energy that we need during each day, we need to rest and allow other systems in our bodies to take over – cell regeneration, healing, digestion, and detoxification. These are natural cycles, and when choose to roll with them instead of against them, we exert less effort and can find it easier to maintain balance in our own lives.
- Be Easy-Going. Mercury retrograde reminds us that sometimes the best place to be is just where we are. This is a time to let go of ‘forcing’ any particular outcome; when we try to push or force something to happen is exactly when we seem to feel the ‘slingshot’ effect that whips us back.
- Take care of ‘unfinished business’. Mercury retrograde signals that it’s time to take care of ‘loose ends’ and to finish projects which have been underway for some time. Retrograde cycles are very supportive of finishing up any work in progress in order to make space for new beginnings to come once we are clear of the retrograde influence.
- Take an objective look at the recent past. Use this time to review what’s taken place over the past several months and reflect on what ideas or opinions have evolved as this can be a time for gaining a fresh perspective. This is also a great time to pick up on an idea that you had in the past, but never followed through with. You can also let go of feeling held back by the past, to realize what you can learn from recent experiences, and then let go in order to renew.
- Relish in the present moment –This is a time to be grateful for all of your blessings and to simply let yourself take pleasure. Press the snooze button on ambition for the next few weeks and on feeling like you need something more to be happy.
- Take care of yourself. Leave some extra space in your calendar for personal time, or to just give yourself a day to ‘put things in order’ in your life. Slow down and give yourself extra time for activities that you normally rush through; have a relaxing epsom salt bath, finish that book you started weeks ago, spend an afternoon cooking your favorite comfort meal. Let yourself lose track of time.
- Let go of inflated expectations. This is a time to be kind to yourself and let go of rigid thinking or expectations. Delightful miracles will come onto your path when you release attachment to the outcome.
- Avoid major spending. Mercury retrograde is more of a time for living in the present moment and tying off lose ends from the past, so it isn’t necessarily the best time for making major purchases and investments for the future. Mercury retrograde is also not a good time to make major decisions, financial commitments or to sign contracts because it is typically a time when relevant facts are temporarily ‘hidden’.
MERCURY RETROGRADE AND YOU!
Learning to flow with personal planet retrogrades is one of the most useful and practical ways to incorporate astrology into your everyday life.
I am offering a 5-week online course designed to guide you through this fall’s Mercury Retrograde cycle, and teach you valuable tools for working with all future Mercury Retrograde cycles.
During this 5-week course, you will receive:
- A ~45 minute podcast each week
- Practical tips and guidance for using Mercury retrograde energies to your best advantage (do’s and don’ts!)
- A customized reading for how Mercury is expressed naturally in your birth chart
- General and personalized guidance for how the retrograde cycle will influence YOU.
- Understanding of the essence of planet Mercury and what it rules.
- Interactive guidance on navigating through the retrograde season as unfolds.
- Ability to connect with me for questions at any time.
- Knowledge of how to balance Masculine and Feminine energies during retrograde.
- A calendar of key dates for the Fall 2019 retrograde cycle.
- Practical understanding of retrograde ‘shadow periods’ – what they mean and how to work within them.
- Support with planning and prioritizing important events in your life!
- A framework for working with future retrograde seasons.
- Increased ability to ‘tune in’ and sense astrological energies!
Course Outline and Details
THE MEANING OF ‘RETROGRADE’
The word ‘retrograde’ literally means ‘to step backwards’ and this term is used in astrology to describe the times when, from our perspective here on earth, a planetary body is observed to be moving counter to its normal direction of orbit.
During a retrograde cycle, the energies which are expressed by that planetary body have a more ‘introspective’ focus. The usual ‘forward’ momentum shifts, encouraging us to ‘look backwards’.
A retrograde cycle has 3 phases:
(1) Pre-shadow phase – the influence of the retrograde energy starts to be felt and grows stronger with each day. The planetary body which is about to go retrograde will be passing back over the path which it is currently transiting when the planet is in the retrograde phase. During the pre-shadow phase, the orbit slows down until it eventually reaches the point where it will switch directions.
(2) Retrograde phase – the orbit is counter to the normal direction and the planetary body appears to be ‘moving backwards’
(3) Post-shadow phase – the influence of the retrograde is still felt but starts to slowly diminish with each day. The planetary body is moving forward again, retracing its steps for the third time over the same path. It’s moving slowly at first (it is said to be ‘sleepy’ during this time) but with each day it picks up speed until it fully resumes its normal pace.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PRIVATE ONLINE READINGS!