Every few months, Mercury reaches a stage in its orbit about the Sun where, from our perspective on earth, it appears to slow down to the point where it stands still then move backward through the zodiac. Mercury really doesn't do this of course, but nevertheless this apparent retrograde motion is one to watch out for.

Mercury's retrograde cycle is approximately 22-24 days. During this period, you can be sure that communication breakdowns are the norm! Messages are garbled or misunderstood, directions given often send you down the proverbial garden path. Files are lost, items misplaced. Expect delays with travel plans or with the postal service - all typically Mercury ruled activities.

The Mercury retrograde periods are not good times to sign contracts or enter into any agreement with another person. With contracts, there may be some small print that you overlook that proves at some later date to be crucial to the process. Or you may simply change your mind. This is a typical scenario - what seems like a splendid idea at the start of the Mercury retrograde cycle often is no longer appropriate three weeks later; circumstances change or new information comes to light that leads you in an entirely different direction.

Mercury rules commerce - so not a good time to open a business for the first time. And be on the look out for misleading advertisements - not necessarily intentionally misleading, but misleading from the point of view of giving incorrect contact phone numbers or address for instance. I remember one particular series of advertisements for a huge festival being held on the north shore in Auckland - it gave the dates loud and clear but no-one knew where to go. The advertisements didn't say where the festival was being held! To add to the confusion, there were absolutely no contact details given either - the local paper was consequently inundated with irate members of the public wanting this information.

On a lighter note, if you have Mercury retrograde in your birth chart or horoscope, you may feel that you are on a different wavelength from anybody else, that your way of perceiving the world around you is at odds with everyone else. When Mercury goes retrograde by transit, suddenly the world is in sync with you for a change!

How best to use these Mercury retrograde periods? Do anything with a 're' in it - revision, rewriting those notes, reviewing, re-evaluation. It's an excellent time for preparation, do that research for that project you have your heart set on - but don't launch the project until Mercury turns direct.

Our current year of 2007 sees three Mercury retrograde periods:
14 February - 8 March
16 June - 10 July
12 October - 2 November

and for those who like to plan ahead, in 2008 Mercury is retrograde:
28 January - 19 February
26 May - 19 June
24 September - 15 October

Enjoy Mercury retrograde as a time for respite, a time of reflection. Great for catching up on all those tasks that have been allotted to the too hard basket - you'll see them from an entirely different perspective now.

© By Carol Squires, PMAFA, DTASNZ.