We’re just a few days away from our first full round of Mercury Retrograde for 2017. I’ve been feeling a little bit of it and I’ve been talking to plenty of people who are already feeling this one during the pre-shadow. This Mercury Retrograde will be taking place during April 9th until May 3rd in the signs of Taurus and Aries.
Mercury Retrograde in Taurus April 9 – April 20th
As the retrograde starts out in the earth sign of Taurus you might start to feel a lot of frustration and a sense of things feeling really heavy and slow. This first half of the retrograde is where you’ll likely find delays end up being a big deal.
Mercury Retrograde in Taurus can also bring a lot of fears and comparison. You may find yourself doing a lot of comparisons between yourself and those around you, especially work and career colleagues, as you try to figure out why they have been doing better than you, getting more recognition than you, and basically blowing past you on the career superhighway. The only problem with this is that it’s an absolutely waste of time because these comparisons will get you nowhere. Instead you can take this need to compare and look at what it is that bothers you and use this as a way to reassess what you’re actually doing with yourself. Do you need to reevaluate your goals, dreams, beliefs, and values? Are you holding onto things from the past that are keeping you from going forward to the places you see other people going.
During Mercury Retrograde in Taurus issues around money can come front and center. Usually it’s mostly a concern around money and stability or survival. Your concerns aren’t about how you’re going to afford to go on vacation this summer but more about how you’ll pay your rent next month. This is when remembering that fear only breeds more fear and never a solution becomes important. And like all money worries, money is both a problem and a solution, which is the financial Catch 22 that we all come to learn about at some point.
During this retrograde period you’ll find that starting right off with sitting down and planning out a budget for the next month will help not only put fears at ease and show that you aren’t going to have to move into a cardboard box any time soon, but it will also help you stay on track so you have a guideline to stick to.
Mercury Retrograde in Aries from April 20 – May 3
Mercury Retrograde will move into the sign of Aries on April 20th which brings a bit of a different vibe. Things will start to feel a little less stagnate as the fire energy of Aries comes into play. The one good thing about Mercury Retrograde in Aries is you find that mentally you’re sharper. There’s less chance for feeling confused or fearful, but that can have a bit of a downside.
You might find that during Mercury Retrograde in Aries that you’re more quick to do and say things on a whim than you are normally. You might start to throw other people off with your quick actions and find that you’re speeding past other people without stopping to make sure they’re on the same page. This can be a huge problem at work as well as when doing projects at home with contractors. Slowing down, checking plans twice, and flat out asking people if they get what you’re saying or doing can eliminate lots of problems down the road.
It’s also important that you’re taking the time to list to others during this time and accept where they are on their journey. This is often when you start to realize that you may have outgrown certain people in your life and you may question whether you need to part ways or if you just need to accept their shortcomings. Remember that if you choose to have any sit down discussions about relationships this month that it could be easy for your words to be taken wrong and to hurt in a way you don’t intend. Go into any conversations like this only after having thought through what you’ll say and what you really want to get across.
So the overall vibe of this Mercury Retrograde will start out with really noticing where you’re feeling stuck or blocked and then suddenly having a jolt of energy and inspiration to start doing something about it. Just be sure that you’re taking time to think about everything you plan to say and do during this retrograde, considering for a moment how it might be taken by other people, and being sure that you’re as clear as possible to avoid unnecessary problems.
Other things happening with the retrogrades…
Venus is retrograde until April 15th – with Mercury Retrograde communication in relationships can be extra tricky and it’s possible any new relationship started now may not last; once Venus goes direct you may find that’s when the problems really pop up and you realize you’re just not speaking the same language
Jupiter is retrograde until June 9th – with Mercury Retrograde you’ll really find this desire to reevaluate your values, goals, and beliefs during the Taurus phase stands out; this could be where you really start to find what has been holding you back as you realize just how stuck you’ve been
Saturn is retrograde until August 25th – with Mercury Retrograde, and especially with Jupiter in retrograde as well, this will be a good time to look at long term relationships and projects and ask yourself if you’re really happy with where things are going and if you need to changes things up or let go and start over fresh
Pluto goes retrograde on April 20th – with Mercury Retrograde and the fact that it goes retrograde at the same time that we shift from Taurus into Aries, you’ll really feel the fire to create change and transformation; Pluto in retrograde has us evaluating how we’re doing with progress and chance so this will be a great time to truly commit to clearing your path to a fresh start
Tips For Surviving This Mercury Retrograde
- Be extra mindful of any new financial commitments and avoid making big investments if possible.
- Make sure that business meetings and project deadlines are well planned for and communicated to others.
- Make a commitment to not start any new projects or relationships for now in order to make sure you’re going into anything new with a clear head and defined purpose and vision.
- Create a self-imposed “cooling off period” for any big changes, decisions, or discussions that you need to have. Avoid all split second and last minute decisions that have you go responding off initial reactions rather than thought out ideas.
- Spend time out in nature but do things that are energizing and involve movement like hiking and climbing. This isn’t a time for getting grounded and meditating under a tree but for feeling the energy and vibration of earth to remind you that even when things seem dead still there is movement under the surface.
- Take time to indulge the senses and do things just for the pure pleasure and joy they bring. All the better if you can spread the love by including friends and family!
- If you have unused vacation time or time off available, take it! A few days during the Aries portion of the retrograde to step back from your daily routine may be just the thing to keep you from doing anything you may regret next month.
