Mercury is in retrograde and I’m freaking the fuck out
Words by Olivia De Zilva
Mercury has been in retrograde since the 5th of March and will continue to do so till the 28th. For those who don’t understand the phenomenon of Mercury Retrograde in popular culture, it’s basically become a scapegoat or actual validation of why things are going wrong in the world. In scientific terms, Mercury Retrograde is moving backwards east-to-west instead of west-to-east through the solar-system. Time Magazine states that a “retrograde motion is when a planet appears, when observed from the Earth, to reverse direction and begin a span of misfortune”.
In Astrological circles, Mercury Retrograde is bad business. As Mercury is known as the planet of communication and relationships, astrologers claim that retrograde is the worst time for people dealing with relationship, work or personal problems where communication is needed or wanted.
As this current Retrograde is occurring during Pisces season (February 19th-March 21st) and going into Aries (March 21st-April 19th), there are plenty of hefty emotions involved. Pisces is one of the more emotional signs in the astrological chart, with Pisceans (a typical water-sign) wearing their hearts on their sleeves and feeling everything heavier than others. Once we move into Aries, a fire sign, there is more aggression and impulsivity. Mix this with a Retrograde and you’ll see a huge spike in emotion-sourced impulsivity and aggression. This is NEVER a good mix and can see people met with horrible consequences that I will document down below.
So, to give you a little bit of background, my birthday falls in Gemini which means I can be creative, yet, according to the stars, very indecisive. My moon sign (which controls one’s emotions) falls in Cancer (a sign probably notorious for their emotional outbursts and investment in relationships). My ascendant or rising sign, which controls the ways others perceive me is Taurus (steadfast and loyal).
When analysing this “data”, I can ascertain that Mercury Retrograde has absolutely fucked me up. On a surface level, I can see that my Gemini/Cancer signs are the most reactive to Mercury’s orbit, with my emotions controlling most of my communication. For *PROOF* that Mercury Retrograde is REAL, check out my interactions during March thus far and argue with me about *science*.
- The day Mercury Retrograde begins (March 5th) is the anniversary of a 5-year relationship I had which LACKED in proper communication and healthy emotional responses
- On the 8th of March, I was yelled at on the phone because of my lack of communication
- During that week, I saw *someone from the past* three times in the space of three days at the same location.
- I got #overwhelmed because of the lack of communication I was having with the universe
5. I’ve been caught in a cycle of ghosting from employers and people I want to talk to
6. I saw *someone from the past* TWICE in one night in the SAME location (you could argue that it’s #JustAdelaideThings), but this was almost too coincidental…
7. I’ve been rejected for three jobs listed on Seek
8. FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM, the BIGGEST channels of communication in the world were down for HOURS on the 14th of March
9. I’ve stopped using Tinder after a full month on the grind
10. I followed *someone from the past* on Instagram after a long-time of no-contact and they didn’t follow back or react in anyway.
In conclusion, although you might not agree in the implications of Mercury Retrograde, I guarantee to you naysayers that they have been very much prevalent in my life for the past 2-weeks. I scoured the internet to see if I was going crazy, but many seem to agree that this period has been their most emotionally intense of 2019:
Take care of yourselves during Mercury Retrograde everyone! Don’t call your ex. Take heaps of naps. AND DON’T CALL YOUR EX.
