Mercury Retrogrades Can Be Awesome

I used to really go through it during every Mercury Retrograde. Whatever could go wrong, would. Whatever could break, would. When I learned I just need to slow down, keep calm, and mind my business during these transits something amazing happened - I was gifted a month or so of ultimate peace. It was like my whole world slowed down. I could see the chaos outside my bubble, but the debris did not touch me. I once described it to a friend as being within a tornado, like Dorothy's house in the Wizard of Oz, she is just sitting on her bed watching it all swirl around but completely untouched until she lands in Oz and enters a whole new world.

So my tips for making any Mercury Retrograde an advantageous time are this:

• Slow down, like waaaaaay down.

• Remember that now is a time to evaluate, rest, dream, and contemplate.

• Take as many naps as you can.

• Remember that some tasks can be done and some can't at this time - don't force anything because it will only get you make you more stuck.

• If something's going sideways - get up, step away, go outside, and circle back when you're re-centered.

• Practice right speech by asking yourself: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it the right thing to say right now? If it's not, stay in your lane.

• Keep your side of the street clean. If everyone else is a mess, let them be. But remember you don't have to be messy. This is the "mind your business and focus on you" part of it.

• Connect to your own energy and straighten it out. Think about what YOU need.

• And always try to stay grounded. Dance, sing, take a shower, eat something, drink something, smell something. Use your senses to get back in the body and the present.

A Mercury Retrograde Tarot Spread:

This is a simple two card spread to kick start this phase:

Take a step back and examine who you are and what you’re doing.

Gather your cards, shuffle and pull.

Card 1 - What do I need to know?

Card 2 - What do I need to focus on?

That’s it. Keep it simple. Two cards to come back to if you’re frustrated and stuck.

And remember it is always a good time to check in with yourself. This is your reminder to take a moment here and there, even just a minute, and ask yourself:

How do I feel, where in the body do my feelings reside, do I need clarity on a situation, and what part of me needs to be tended to?

We may experience annoying disruptions during Mercury Rx, but it is also an excellent time to stop, reflect, and refocus your energy. Everything that breaks and everything that goes wrong ultimately is an opportunity to clear out things in your life that no longer serve us. During these wild times, let’s all take a moment to create some quiet on the inside. If we surrender our need to control maybe we’ll also find a whole new world on the other side.

Infinite perspectives are available if we stop, take care of ourselves, and then proceed from a state of grace.