I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.

~ Arthur C. Clarke

December 29 – January 18, 2023

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier… but, as Douglas Adams wrote in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, “Don’t Panic!” No, it is not all bad. In fact, there are definitely specific benefits to these retrograde times if we are willing to slow down and be more mindful. (see my post about having a positive Mercury Retrograde experience)

Being a digital media producer during a mercury retrograde is a special kind of challenge. There have been a few times, I have literally put podcasts on the shelf and focused on other things for three weeks, because a stubborn technical glitch just wasn’t going to be fixed while that planet had a visual spin backwards.

But self-proclaimed Weenie Greenie Julie Bond Genovese and I have just recently launched a new podcast called, GD Spirit Pub, and we got together just hours before the retrograde fun was scheduled to begin, sooooo… We did an interesting episode that we hope will appeal to skeptics and believers alike and bring you some cheer and bolster your resolve to have a wonderful if not healing mercury retrograde. Listen here, and then please keep reading!

If you want to find out about this specific mercury retrograde, here is a post that could be helpful:

How this Mercury Retrograde impacts your specific sign

I wrote this article a while back, and it is still absolutely relevant.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an astrologer. I don’t really understand much about astrology, and I’m deeply skeptical about “horoscopes,” but I have experience with Mercury Retrograde and that is what this post is about. If you are looking for technical, astrological aspects and interpretations, please visit your favorite astrologer. 😉

Twenty years ago, if you said the words “Mercury Retrograde” out loud, most people would look at you funny (and not necessarily with humor), and say, “what?”

I really don’t know much about astrology, but I do know about these frustrating periods of time when the planet Mercury appears to be spinning backwards and apparently wreaks havoc like a gremlin gone bad in a few critical aspects of daily living.

My initial awareness of this phenomenon came way back in the last century when this knowledge was confined to primarily astrologers, new agers and (self defined) mystical seekers. Again, I was not an astrologer. I’d like to think I was a mystical seeker, but I definitely wouldn’t like to be called “new age,” so let’s just say I was a seeker and leave the mystical bits out for now.

What in the world is Mercury Retrograde?

For the uninitiated, Mercury Retrograde is an astrological period where the planet mercury appears to spin backwards. It lasts for about three weeks, but feels like eternity at times. It impacts everyone differently depending on where the planet mercury falls in your chart and what other astrological aspects are occurring during each specific period.

It also affects the things that Mercury rules (according to astrology), which can involve communication, travel, scheduling, mechanical items, yup electronics, and media. Soooo, imagine those kinds of things suddenly shifting gears and spinning backwards. Chaos. A lot of SNAFUs and odd little collisions (hopefully not literally, but just to note that Princess Diana did have that dreadful accident during a Mercury Retrograde). Funniest definition of Mercury Retrograde. 

It happens about three times a year, which seems cruel, especially to people who work in digital media (hello? green divas?). But we’ll explore some of the good things about these chaotic time periods, so don’t get your knickers in a bunch yet.

So, armed with some awareness and a good sense of humor, there are some great aspects to these wonky time periods. For instance, it’s a great time for vacation. Seriously, if you’re on vacation right now, cheers! Stay put for a few weeks if you can. But other positive things that can go on during Mercury Retrograde might be research, revisiting issues that need clarification, inner work… again, vacation seems like my favorite thing.

A Green Diva’s Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide

1. Be Aware — but don’t be obsessed. Find an astrologer’s website online that makes sense to you and read a bit more about it. Don’t panic.

2. Keep Your Sense of Humor — now is a great time to “wear life like a loose garment,” and if you pay attention, you will be highly entertained by all the crazy sh#t going on.

3. Take Responsibility — don’t blame everything that goes wrong on Mercury. Yea, stuff happens, but sometimes stuff just happens. Don’t be one of those whiney Mercury haters.

4. Don’t Take Anything Personally — which is really just good advice in general, but it’s especially good to remember during these crazy times.

5. Go with the Flow — just ASSUME your schedule will get screwed up and try not to get nuts. Give yourself extra time when going places, and just know that there’s like a 90 percent chance that any appointment you make during this time will probably need to be rescheduled.

6. Be Gentle on Yourself & Others — try to give yourself and everyone else a break when things don’t go as planned, and when they do go according to plan, woohooo!

7. Think Before You Speak — or hit send on that text or email . . . this is a hard one for many of us, but as a rule communication can easily be garbled and confusing during Mercury Retrograde. Intentions are often misread or misunderstood. Or, if you’re like me, the auto-correct fairy causes an intended word to morph into some totally awkward word or phrase. Just take your time and think twice before hitting send. That’s all I’m sayin’.

Click here to check out strategies for having a positive Mercury Retrograde experience.

8. Go on Vacation — now that you know, you can plan for next time. BUT be mindful that travel logistics can be a bit hairy. This would be the time you would sit on the tarmac at an airport for a couple of hours, but keep in mind, it could just possibly save your life. Ya never know.

9. Serendipity Happens — it happens to me a lot during Merc Retro. I get derailed from my scheduled meeting and end up having an amazing encounter that wouldn’t have happened if all had gone according to MY plan. I LOVE it when that happens.

10. Trust — try to trust that the Universe is not out to get you and that although it may seem like a vengeful god is thwarting you at every turn, everything is happening exactly the way it is supposed to in the grand scheme of things. All is well. Breathe.

11. Don’t Sign that Contract — if you’ve heard any advice about Mercury Retrograde, this is likely to be it. Oh, you can sign it, but be prepared for things to unravel or turn out differently than you intended. It’s a great time to research, prepare and line up all those ducklings, dot all the ‘i’s and cross all those ‘t’s, but if you can, sign after the all-clear sign on the calendar.

12. Keep a Digital Status Quo — it’s not the best time to buy new computers or gadgets or so-called smart phones or download newfangled apps or try new software. If you have to, be prepared for a little more frustration factor, or in the case of a computer or phone, be prepared for repairs down the road. Trust me on this one.

13. Social Media Mindfulness — this should ALWAYS be in our awareness, but this is probably not a great time to get into a controversial comment war on Facebook or Twitter. It’s easier than normal to misconstrue 140 characters.

14. More Yoga, Meditation and Chill — less busy, frenetic and hustling. This is a great time to schedule more quiet activities. It will help you go with the flow. Check out my recent peace-out meditation.

Please check out our YouTube channel to see short, funny and useful 1 GD Minute videos with recipes and DIY tutorials. Here’s a recent one…

And if you want to learn more about the content of this video, please read the corresponding post!