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The planet Mercury appears to go backwards, or retrograde, three times a year. It went retrograde 7 May and goes direct or forward again on 30 May this year. For reference, it went retrograde 11 January this year, and direct 1 February this year. Knowing this, you can look back to see if you had easy or difficult situations during that time. During the last retrograde my printer malfunctioned every time it could. Knowing Mercury was retrograde helped me practice patience.

Mercury went retrograde or backwards in the sign of Gemini on 7 May, and goes direct or forward in the sign of Taurus on 30 May. Mercury is associated with the signs of Gemini and Virgo. When it is retrograde in these signs, Mercury can be more disruptive than when in the other signs, except in the sign of Aquarius, when it is more disruptive or crazy than in the other signs.

May 7 was the National Day of Prayer and a day of meetings with international heads of state here in the States. The National Day of Prayer was different from any other National Day of Prayer. Since the international meetings were begun on retrograde Mercury, you know there will be changes or adjustments to any decisions after Mercury goes direct on 30 May.

Gemini is the sign of swift communications so you can expect incomplete, changeable or unstable communications from now until late on the 13th of May when he travels back into the sign of Taurus. In your personal life, expect the unexpected from your siblings and friends, go along with the minor changes and enjoy it.

With Mercury In the sign of Taurus, the sign of the careful counting of money, you can expect the financial focus to be on the details, even down to pennies. Negotiations can be stalled because of stubborn control of who manages what pennies in the budget. In your personal life, if there are any checkbook mistakes, they come to light now. Your relationships could unexpectedly revolve around money - actually pennies - which could causes friction if you do not help with the accounting. This is short-lived; only until Mercury goes direct and travels into Gemini again, which will be late on the 13th of June.

Typically Mercury retrograde reveals glitches in communication, computers and printers. Printers seem to be especially sensitive to a retrograde. Remember it is the electrical part of whatever that has failed or is transmitting erratic signals. After Mercury goes direct on 30 May, the money issue will be resolved, communications will be clearer, and any contractual mistakes made under the retrograde Mercury will be resolved after Mercury travels into Gemini again on 14 June.

How you experience life determines how you experience retrograde Mercury. If you are an earth sign, you most likely enjoy the predictable and familiar and retrograde Mercury is uncomfortable. If you are a Taurus, if the count is off even a penny it will cause stress and you go back and count again. If you are Virgo, any detail out of order causes you to go back and rearrange, and if you are a Capricorn fuzzy leadership causes you to take charge. During retrograde Mercury expect minor changes and try to be flexible. If you are an air sign, you enjoy social life and friends. During retrograde Mercury new people could interrupt your day, and you welcome the change. Gemini can expect fewer or more people at the party, Libra can expect minor change in social plans, and Aquarius can be the bringer of friends and change. If you are a water sign, you already go along with the flow. Cancer can expect minor change in home and family plans and may have to direct the activities, Scorpio may manage or control any changes and Pisces welcomes change. Fire signs enjoy mental stimulation. Aries creates a conversational challenge out of the change, Leo manages the change, and Sagittarius may be late.

Let’s get personal; I’ll use myself as an example. I view life as an adventure, so changes are an opportunity to meet new people and perhaps learn something. Years ago I had an airplane trip from the east coast to the west coast, leaving on the day of retrograde Mercury, so I was expecting change in the trip. As we were sitting in the terminal, I overheard the ticket agent of my airline say to the ticket agent of another airline, “I wonder if we should tell them?” I asked what was happening. The airplane that was to take us from the east coast to California was still in Las Vegas and we were already a little after boarding time. The ticket booth was shared by two airlines. The other agent immediately offered to switch my flight to her airline at no difference in price. Then she was good enough to tell me how to switch my luggage to her airline, but did not book the second half of the flight. The luggage person graciously switched my luggage and then offered to finish booking the second half of the trip, which I accepted, of course. We took off about an hour later and had an uneventful trip across the country, even arriving an hour earlier than expected. When we landed, my luggage did not, but there was an earlier second flight to the little airport of destination. So I took that flight, leaving luggage to be delivered to the little airport the next day. My friend picked me up, and we had a great evening. Since my friend lived very close to the little airport, all we had to do was drive the 20 minutes to the airport during a shopping trip. There is no Gemini in my horoscope, but do have Virgo. Did all that change bother me? No, because it was another adventure.

The next example involves a trip to Universal Studios in California during retrograde Mercury. My friend, a Libra who does not enjoy change in plans, had made reservations and plans. Every single plan had a glitch and a change. On top of that, in southern California, it was cold and it rained. My friend complained, I enjoyed the adventure. We had a great time anyway, ending the day with an unexpected good dinner at a different restaurant than planned. There is more to that story, but that is enough for this example of retrograde Mercury.

Your retrograde Mercury stories can be funny, too. If you send them to me, I’ll post them on the new blog I am getting ready to begin, after Mercury goes direct, of course. You can contact me at: patty@pattytheastrologer.com

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