Mercury is about to go retrograde throwing us into a time of confusion, chaos, and miscommunication. While you can’t skip past this tumultuous time, you can survive it with as little discomfort as possible as long as you take note of which activities you need to avoid.
Mercury retrograde refers to the period of time in which it appears that the planet Mercury is moving backward through the sky. While the actual movement is nothing more than an illusion created by the movement of Mercury in relation to the movement of Earth, the energy that it puts out into the world is very real.
Known as the ‘Planet of Communication,’ Mercury impacts our ability to think and reason, our wit, creative expression and our ability to communicate with others both verbally and non-verbally. While Mercury in the mix usually means that your communication is on point, Mercury retrograde has the opposite impact on our lives. From March 5, when the planet first goes retrograde, until March 28, when it returns to traveling direct, you will find yourself struggling to make sense of the world around you. You can survive this, just be smart about it.
Here are 12 things you should avoid doing during the coming Mercury retrograde:
#1 – Don’t purchase or attempt to repair/update any electronics.
While Mercury retrograde is most often associated with confusion and miscommunication, it also impacts the devices that we use for communication including our computers, smartphones, and tablets. If you choose to purchase a device during this time, prepare yourself for breakdowns and difficulties. Attempts to update these devices will fail, glitching and causing significant problems. If at all possible, stick with your current electronics as they are for the time being.
#2 – Avoid changing jobs or careers.
Regardless of how content you may or may not be at your current job, this is not the time to make a massive change. Making a shift in your job or career has the potential to impact your life in many ways, from your financial state to your mental health. This is a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly, however, trying to consider all of your options during the confusion of Mercury retrograde is not going to end well for you! You’ve stuck it out this long, you can hold on a little bit longer.
#3 – Stay away from public speaking of any kind!
Fighting with the confusion in your own mind combined with your inability to find the right words to express yourself, any attempts to take on public speaking are going to fail miserably. Unless you are looking to make a fool out of yourself, your best option would be to hold off and save that big speech for a later date.
#4 – Don’t make any major decisions.
If you are debating making a big change in your life, this is NOT the time to do it. The confusion surrounding communication is going to make it nearly impossible for you to gather all of the information that you need to make a smart choice. In fact, you are sure to miss something important – the details are in the fine print! Regardless of which area of your life the decision may be, it’s not worth it. Hold off to let this energy pass first.
#5 – Avoid making any major sales or signing on new clients at work.
This isn’t a phrase that you likely ever expected to hear BUT, this is a bad time to be signing contracts, taking on new clients or making major sales at work. While this may look good on your bottom line right now, you’re going to regret it down the road when everything starts to break down. From accusations that you didn’t share the full story to wildly different expectations of your relationship with one another, this isn’t going to work in your favor.
#6 – This is not a good time to take on a new roommate.
If you’ve been advertising for a new roommate, you may want to hold off a little bit longer. Finding someone that you can live with is a challenge in and of itself, and that is only made far more difficult with the miscommunication brought on by Mercury retrograde. Selecting a roommate during this time may land you with a complete disaster, as you find out down the road that the ‘perfect’ person you discovered is actually a disrespectful slob who can’t keep up with the rent.
#7 – Don’t try to mend any broken relationships.
If you currently have any strained relationships in your life, you may find yourself tempted to try to mend bridges and bring everything back together. Be warned, any efforts right now are going to backfire, blowing up in your face. If you are trying to explain yourself, the struggle in communication will prevent you from clearly getting your message across. Instead, you will be better off waiting a little longer.
#8 – Avoid any unnecessary travel.
Keep in mind that you aren’t the only one that is struggling with communication at this time. In fact, everyone is, including those who are working at airports and hotels. If you are looking for a smooth, enjoyable trip, this isn’t the time for it! Traveling during Mercury retrograde is sure to be packed full of double booked hotels, last-minute flight cancellations, lost luggage and more.
#9 – Don’t take on any new projects.
This extends to every area of your life. From starting a new major project at work to starting a home DIY projects, any project that you start during Mercury retrograde is going to, ultimately, crash and burn. This period in time isn’t all that long, surely you can hold off just a little longer to allow this confusing energy to pass you buy before taking anything on.
#10 – Steer clear of any bigger purchases.
When you are trying to make a decision on bigger purchases in life, there is quite a bit of communication involved. From understanding the actual product you are considering to negotiating price with the salesperson, it’s going to be one big, stressful disaster. While there is nothing wrong with a little window shopping, that’s where you need to draw the line.
#11 – Don’t schedule any major meetings or phone calls.
If you’re responsible for your own scheduling, do yourself a favor and just mark yourself as unavailable throughout the entire period of time occupied by Mercury retrograde. Why would you actively put yourself in a situation that is entirely centered around communication, when you know that area of your life I seriously struggle. Anything that can go wrong will so save yourself the hassle.
#12 – Hold off on any major vehicle repairs.
There are two reasons that vehicle repairs are likely going to go horribly wrong. First, communication breakdowns between yourself, the mechanic and anyone else working at the shop may result in costly mistakes. Don’t be surprised if you discover after the energy returns to normal that the repairs you requested weren’t actually completed in full. To complicate things further, many aspects of our modern vehicles are electronically driven, and with the glitching devices during this time things are likely going to go wrong.