Mercury Retrograde
The planet of communication and logical thinking is retrograde during the following (Eastern Time Zone) times for the rest of the year:
Saturday, January 30, 2021 – Saturday, February 20, 2021
(Aquarius) (Pisces)
10:52 AM (ET) – 7:52 PM (ET)
Saturday, May 29, 2021 – Tuesday, June 22, 2021
(Gemini) (Gemini)
6:34 PM (EDT) – 6:00 PM (EDT)
Monday, September 27, 2021– Monday, October 18, 2021
(Libra) (Libra)
1:10 AM (EDT) – 11:17 AM (EDT)
The planet Mercury was named for the messenger-god in Greek mythology whose job was to move between the depths of Hades and the heights of celestial Mount Olympus, the home of the gods, with many intermediate stops on the earthly plane. Using his winged sandals to travel at lightning speed, Mercury gathered information from one realm and distributed it to another, a go-between linking the human and the divine. Mercury was also known for quick, clear thinking and clever schemes. These qualities describe the planet from the astrological perspective as well.
Planets actually always move in a forward direction. However, because their orbits are not perfectly circular, all but the Sun and Moon appear to be moving backwards from Earth’s perspective when they reach certain points in those orbits. At those times, they are said to be retrograde. Astrologically, the energies of a planet that is retrograde are not being expressed as clearly as when the planet is moving forward, so you can see why a slowed-down Mercury retrograde could mean it’s not a very good time to negotiate contracts, enter into agreements, or make important discretionary (i.e. not emergency or otherwise necessary) decisions, like buying a car, for example. It’s also not a totally terrific time to travel because delays or baggage misadventures or other minor irritants might occur. When Mercury is retrograde it’s also important to be very mindful of all communication – what’s coming in and what’s going out.
