It’s that time of the year when you begin to see those same tweets floating around like “mercury is in gatorade” and influencers are giving you a “daily reminder to back up your data and mind your travel bookings”. Mercury retrograde makes its usual emergence into pop culture rhetoric, but what if we’ve got it all wrong? I have a hard time believing the cosmos have any interest in scheming to kill your phone battery or causing your credit card to be declined on an important work lunch. Perhaps Mercury is not some machiavellian villain that we’ve made it out to be and just auditing foundations that were already wobbly. Maybe if you’re flexible and open-minded enough, you can drop the ego and be humble enough to mend what is broken. Let’s explore…

What’s Happening in the Sky?

If we take a look at the snapshot of the sky this previous week, a lot of movements have been made. On May 10th, Mercury stationed Retrograde, moving backward through Gemini, to Taurus on May 22 until it ends on June 3 (more on this to come). That same day, Jupiter made its way into the fiery Aries after establishing comfort in Pisces since the beginning of 2022. Jupiter making its way into Aries is one of the biggest transits of the year, with some serious forward momentum, giving us all a much-needed extra boost. Ultimately, Aries fortunes the brave, and Jupiter is rooting for all of us, manifesting wins all around. On May 15th, a lunar eclipse in Scorpio occurred, forcing space for some unexpected “destruction”, to put it politely. There is synonymous energy here, feeling as though big changes are upon us, perhaps with an air of confusion around them, as if we haven’t fully realized them yet. And as the Sun enters Gemini, the sign of duality and dialogue, on May 20th, we could expect to feel more of the same, with clarity and big “aha” moments on the horizon.

What Is a Retrograde Anyways?

Before we dive into this season’s Mercury Retrograde, let’s clarify some zodiac terms. Retrograde is a cosmic phenomenon in which the planets appear to be moving “backwards” or the earth is “catching up” to a planet’s orbit, producing an optical illusion of planets out-pacing each other. When a planet stations retrograde, thematically, its core elements are also reversed. Mercury, being the planet of communication, intellect, and memory, in retrograde affects the organization of these properties and highlights its shadow. This means Mercury Retrograde is typically associated with miscommunication, technical difficulties, and fuzzy recall of what actually happened. Overall, Mercury Retrograde doesn’t have an agenda of reigning chaos over your technology or relationships but may bring to your attention what doesn’t exactly feel “right” to be put under review. If anything, tension arises from holding onto beliefs or situations that you hold dear but may not actually be serving you.

What Does This Mercury Retrograde Mean?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, without further ado, let’s address this season’s specificities. From May 10-22, Mercury will retrograde in Gemini, perhaps prompting you to question how you engage with the world around you and the people in your lives? How do you engage with technology? Is there a difference? Are you forgetting to press save? Are you booking a vacation on impulse without taking the time to do your research? Generally speaking, how are you putting yourself out there, who is on the receiving end, and is the delivery landing? From May 22-June 3, Mercury will continue to spin movement into the sign of Taurus—ruled by Venus, the sign of stability, comfort, and being grounded—bringing you to question your self-worth and autonomy of your actions, after reviewing the aforementioned prompts. What do you believe you’re entitled to? Are you operating out of a place of ego and power? Do you make grounded and compassionate decisions when you collaborate? By June 4th, Mercury will be on its way to resume direct course, revolving into Gemini for its comeback appearance, with some new wisdom and self-awareness under your belt.

How to Survive it?

My best advice is simple—embrace your inner clown and don’t shy away from laughing at yourself. It’s only as embarrassing or derailing as you make it be. Shift your mentality from something external happening to you, to something inspiring you to make a change for yourself. Take nothing personally and nothing for granted. This is as good as literally anytime to welcome some self-development and soul searching. If you practice some healthy detachment, you may realize that there is always room for improvement and when things begin to bend, it’s likely a sign it was already destined to break. It’s very reasonable to assume that Mercury did not cause you to lose all of your work when your computer died unexpectedly and that it’s better to practice often pressing save and making sure your charger is nearby. Be open and humble enough to take control of what you can and accept hiccups beyond you along your way. But, hey, what do I know? I haven’t been through this Mercury retrograde yet either.

Like what you saw? Here’s more:

Aries and Onward: How 2022 Is Unfolding For The Signs 
Face-It, We’re All Headed For The Metaverse 
The Cast of ‘Euphoria’: Where Are They Now?