What does "Mercury in retrograde" actually mean?
Three times a year, the little planet Mercury goes "retrograde". That means it appears to be moving backwards. Mercury, throughout the ages, has been identified as the winged messenger.
It has been proven that the gravitational pull of the Moon affects the oceans currents here on Earth. Mercury, in terms of space distance, is rather close to Earth and it is open for discussion as to whether it's close enough to affect happenings here.
We are in the midst of the last retrograde for 2008. It began on 24 September and will end on 15 October.
This is a descriiption of what happens during retrograde: (http://www.astroprofile.com/2008mercuryrx.htm)
Mercury is retrograde, appearing to move backward, 2-3 times a year. Mercury retrograde times call for you to recheck everything, anticipate and plan ahead, and to relearn lessons unlearned since the last Mercury retrograde cycle. It is a good time for review and completing ongoing projects. It is NOT a time to start something new. Mercury energies involve the mind, mental processes, communication, travel, speaking, and writing.
The Retrograde symbol is "Rx", the same symbol on all medical prescriiptions! Physicians until the 15th century had to also be astrologers before they could practice medicine.
Plan ahead for these times. So you can do preventive maintenance and schedule, here are the common things that occur, the things Mercury retrograde times are notorious for:
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Communications go awry - phone calls, letters, emails, faxes, conversations are delayed, misinterpreted, blocked. Recheck everything like appointment times, spelling, wording, the words you say.
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Anticipate detours - memory lapses, confusion, failing to listen, failing to confirm, negotiation failures, changing of plans.
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Avoid signing documents, contracts if possible. You can wait 3 weeks, hopefully.
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Expect travel delays, car trouble, delayed plane schedules, reservations that suddenly becoming "missing", transportation difficulties of all kinds.
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Expect problems with messages, books, letters, magazines, documents, neighbors and the near environment.
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BACK up your computer files! This is the time the screen goes blank and there is nothing there!
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Expect the phone lines, cable lines, power lines to have problems.
Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky, describes Mercury retrograde well: “Mercury retrograde…isn’t ‘bad’, - it just takes some planning to cooperate with the energies. It’s meant to be spent assimilating experiences, reviewing the past, and redoing, in general. Matter of fact, if you really want to get the most out of a Mercury retrograde, confine your activities as much as possible to those that have “re” attached to the beginning of the word. Re-schedule appointments, repair vehicles, return to the past, re-write documents and agreements, etc.