As of March 22nd, Mercury is in retrograde…again. If you’re familiar with this phenomenon, you may be thinking, “ah, no wonder!” If you’re not familiar with Mercury in retrograde, you may be asking, “what does that even mean and why should I care?”
When a planet is in retrograde, it looks as if it’s slowing down and going backwards. During a retrograde, the areas that Mercury rules such as communication, clear thinking and travel are affected and may seem out of whack. You may experience a misunderstanding or miscommunication. It is advisable to hold off on signing a contract or making any major decisions during this time. Typically, it’s not the time to start anything new, but it is a good time to revisit, reconnect and reflect.
Recurring Themes
Whether or not you believe in astrology, you may notice recurring themes in your life; themes that may have resurfaced over the past week or will come up over the next couple of weeks. These themes may relate to your career or relationships. Don’t expect to figure everything out or have all the answers. Instead, focus on being aware of what needs improvement and don’t allow fear to dictate your actions. This is a time of reflection.
I’ve been reflecting on some deep stuff…my fears, my triggers and my life’s purpose. I’m typically a reflective person anyway, so I’m not sure if the retrograde is prompting this or just magnifying my introspective nature.
Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of losing myself. Fear of making a mistake. I realize that I need to face these fears along with some recurring issues in order to continue to grow, heal, move forward and live my best life. These fears will not disappear overnight, but being aware of them is the first step towards overcoming them.
Understanding My Triggers
Have you ever been in the middle of a seemingly harmless conversation only to get triggered? Sometimes I’m not aware of it until after I’ve overreacted. I think some of my triggers revolve around feeling criticized or feeling like I’m not enough. At times, I take things too personally or make assumptions which doesn’t help.
I can get triggered and fly off the handle before I realize that I’m even reacting this way. By then it’s too late… I’ve already upset the other person or made them defensive. Emotions can run high, but giving myself (and the other person) time to cool down seems to work best.
Right around the start of this retrograde, I was triggered and became overly emotional. Though I got defensive and wanted the other person to be the bad guy, I was able to calm down and reflect on what happened. At the time, I may have felt I was being accused of not doing what I “should” be doing. It took me back to a time when I felt like no matter what I did, it wasn’t enough; a time when I felt I wasn’t good enough, so I snapped.
Triggers aren’t about the person who triggered me. It’s about me reacting due to a limiting belief or because a past hurt or wound hasn’t healed. These instances are an invitation to recognize the trigger, learn what the cause of it is and to work through it, so I can react differently the next time.
Trying to Please Others
I have a history and tendency of trying to please other people, seeking validation and approval from others. I suppose I’ve always wanted to fit in and be liked. Sometimes I lose myself in the process.
The past few years have been a growing, healing and learning experience for me. From the time I decided to end my marriage, I have been in the process of rediscovering myself, my voice and redefining who I am. Though people’s opinions still matter to some extent, seeking their approval is not as important to me.
What Is My Life’s Purpose?
This is not something I just started contemplating. In recent months, I have revisited seeking the answer to the question: What is my purpose? I’ve been wondering, should my career be whatever that purpose is, or can it be outside of my job? Am I trying to make my purpose bigger than it needs to be?
Prayer, meditation and reading are a few ways in which I’m working towards discovering the answers to these questions.
Trusting My Intuition
I think I had good intuition when I was younger. At some point, however, I stopped listening to my inner voice. I’ve made some mistakes and bad decisions (which likely happened from not listening to my intuition). Repeatedly ignoring my inner voice over time resulted in me not being in tune with myself. I can also be very emotional, as well as overthink things—both of which can lead to doubt and second-guessing myself. I’m working on developing my intuition and being more in alignment.
I’m testing and trusting my intuition on smaller things (e.g. which route should I take, what street should I drive down to find parking) and building up to bigger things (e.g. career path, finding my life’s purpose) so that I can be confident in my decisions and actions. My goal is to become more aware, and more in tune to my Higher Self so that I have clarity and peace.
What is the Take Away?
Mercury in retrograde is a time to reconnect with myself (and friends), as well as to revisit and reflect on my life and its recurring themes.
Even if you don’t believe in astrology, what I’d like for you to take away is this: take time to reflect. Be aware of reoccurring topics or issues in your life so you can work on making improvements or resolving them.
If you have felt the effects of Mercury in retrograde…don’t worry. It ends on April 15th, so things will go back to normal soon enough.
