People are more familiar with astrological terms because of the increasing popularity of astrology and its integration to our daily lives. Even the ones who only have superficial knowledge about astrology know a few things about the solar and lunar eclipses and the retrograde motion of the planets. Mercury retrograde is the most popular event!

Now, new Mercury retrograde is on the way! Mercury will be in a stationary position on August 2 and retrograde on August 4. After being stationary on August 25 for changing its direction then Mercury will go direct on August 27. Don’t panic! This does not mean that everything will stop or things will go worse. Mercury is retrograde at least 3 and in some years 4 times in a year however all the things on earth goes on. Don’t be afraid of Mercury retrograde! You can even get benefit of these periods if you are conscious enough.

First of all, let’s have a look at Mercury retrograde in terms of astronomy.

Stationary and Retrograde movements in Astronomy

In fact, the planets never move back in their orbits. While we are observing the movements of the planets from the Earth, their apparent motion seems to be retrograding. When we observe the sky at night, we witness how the planets move forward on their orbits within Zodiac. The planets move from the West to the East in Zodiac. This is what we call as direct movement which is counter clockwise. Sometimes a planet slows down and when we observe from the Earth, it looks as if it stopped and moving in the opposite direction of the Zodiac Signs. Then the planet seems to move clockwise. We call this “retrograde”. When the planet seems to stop, we call it “stationary”.

The planet retrogrades for a period then again it slows down, comes to stationary position and again moves forward. We observe it as a direct movement. As mentioned before, this is what we see as the observer from the Earth. In fact, the planets do not go back in the sky.

The Sun and the Moon – the luminaries as we call in astrology – always go direct, they never retrograde. Other planets travel from the east to the West for short periods and before turning direct they retrograde. Therefore there are two types of movement. One of them is the basic movement which if from the East to the West. This is called “daily movement”. The other is the movement from the West to the East, which is called “secondary movement”.

What does a retrograde planet mean according to astrology

As for the ancient astrology, Mercury retrograde is debility. This is an indication of unluckiness, damage, disagreement, contradiction and inconsistency.

When the planets are going forward, the events are also in track however when the planets retrograde the events are interrupted and some delays are experienced. Here are some points of famous astrologers from the medieval ages:

According to Abraham Ibni Azra, a retrograde planet indicates hostility and damage. A retrograde planet can be represented like a rebellious man.

According to Guido Bonatti, retrograde movement is one of the four positions that debilitate a planet. It represents unaccomplished works.

Today, we evaluate these retrograde periods as a trend that helps us turning inwards and getting benefit of our inner knowledge and our own creativity. Of course we face with some troubles in worldly matters however for solving all these problems we need to look for the energy and the guidance within us.

What does a stationary planet mean according to astrology

A stationary planet is as stranded as a retrograde planet. It is a sort of debility or illness for that planet. However if a planet is stationary before turning direct then the difficulties and barriers begin to disappear. This looks like convalescence after an illness.

Abraham Ibni Azra compares a stationary planet with a man who does not know what to do. If the indicator planet is stationary about to retrograde in a question, then the answer is negative. This planet looks like a person who is afraid of the coming problems. If the planet is stationary before going direct, then it is like a person who has not lost his hope yet.

When the planets are in direct motion, they can reveal their full nature and the events flow without any interruption. During retrograde period, the planets cannot fulfill their promises and some troubles are experienced. During stationary period, things go slow however they prove to be stable, permanent and strong. We need to pay attention to stationary planets. What is important is that if this planet is stationary before or after the retrograde and should be interpreted accordingly. I personally use the stationary periods for focusing on important matters, for exchanging ideas and for making important speeches.

The planets, except the Sun and the Moon, first stand stationary then go retrograde however particularly Mercury, Venus and Mars retro represent more importance for our daily lives and individual ventures. There is no doubt that Mercury retro is the most important one because it is repeated 3 or 4 times in a year.

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury is the planet of mind and logic. It is related to exchange of ideas. Mercury’s house and the sign in our natal charts show how we approach the events mentally and where we focus our minds generally. Daily routines and communication is also ruled by Mercury. It makes us speak certain words and think. It is also related with getting news and information and also with learning.

In astrology, Mercury is the planet of communication, contracts, agreements, written or verbal promises, exchange, negotiation and education. Some astrologers call “Cosmic Juggler” for Mercury retrograde because it indicates communication problems and chaos due to misunderstandings, distraction and forgetfulness. Mercury is also associated with calculation so during the retrograde periods we face with delays and problems in payments and calculation errors.

We should avoid starting new ventures however we can repeat the ones from the past. Things like starting a new business or a new relationship, signing a new agreement, buying a new car should be avoided because we may see delays and drawbacks. Before we start something that we do not want it to be repeated, we should check if Mercury is retrograde or not.

Mercury retrograde indicates that the events will develop unexpectedly and deadlines will not be met. If we are about to sign an agreement, the conditions may change in an unexpected direction. Some necessary documents and information may be missing so it is not advised to take important steps during Mercury retrograde periods. In the case that we need to take a new step we should take precautions for possible problems, read the articles of the agreement carefully, check if there is something wrong with our purchase and be careful in money exchanges. As Mercury rules the information, documents and the communication tools we should backup our files in our computers against a loss of data.

Another important theme with Mercury retrograde is that we may meet with the things from our past. This may be related with a unaccomplished works and relationships. On the other hand, we may be faced with some errors due to losing the documents or simply because of distraction. Therefore we need to revise all of our projects and see what’s lacking. According to the astrologer Barbara Watters, the ideas that occur during Mercury retro periods are very bright ones and when Mercury turns direct these ideas come to the surface more fluently. The astrologers advise focusing to creative ideas when Mercury is retrograde however for revealing these we should wait Mercury to turn direct.

How can we get benefit from Mercury retrograde periods?

First of all, I believe that this phenomenon is reflected as a very negative one. Mercury retrograde does not mean we should just wait without taking any step. We may even use these periods.

When Mercury is retrograde, we may revise our existing projects and make corrections if necessary. We may also collect some new additional information about our business and we may get ready in a better way.

It is also a good period for exchanging ideas, for brainstorming and for discussing on new projects. However before presenting these ideas, it is wiser to wait until Mercury turns direct.

When Mercury is retrograde, we meet with the situations and people from the past. We may find the items that we lost before. We may re-organize our documents and closets at work and at home.

Mercury retrograde periods are the times to turn inwards, to use our own inner knowledge and own creative powers, to revise and to organize the worldly matters, to define if they suit the needs of our souls, to think, to design and to plan. After thinking and planning what to do, we wait for the direct movement of Mercury for applying our plans.

We have the opportunity to make detailed researches and think deeper about and to develop our projects. We may revise and implement our old projects, re-evaluate, repair, re-organize and to re-discover the new ways of implementing these projects. We need to be flexible and think all the dimensions of the matter.

Mercury retrograde also carries the energy of reconnect. During these periods, old projects may again enter into our agendas or we may meet our former friends or clients. We may have a look at our telephone book and get in touch with our old friends. We may reevaluate any misunderstandings from the past and find a common understanding to these problems. We may realize our faults and have the chance of repairing them. We may again attend to our former groups. For instance, we may renew our membership to a former club or subscribe to the magazine again that we were following before.

Mercury will be retrograde on August 4, 2011

Mercury, the planet of communication, will be in stationary position as of August 2 and will retrograde on August 4. Mercury will be retrograde in Virgo first and then in Leo.

Virgo rules planning, working and presenting a product. Its shadow sides are anxiety, workaholism and detail seeking. This sign is related with health and service industries. Mercury will be retrograde between August 4 and August 8 so we need to be careful in our business and organizations with these industries. This is the ideal time delve into the details of our projects and to complete the missing parts. We may focus ourselves how our projects will help the others and think and develop the ways how they will help us and to the others.

Mercury will continue to be retrograde in Leo between August 8 and August 27. Leo is associated with managing, being in the center, attracting attentions and creativity. We have to be careful when taking our steps to the projects that we will manage, show our creativity and those we will be in the center of the matters. This is a good chance for us to revise our creativity and the things that we present and to re-evaluate our talents and self-confidence.

I hope you get benefit from the Mercury retrograde period.