Technology goes haywire, plans derail, and personal growth occurs: this astrological event is special. From August 5th to August 28th of 2024, we’ll experience 3 weeks of mayhem.
Before going into the meat and potatoes of this article, let’s clear up some general terms:
What’s a Retrograde?
If you’d like to skip this part, feel free! Skip by clicking here.
In astronomy, retrogrades are the optical illusion of a planet turning directions and hauling butt through the zodiac in reverse. In actuality, the planet and Earth are passing each other (and similarly to how highspeed trains pass each other, it briefly looks like the slower train is stopping, moving backward, and then going forward again).
Astrologically, retrogrades are a time of heightened intensity and a strong desire to go inwards. In the case of Mercury Retrograde, the areas that are affected by this are:
communication
decision-making
your mind
your attention span
the information you receive or previously have received
travel
shipping
plans
technology
Let’s cover what this looks like.
Every Mercury Retrograde…
Scheduling difficulties arise, technology goes haywire, miscommunications abound, and before-hidden information comes to light. We rethink our choices, reconsider past decision-making, and feel control of our lives slipping away as things pop up that we’d never expected – and now have to deal with. Never mind that travel and logistics can turn into a nightmare: be it more accidents on roads, trains that are way too late or get canceled, or a shipment “guaranteed to arrive tomorrow” that comes a week later. For the three weeks of Mercury Retrograde (which happens 3-4 times a year), this is normal.
So, some of the things to keep in mind are:
keep an open schedule (some stuff is inevitably going to derail your plans, so remain flexible)
double-check any and all logistics, be it shipping, travel, or other sort of plans
get your car checked before the transit
back up your technology
be prepared for worst-case scenarios
be mindful of miscommunication
avoid starting bureaucratic processes
This is not a good time to sign contracts, enter into relationships, start businesses, or have large-scale events such as weddings.
In this particular Mercury Retrograde, all of the above is going to be more intense – specifically until August 16th, when Mercury re-enters Leo. The reason for that is that the sign Mercury starts its retrograde journey in, Virgo, is all about planning, communication, and logistics. Therefore, this is simply going to be a more intense aspect of this astrological event.
This event is, however, a good time to:
retake tests
do medical check-ups
check bureaucratic processes already underway
organize your files, homes, etc.
Rewriting the Script…
This Mercury Retrograde also has a different theme than most of its kind: and that theme is all about re-evaluating the rules you set for yourself. As human beings, we tend to make up our minds about who we are and who we should be in order to be functional, successful, and accepted in the world. Some of those rules are accurate and serve us. Others, plainly speaking, aren’t.
This astrological event is a time to clean house and figure out where the “rules of life” you think apply don’t apply at all – and where you can adjust your rules and your commitment to other people’s rules for your benefit (and other people’s benefits as well).
You may also figure out that you need to implement other “rules” in the form of values, strategies, commitments, or actual guidelines in your life.
…to Find the Main Character
Virgo is all about being in service to something or someone – whether that’s a group of people, a single individual, a value, a cause, or a company: here, you work towards something larger than yourself and put yourself second. It’s now time to evaluate whether this is working for you – and for whatever it is you’re in service to.
Being of service is a wonderful thing that improves mental health and makes you feel like you have a purpose. However, if it’s too extreme, it can make you feel like you’re in the passenger seat of your own life. Whether you’re in service to others in any part of your life, or not, it’s still YOU who’s in charge of your own life path. It’s time to reclaim your agency and power… and re-evaluate what you commit your life to.
Where are you letting others run the show in your own life? Where is this helping you – and where does it hurt? Where are you making your own choices based on other people’s expectations? Where is that appropriate – and where is it not? These are questions to consider.
But to be perfectly truthful, this Mercury Retrograde in Virgo and Leo doesn’t just make you think of yourself and learn to be selfish: it simply asks you to get real with yourself. The other side of getting real about service (and getting real about who the actual main character is) is to realize that you’re not always supposed to be the center of attention.
Where are you making things about yourself, when they’re actually about others? Where can you use your limelight to help someone or something else shine? Where should you take a backseat? And how can you bring your authentic self into the world without stealing attention from where it belongs?
We’re all the main characters in our own lives, but that doesn’t mean we get to be the main character in everyone else’s realities. This astrological event reveals where we may have taken on the wrong role and need to take a step back.
Follow Your Heart
Under this astrological event, our hearts are calling us home to who we truly are and what we want to do in the world. Listen, because things that aren’t aligned with your inner core may turn more haywire than most.
This is also a good time to follow up on others, specifically the people you love. This astrological event has the potential to deepen your relationships if only you make people feel seen and chosen. So, go the extra mile for your people and follow your heart in love. It’ll do much more good than usual.
Intense Dreams and Creativity
Last but not least, this Mercury Retrograde is a good time to focus on creativity as creative energies are highlighted. Dream big, dream in color, and work to accomplish those dreams: it’ll be good for you.
Another aspect about dreams under this astrological event is that dreams could quite literally show you what’s going on beneath the surface and/or what your heart truly desires. Listen to your dreams and know that you might need more sleep (or have more interrupted sleep) than usual. This is perfectly common under Mercury Retrogrades and is nothing to worry about.
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See you soon,
Alexandra
- Astrology from the Soul
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