Used to be, only astrologers were aware of Mercury retrograde but not so any more. Nowadays we all have stories to tell.  When a planet is retrograde it appears to move backwards or counter clockwise in the sky. (It's all in our perspective from here on Earth.) Mercury is the planet of our mind: How we think and communications of all sorts. You can just imagine what a retrograde mind suggests. when Mercury is retrograde it's always good to listen more and talk less. We often become more attuned or annoyed (depending...) on the thoughts inside our mind. Some people feel it more than others: writers, broadcasters, webmasters, publishers and lawyers for example. But truth to tell, we all feel it. To align with the energy offers us a way to resonate comfortably with these energies.  

So what is all the commotion about?

The general Mercury retrograde story goes like this: When Mercury is retrograde it’s easy to miss the details;  to misunderstand what was said; to misread what was written; to get the dates wrong or to forget to show up. This is why the common advice is to refrain from signing contracts, making major commitments or initiating major new endeavors .

Still, life goes on.... contracts must be signed, houses bought, marriages made; babies born and so forth.  By aligning ourselves with the retrograde energy we can move through this period with a minimum of misery, a deepening of our connection to the workings of our own mind and the bonus can be some really funny stories. Mercury is the planet of wit and humor.

You can decide to align with this energy and make it work in your favor.  Change your own holopattern  of energy for managing Mercury retrograde.

Julie Simmons, Astrologer &  Carolyn Winter, Resonance Repatterning Practitioner combine their talents to provide a unique energy-healing-at-a-distance program.

Carolyn Winter, uses the Resonance Repatterning (holographic repatterning)  method of energy work to create new patterns for living life with more energy, purpose and positive results. She also does energy work at a distance using holographic repatterning and online interactive formats for groups who have a shared topic. Using her talents at repatterning combined with Julie as the proxy for the group she repatterns our particular life circumstances and creates new patterns for the group aligning all to resonate in positive alignment with Mercury Retrograde.

What positive actions work well when you are aligned with the energy of Mercury Retrograde?
- attending to unfinished business
- decluttering; putting things in order
- researching, planning and preparing
- reflecting, synthesizing, and appreciating life to date

Mercury retrograde is not so great for 

-starting something new
- signing contracts 
- making major purchases (houses, cars, appliances) 
But if you do (and that is often just where life takes us)... take the time to check things thoroughly and read the fine print. 

Julie Simmons has been an astrologer for over four decades. She is an author, a teacher and a counselor. She is fascinated by the connection between astrology, psychology and mythology. You can read more about her here.