Happy Mercury Retrograde day y’all. Yup, it’s happening again. The planet of communication and the lower mind and short travel appears to turn backwards today. I have of course seen folks already doing their part to spread panic. It’s a given that it will happen during a Mercury retrograde that people will tell you to not do anything and to basically hide. Essentially they trick you into fearing the natural cycle of the trickster planet. Well played humans

As always I don’t suggest running around like a chicken with your head cut off or doing nothing at all. There is something of a middle ground here. As Mercury begins its “chaos causing” retreat at 29° Virgo at 12:30pm ET on August 30th, be prepared to move to slow. Virgo gets caught up in details so the details can trip you up more than usual this go round, if you let them. Mercury is also conjunct Jupiter in Virgo as this begins and the orb gets tighter as the days go on. Breathe because Jupiter can expand the positive and negative aspects of the other planets it connects with.

A Mercury retrograde in Virgo already seems like a setup neurotic wailing but if unchecked, it could get real ugly. It really doesn’t have to though. Understand that a retrograde happens for a reason. A slightly different outlook on it is that Mercury is only ever 28° degrees away from the sun. As it nears that farthest point and almost gets away from us here on earth, it appears to slow down and do a clumsy backwards dance. That dance is a planet that is used to bridging gaps between thought and matter, connecting present and future, trying it’s hand at waiting for us to catch up to its brilliant connections. Sometimes we miss stuff so before it gets to ahead of us and we mere mortals complain more than we already do, it does the electric slide on back and points at the stuff we might have missed.

Pay attention. It really is that simple. Pay attention to details. Take your time to learn the dance steps. Recognize that you may stumble as you learn. Virgo has a way of imparting lessons of accepting and giving grace along with whatever the particular planet is trying to help us learn. Review your options with grace. Revise your work environment with grace. Realign your self care regimen with grace.

If you have any planets at or within a few degrees of 29° Virgo, you may feel this just as much as those who have Mercury as a ruling planet or Ruler of their sun. If you are not sure you can send me a line and I’ll help you