Mercury Retrograde - Survival Guide - Do's and Dont's with Explainer video

What is Mercury Retrograde?

All the planets of the solar system move in the same direction around the Sun, each with a different rate of speed. Mercury's orbit is 88 days long; therefore approximately 4 orbits of Mercury around the Sun equals 1 Earth year.

Occasionally, Mercury as like a few other planets appears to slow down, then stops, and then moves slowly backwards for several weeks and this is termed as retrograde. Eventually, it appears to stop again and reverse direction moving slowly forward once again going Direct. Later on, Mercury appears to return to its normal orbital speed.

Why does this typical phenomenon take place? This occurs because Mercury travels faster than the Earth, and it periodically catches up with Earth, passing us by. When Mercury "goes retrograde" it does not actually slow down, stop and move backwards. It only appears to do so. The retrograde phenomenon has to do with the relative speed of the Earth and Mercury as well as their relationship to each other at a particular point in their orbits. There are three such Retrograde periods each year, each lasting around 3 weeks.

During Mercury retrograde period it is advised not to do the following :

• Placing ads / communications

• making important decisions.

• travel

• purchasing or settling up of communications equipment.

• signing important deals or contracts.

• initiating business deals

• sending important correspondence or any type of message

• starting any educative projects

• beginning any new enterprise

• Do not conduct an election

But a Mercury retrograde period is thought to be very excellent for:

• reviewing and revising plans

• catching up on old business

• cleaning out the metaphorical closet

What is to be done when Mercury retrogrades?

• Finish projects which involve communication before the retrograde.

• Avoid closing big deals during the retrograde

• Avoid scheduling meetings to make a big decision

• Allow extra time when travelling

• Backup your hard drive or any other vital data before the retrograde

• Avoid installing new computer software.

• Do needed repairs on machinery/house before the retrograde

• Wrap up or complete a project already started

• Research a new project thoroughly

• Catch up on paperwork

• Hold an information-sharing meeting

• Enjoy a good sense of humour.

Myths surrounding Mercury retrograde

With the Mercury going retrograde three times a year, there is a common question that arises from time to time. That is whether Mercury going retrograde affects the stock markets and contribute to its volatility. Statistics taken from the Dow Jones and other stock markets around the world over a consistent period of time has shown that Mercury retrograde days did give some profits than the days when Mercury was Direct. Put in directly Mercury retrograde does not affect trading decisions in the long and short term.

Another myth surrounding Mercury going retrograde is that there would be communication breakdowns, email issues, appliances malfunction, documents get lost, failures in major projects and the like. From time immemorial it has been found that humans are prone to errors or mistakes and failures and Mercury retro period is no exception for this. If you are not into believing this myth, then you can undergo long journeys without any hassles.

Recent studies have shown that many businesses started during this are highly successful when compared to those initiated during its Direct days. The success can be attributed to a larger overview of the scenario during Mercury retro period. So the next time, Mercury shows to be retrograde, welcome it in style and do not be a coward couching around...