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According to astrologers, Mercury is responsible for many areas of life, and they get out of hand when the planet enters a retrograde period. We understand what it means and whether retrograde really exists
What is Mercury Retrograde
Retrograde Mercury is a real-life astronomical phenomenon in which the illusion arises that the planet is moving in the opposite direction. This phenomenon is subject not only to Mercury, but also to all other planets of the solar system.
How the planets actually move and how we see them move
From the Earth, it can be seen that the planets of the solar system move from West to East over time. And if you look at the solar system as if from above, then they will move counterclockwise. This is the normal type, direct movement. The exception is Venus and Uranus, which move directly from East to West (clockwise).
But sometimes a person standing on the surface of the Earth has an optical illusion that some planet – for example, Mercury – begins to move in the opposite direction, from East to West. This is the retrograde movement.
Why does the planet seem to be moving in the opposite direction?
An optical illusion is caused by the different speeds at which the planets of the solar system move around the sun. When the Earth overtakes another planet (or vice versa), it begins to seem that it changes direction.
To better understand how this works, imagine two cars on a two-lane road. You are driving in your lane, catching up with a taxi in the next one. At some point, the two cars will line up. If you step on the gas and overtake a taxi while staying in your lane, it will look like it is going backwards in your side mirror.
How many times a year does Mercury retrograde occur?
Since Mercury is closest to the Sun, it takes the shortest time to complete one revolution around the star – only 88 days. Because of this, it overtakes the Earth three to four times a year. Accordingly, in each of them, he “passes” into a retrograde state, which lasts about three weeks.
There are four periods of Mercury retrograde in 2023:
- from December 29, 2022 to January 23, 2023;
- from April 21 to May 15;
- from August 24 to September 16;
- from December 13 to January 2, 2024.
This is a relatively routine occurrence from an astronomical point of view. However, for astrologers, it has incredible importance.
How Mercury Retrograde Affects People
Most likely not. None of the astrological positions have been proven. All experimental tests ended with a negative result. Despite this, many people believe pseudo-scientific sites with predictions and horoscopes that dictate to them how to live. On one of them you can read: “Mercury governs communication, learning, intellect, memory, self-expression, transport, sales, technology, technology. He is also responsible for important documents: deeds, contracts, treaties, wills. When a planet goes into retrograde, all these spheres get out of control. This is because the retrograde planet is in a state of rest or sleep. While Mercury is dormant, he leaves the spheres he rules unattended.
This is followed by a series of tips. For example, “keep your hands off the computer”, “do not install new software”; “refrain from signing contracts and agreements”, “postpone medical procedures if there is a choice”, and so on. As you can see from these examples, astrology is not just a fun pseudoscience. Faith in it can do serious harm. A person can listen to “advice” and cancel an important transaction or postpone going to the doctor, because of which his health can really deteriorate.
Why is Mercury retrograde so popular with astrologers?
The negative interpretation of Mercury retrograde is a fairly ancient part of astrology. Previously, the so-called “horoscopic astrology” was responsible for it. The person asked the question, and the “specialist in the stars” determined the answer by referring to the astrological chart. If Mercury was retrograde, then the answer was no.
In the 1980s, a revival of interest in astrology began in the West, and knowledge about retrograde, once only available to a narrow circle, spread more widely. In the 2000s, the advent of the internet spread the word about Mercury retrograde even further. Prior to this, in order to observe retrograde motion, one had to have at least basic astronomical skills. Now you can just google the dates for the next retrograde period. What used to require a consultation with an astrologer is now easy to find out with the help of an online calculator.
The surge in awareness of astrology that began around 2009 can also be attributed to the boom in social media at that time. As a result, today, probably, everyone has at least once heard about retrograde Mercury, at least at the level of jokes and memes, even if they have never been interested in astrology or astronomy in their lives.