What is Mercury retrograde and does it really affect us?

Mercury being in retrograde is something astrology lovers dread, lament and regret – but for those who aren’t across the how and the why of the theories behind stars and planets dictating our day-to-day, it may seem like a far-fetched scapegoat for bad behaviour.
Humble humans being influenced by Mercury’s comings and goings, however, is an age-old hypothesis for astrologers, who have been investigating it for years.
Interest in cosmic-induced conduct among the public has only grown with the social media trends of self-care, wellness and mindfulness, and it’s evident in search trend history – after Instagram launched in 2010, the term ‘mercury retrograde’ saw a spike in Google, and it’s been growing exponentially ever since.
But what even is Mercury retrograde, and does it truly affect our lives? Here’s what you need to know.
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Mercury retrograde happens when Mercury, the planet, appears to go backwards in its orbit around the sun.
Mercury orbits the Sun every 88 days, whereas Earth takes 365 to complete the circle.
Astronomy knows Mercury – named after the Roman version of the Greek deity Hermes, herald to the gods and god of translators, interpreters, human messengers, travellers, merchants, orators, and thieves – as the nearest planet to the Sun, but astrology views it as the planet that has domain over communication and the mind.
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You may be familiar with your Zodiac sign, but that’s just one part of your birth chart, which is based off your date, time and location of birth.
A full birth chart consists of the Sun, the Moon, and the rising signs – also known as the Ascendant – the ruling planet, Stelliums and an elevated planet.
Mercury comes in mainly in the ruling planet component, which also includes 12 houses.
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The Sun signs of Gemini and Virgo are ruled by Mercury, and where their planet aligns in terms of house is said to determine their personality – as the ruling planet is Mercury, it determines how they think and communicate.
For example, a Gemini, which is ruled by Mercury, who has their planet in the first house may be self-conscious, self-started and a personality.
One who has Mercury in their fifth house, however, may be more romantic, a creative soul, and an entertainer.
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Usually, a Mercury retrograde period lasts between three to four weeks, but there is also a ‘shadow period’ – also known as retroshade – two to three weeks before and after it starts.
According to astrologers, it can make things somewhat rocky as it extends the effects of the period beyond the actual retrograde, but in a diluted form.
This year, we’ll suffer through our first Mercury retrograde from April 1 to April 25 – and we’ll still have two more to go.
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Expect to feel somewhat out of sorts between August 5 and August 28, and November 25 to December 15, as Mercury goes into retrograde.
Often hailed as a negative influence, Mercury retrograde is said to affect your communication skills.
While you may find yourself struggling with verbal communication – whether it’s mishearing someone, saying the wrong thing, sending a shady text, stumbling over your words, all potentially causing arguments in relationships that are important to you – some say it’s the ideal time for growth spurred from self-reflection.
Travel, due to Hermes’ other patronage, is also thought to be affected, so if you’re a believer, it may be worth triple-checking that you’re heading to the right address and planning for delays.
Using this knowledge, some may choose to slow their lives down during Mercury retrograde to try and avoid mistakes, as well as big life decisions altogether like signing a contract or making a significant purchase without serious reflection.
It is important to note, however, that astrology and astronomy are two different things – astronomy is a data-based scientific approach to the study of the universe and its contents outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, whereas astrology is a belief that the positions, motions and properties of planets and stars influence people and events on Earth.
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