How To Prepare Yourself And What To Expect During This Mercury Retrograde (August 30-September 22)

As the amazing astronomical event takes place that involves the lunar eclipse setting in Virgo, we are also expecting another grand disturbance within our stability of body and soul.

Simultaneously with the lunar eclipse, Mercury will begin to retrograde and cause a variety of inconveniences in your everyday life.

You will want to do everything in your power to make sure that you are more than ready for these future days because otherwise you may find yourself being very disappointed with results from things you had high-hopes for.

Here is how you can prepare yourself as well as what you should expect with this upcoming three week astronomical event.

To give an explanation as to why all of these inconveniences start happening is because Mercury is the planet said to have a very powerful influence over your mind, communication skills, as well as the way you express yourself.

There will be a lot of miscommunication between you and your workplace, friends, family, and just about everything else that involves you communicating with others. However, this doesn't mean that there isn't a way to prepare ourselves for this three-week-interruption.

Avoid Negotiating/Agreements

Anything that you would have to write down and then sign with your signature you may have to hold off on that kind of decision making.

The reason being as Mercury sets in retrograde will cause your contracts and any other agreements to be revised or redacted.

The miscommunication that will surely show it's ugly face in the contract of things that you may have missed, didn't cover with the other person, or that it was the wrong thing to agree to in the first place.

Certain details could have gone unnoticed or maybe some kind of hole in the agreement that would lead to an inevitable deal-breaker. If you do decide to make any form of agreement you better know what you're signing before giving your consent.

Avoid Scheduling Events

Again, you better expect a lot of miscommunication as Mercury begins to retrograde. Certain events that were made to bring communities closer could actually in fact have the exact opposite results of what you were expecting.

If there is simply no way out of canceling a meeting or rescheduling an event for another time, then you may have to be on your guard throughout the entire ordeal.

If the event or meeting has some distance from your location, then you better plan for extra time to get yourself out of trouble if need be. Essentially, plan much farther ahead than you normally would.

Avoid Buying Anything

This is probably one of the biggest things that we can stress that you shouldn't do during the retrograde of Mercury is that you should definitely not purchase anything at all.

The reason being is that you will most likely discover something wrong or off about the product you just bought. This will result the same way for just about everything that you could potentially buy during the retrograde.

This goes for gifts as well. The reason being is that if you planned on buying a gift for someone that you like they may already have that certain product, don't really care for it, or just wasn't in the mood to receive that thing in particular. This has to do a lot with the miscommunication expected to take place.

What it boils down to, in order for you to be absolutely prepared for these three weeks of Mercury becoming retrograde is to avoid making any kind of important decisions.

Anything that you claim to have a major impact on your life will hold significant disappointment the more you build it up. This isn't necessarily to discourage you from having big dreams but more of a caution to make sure those big dreams do not break into shattered pieces.

Just be aware of any important things you hold close to you because this could be the time that they all start to slowly drift away.

http://www.higherperspectives.com/mercury-retrograde-2016-1991634250.html

The Positive Effects of Mercury Retrograde April 2016

Mercury retrograde has such a negative reputation, but truly is just a normal pattern and cycle of life.

In fact, Mercury retrograde is very necessary for helping us to raise our consciousness and has a specific purpose that many people don’t understand.

This upcoming Mercury retrograde on April 28, 2016 is more significant than most as it is going to give us a total of 5 planets in retrograde.

This is very rare and is going to amplify the effects of Mercury Retrograde. Not just the negative effects but also the positive effects of Mercury Retrograde as well.

When you learn how to use the energy of Mercury Retrograde, you can have it work in your favor, rather than against you.

The first step is to understand the role of Mercury.

Mercury is the planet of communication, he rules over how we express ourselves, how we think and how we communicate our ideas and feelings to the outside world.

When Mercury goes retrograde, he helps us to shift our focus away from expressing outwards and into expressing inwards.

Mercury retrograde gives us an opportunity to go within and to work out how we really feel and how we want to express our ideas and thoughts with the world.

Think of it this way, when Mercury is direct he is helping us to speak our truth and communicate to the world. When Mercury goes retrograde however, he gives us the opportunity to assess our truth and how we have been communicating it to the world.

This dual process has to exist in order for us to really consciously understand who we are and how we choose to communicate this.

When Mercury goes retrograde, he gives us time to work out those deeper, darker parts of our psyche in order to help us tune into our soul truth.

Mercury retrograde is a powerful time to get real with yourself and to unearth all of those emotions, thoughts and feelings that have been buried inside for so long. 

The beauty about Mercury retrograde too, is that in order to heal and transgress he doesn’t require us to shout our truth from the highest roof. Instead, he gives us the gift of holding our truth close to our heart, and knowing that our truth is all that matters.

Mercury goes retrograde 4 times a year, but in 2016 he is going retrograde 5 times. This is also rare and means that the Universe must really be requiring us now to get in touch with our truth and how we really feel.

When we know our truth, we know who we are. When we know who we are, we are able to stand up and express this to the world and that is how we merge with our highest path.

Mercury retrograde does come with a few annoyances, that is true, but underneath it all it is such a powerful time of regeneration and healing.

In order to work with Mercury Retrograde it is important not to make any new decisions, that are binding or require a contract. The reason for this is because we are in an “assessing truth” phase, and what may be your truth during a Mercury Retrograde, may no longer be your truth after Mercury has worked its magic on you.

Mercury Retrograde however, is a really good time to revisit the past and to assess whether your way of communicating with the world has benefited you or needs to be changed.

In April, Mercury retrograde will occur in the sign of Taurus. We are all going to feel this in different ways, but overall this energy will be helping us to work on how we communicate in our relationships, particularly our friendships.

Learning how to work with others,  being able to communicate truthfully with others and connect with people that we value and trust, are all going to be themes during this Mercury retrograde.

Overall, April Mercury retrograde is very gentle and mild, however with Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Pluto also retrograde, we may be dealing with a bit of a mixed bag of energies.

The best advice I can offer anyone for Mercury Retrograde is to take things slow, to keep things simple and to get in touch with that inner voice.

Mercury moves out of retrograde on the 22nd May 2016 and won’t retrograde again until August 2016.

by Tanaaz

http://foreverconscious.com/positive-effects-mercury-retrograde-april-2016

The Dos & Don'ts Of Surviving Mercury Retrograde

Three or four times a year, Mercury passes the earth in its orbit. As it rounds the bend, Mercury slows down and appears to stop, or station, and spin backward —otherwise known as retrograde. Of course, it really ISN'T moving backward, but much like two trains or cars passing each other, this creates the optical illusion that Mercury, is in this case, going backward.

In astrology, Mercury rules communication, travel, and technology — so all of these areas go haywire for about three weeks, with today (Jan. 21) marking the beginning of the chaos.

To top it off, Mercury retrograde also has what's called a "shadow period" so you may have already felt the retrograde a couple weeks before and after it actually happened.

So how NOT to have a nervous breakdown?

Don't start anything new. Review all your contracts before you sign. Renew your commitments, rather than making new ones. Prepare to repeat yourself often. It's like learning a new dance.

Mercury retrograde can crash electronic equipment! Back up your computer, calendar and cell phone address book. Expect delays if traveling, and pack a book to entertain yourself while you wait for that tardy bus or plane. Get in touch with old friends — and don't be surprised if people from your past track you down.

You might even hear from the most RANDOM exes and childhood classmates during retrogrades. Mercury also rules contracts, so think before you ink. Either wrap up important negotiations before the cycle starts, or wait to sign documents until Mercury goes direct.

If you were born during a Mercury retrograde (like we were), you may actually become sharper, clearer or more productive during this time. You won't be immune to Mercury's global impact (we once had a hard drive systematically erase itself right before our eyes), but you could also thrive in areas where others are flailing (almost every big writing contract and book deal we've gotten was offered during Mercury retrograde).

You might even become more psychic or dialed-in during Mercury's backspin.

Here is a list of dos and don'ts for Mercury retrograde:

DO …

1. Review all contracts and legal documents before signing.

2. Pause and breathe before speaking and repeat yourself if necessary!

3. Read all emails and documents before you send.

4. Insure/track important mail and packages, since Mercury rules the postal system.

5. Get your vehicles (or bikes) tuned up and be sure to pack an emergency roadside kit.

6. Leave early for any travel and appointments, since Mercury can delay flights.

7. Renew your commitments instead of making new ones.

8. Focus on the prefix, re — which means to go backward — and renew, review, revamp, redecorate, et al.

9. Plan reunions with old friends & loved ones, but prepare for possible mishaps!

10. Expect to hear from/run into people from your past at the weirdest moments.

11. Get sentimental. Reconnect with your roots and walk down memory lane.

12. Practice forgiveness. Finish processing what's unresolved so you can let it go.

13. Confirm all dates, plans, meetings and appointments.

14. Think of the retrograde as a quarterly review period, a chance to pause and finish what you've started during that timeframe.

15. Back up your digital data (photos, contact lists and files) before the retrograde or ASAP, if it has already begun.

DON'T …

1. Buy new vehicles, electronic equipment or gadgets (unless they come with a good return/repair policy).

2. Sign contracts without a thorough review. Delay until Mercury turns direct if you can.

3. Fly off the handle or jump to conclusions if someone misunderstands you.

4. Run into the arms/bed of an ex without careful screening (Mercury reunions aren't always meant to last).

5. Shoot the messenger if someone from your past comes around.

6. Put anything sketchy into an email or text (you could hit "Reply All" or send to the wrong person!).

7. Leave late for flights or appointments.

8. Start anything new before finishing what's next on the to-do list.

9. Lead people on, give mixed messages, or believe everything you hear (actions speak louder than words).

10. Spread rumors, rant on social media or share unconfirmed information.

11. Turn in sloppy or unchecked work, cut corners, or dash off hasty communications. Inspect to protect!

The silver lining? Mercury retrograde is a great opportunity to handle unfinished business. Most of us start a million things that we don't complete, never realizing how much psychic clutter this creates. The retrograde is a chance to tie up loose ends and create a clear vision for the future. Take advantage of it, and you'll emerge fresh and ready when Mercury goes direct.

As the cliche goes: what you resist, persists. So the more you can embrace chaos or a lack of control, the better you'll survive this cycle.

This post was adapted from AstroStyle.com.

Photo Credit: Stocksy

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17068/the-dos-donts-of-surviving-mercury-retrograde.html?utm_campaign=recommendation&utm_medium=popular&utm_source=home