In the last week, the following has disappeared from my possession: a USB drive containing files of my Reiki manuals, my favorite black top that can easily transition from casual to slightly dressy if the need arises, and some vitamins that I had spent a pretty penny on to better my health. I’ve also been in a bit of a brain fog, where I find that I can’t articulate my thoughts well to other people, as if something is amiss between what my brain think and what comes out my mouth.

Yep, Mercury entered into retrograde on Thursday, April 28th. This is when the planet Mercury appears to be moving backwards from our perspective, a 3 week period that happens 3 or 4 times a year. We’ll be in Mercury Retrograde (MR) until May 22nd.

As a planet, Mercury governs aspects relating to communication, travel, little details. So when MR is happening, things related to those aspects may seem different and off. Mercury is also associated with the astrological signs Gemini and Virgo, so if one has a great deal of planetary activity in either Gemini or Virgo in their natal chart, MRs are going to affect them more profoundly.

My Mercury is in Gemini, so as a part of who I am, my communication style is rather scattered until I have a point, and then I’m crystal clear. And MR are always interesting for me. It’s usually chaotic, friends suddenly start canceling social plans, I find myself waiting in line at places that normally don’t have a line, I see weird traffic configurations (such as a semi headed down a one-way the wrong way and can’t get out once it’s realized the error of their ways).

I find myself retreating inwards more during this period. I spend more time reflecting on past and current relationships. While I rarely make a choice as far as the relationship is concerned during that time, but things seem to play out on an unconscious level and without any urging from me of some essential truth to the relationship, or what I bring to the table to make that happen. It’s often a truth revealing time for me, where I gain a little more knowledge about myself and the situations I find myself in.

I’m often frustrated about the sudden change in my world, how I’m relating to others and how my thinking seems to be foggier, until I realize that it’s Mercury Retrograde. Once I make the conscious choice to embrace this forced alone time, I find it rather enjoyable. Except for the things I tend to lose during that time (and I found my favorite top during the process of writing this blog post 🙂 )