“Oh, Mercury is in retrograde again.” Sound familiar? If we live within or have any friends within the neo-spiritual space, we’ve heard this expression many, many times!
The quick response to questioning the frustrated statement usually goes something like, “Mercury Retrograde is a time when communication and travel don’t seem to work well. Be sure you protect your electronics and cars! Leave the house early, and over-prepare for meetings and presentations!”
This advice is always helpful, but many of us still face the question of, “What is Mercury Retrograde?” Even if we know the answer, the rabbit hole of astrology seems to get deeper, and we find ourselves then asking, “Well, what is this new pre-shadow and post-shadow period?” Don’t worry; we’ll help you out.
Next time you find yourself needing to explain Mercury Retrograde, we have your back. Just share this article!
Mercury Retrograde is the astrological and astronomical term for when:
During the Mercury Retrograde, Mercury doesn’t actually travel backwards in space. Instead, from where we live on Earth, our two differing orbits create the illusion that Mercury is going backwards. Our point of view plus the speed of Earth’s orbit around the sun versus the speed of Mercury’s orbit creates the appearance of Mercury slowing down, stopping, going backwards, stopping, turning around, and speeding back up.Wow! That’s a brainful. Here are a few quick GIFs of a Mercury retrograde to help our visual friends out there:
The pre-shadow period of a Mercury Retrograde is the time when the planet appears to be slowing down. This is the very beginning of the retrograde phase. This time is usually the most difficult time for everyone because the energy that normally keeps everything running smoothly is slowing down and flowing differently.Mercury’s pre-shadow period usually lasts 2 weeks.
The retrograde station of a Mercury Retrograde is the time when Mercury appears to be not moving at all. This is the period between the planet moving in its normal direction and its backwards direction. When this happens, little to no energy seems to flow from Mercury. Mercury’s station usually lasts just 1 day.
The retrograde period of a Mercury Retrograde is a time when Mercury appears to be moving backwards across the sky. This is what most of us commonly know as The Mercury Retrograde. During this time, things that Mercury rules seem to function, but they function all wrong. Mercury’s retrograde period usually lasts 3 weeks.
Similar to the retrograde station, the direct station of a Mercury Retrograde is the time when the planet appears to not be moving at the end of a retrograde period. This is the period between the planet moving in its backwards direction and its normal direction.Mercury’s direction station usually lasts just 1 day.
Just like the pre-shadow period, the post-shadow period of a Mercury Retrograde is the time when the planet appears to be speeding back up. This is the very end of the retrograde phase. This time is usually the most difficult time for everyone because the energy that normally keeps everything running smoothly is slowing down and flowing differently.
Mercury’s pre-shadow period usually lasts 2 weeks.
All of these pieces combined make up the entire retrograde. This is why it often feels like we “just finished the last retrograde”.
Check out our Mercury Retrograde Calendar!
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