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Keep thinking about the past? It’s not time to move on… Or is it?
Are you feeling feelings you didn’t know you had? Maybe you are having communication issues, or old relationship patterns surfaced again? Maybe a past partner has popped back in your life? Perhaps you are having to repeat yourself a lot, going over details multiple times and still missing things, forgetting appointments or feeling delayed?
You are not going crazy. Welcome to Mercury Retrograde: The three to four times a year when the planet Mercury turns retrograde, affecting the energetic field on Earth. What does this woo-woo stuff mean for you and your relationships? EVERYTHING.
Mercury Retrograde is a three-week period (this time from Jan. 21 to Feb. 11) where we are asked to look at everything in our life, especially relationships that aren’t working as well as they could. This includes harboring harsh feelings for old flames or even revisiting feelings you pushed down inside.
Mercury Retrograde is the king of clean up, and communication breakdowns. It is a time for deep reflection, a time to repair, revisit and realign with your true intentions and inner most desires. Don’t be surprised if you feel feelings you haven’t felt in ages.
This is not the time to take action or move ahead. Instead, it is a cosmic cleaning. Think of it as a relationship detox and a perfect time for going inward and pausing in reflection. The more you try to push or take action, the more chaos will pursue. This period will end Feb 11. Until then, you can navigate this uncomfortable time with these simple tips.
Do: Revisit Your Past
An ex-boyfriend reached out to me seemingly out of the blue, but it was no coincidence it happened during Mercury Retrograde. As we were talking, I did not realize all of the hidden emotions I buried back in our breakup: things I was never able to express, nor did I know I was feeling, needed to come to the surface. I had convinced myself I had moved on, but Mercury Retrograde brought me right back to the hidden corners of our love gone bad and forced me to clean up the pieces.
What past relationship, situation or person do you have unresolved issues with? Now is the time to address it, so you can free yourself up for a much better future.
Do: Express Your Creative Side
Mercury Retrograde pushes us inward and begs for us to seek a creative outlet. Follow the nudge and sign up for that cooking class, the travel-writing course, pull out your water colors or your old poetry book. Use your creative energy to express the emotions you feel. Don’t put expectations on your projects, just be present with the creative experience and you will see a deep healing take hold.
Do: Free Your Feelings
Emotions run high and most of us are extra sensitive when Mercury is in retrograde. Let the feelings come out. Whether you need to shout and scream from frustration or simply cry yourself to sleep, all of it is healing. It is important to speak up and say what you need to say as well. Maybe you need to tell your ex you are mad they remarried, or you have to tell your boss you plan to leave so you can follow your heart and start your own business. Let yourself express yourself fully during this heightened time period.
Don’t: Act or React
Whether you are in a relationship or single, it is important you don’t overreact or flip out on others. Take what you hear with a grain of salt as the energy on the planet makes everyone a little fuzzy. It is hard for many of us to communicate clearly. We may say things that come out wrong or are easily misinterpreted. Don’t act on impulse either. Remember this is a time of reflection and inner retreat. Your mantra for this time is slow and steady.
Don’t: Judge Yourself or Others
During this time, you may say, do or think things you don’t normally. Just run with it. Leave your judgments aside and instead feel, experience and observe. There is a potential for great healing to occur during this time frame.
The goal of Mercury Retrograde is to clean up any loose ends in your life. If you dive into it and embrace the messiness, you will come out more powerful, grounded and ready to embrace the new opportunities just on the other side.
Shannon, this is a great article. Love that you wrote about this. So helpful – and makes so much sense. I have been burying myself in creative projects lately – like I have been drawn to them, and it has felt so healing. Now I know why!
Thank you Shannon! I totally follow what is happening with Mercury and all the planets. But I especially appreciated your advice to let us feel our feelings. An ex has just come back into my life. We have been talking again for a while and I knew we would actually see each other in person during Mercury retro. What surprised me is that I have feelings I didn’t expect. If we are going to move forward (or whatever happens), I need to experience all these feelings and not just the ones I have been processing since we stopped seeing each other. There is a whole new set of them. Now is the time to just feel and not judge. We can define things after February 11. 🙂
Thank you so much! You have no idea how grateful I am to you for sharing this piece. I have been experiencing quite weird emotions that were so deeply embedded and I never knew existed and it started on the 21st and hasn’t stopped since!
The sense of healing has been deep but scary too.
It all makes sense now and yes I needed the caution not to act, but to observe.