Mercury Retro Info & Dates

The Basic Dates of Mercury Retro 2018

Full dates including Shadows of 2018 Mercury Retro

Mercury Retro, good can happen!

Think computers, smart devices, social media, public transport and traffic; and even the nerves, impulses and breath within our bodies. Mercury is all about networks and connections. You’ve heard that when this planet retrogrades, there’s the potential for arrangements, devices, deliveries and health to glitch, but did you know it’s equally possible for good things to happen?

How often is Mercury Retro?

Mercury goes Retro three times a year for three weeks at a time, which means that for about nine weeks each year, Mercury is Retro.

What’s a shadow period?

The weeks before and after a Mercury Retro are called a shadow period. These shadow weeks help us prepare, and later integrate, the actual three retro weeks. See the table below for this year’s dates. In technical terms, the shadow starts when Mercury passes the degree of the zodiac it will later reverse furthest back to when retro.

What should I do?

Mercury’s three actual retro weeks are a great time to complete unfinished projects, have check-ups (health, financial, car, anything!), review, edit, study, retreat, do background preparation, back up, clean up errors, check and double-check, assess the details of a decision, work hard on improving and perfecting something, and get your life in order all round. Some people have truly productive Mercury Retro periods, catching up on everything and making great progress, as Mercury Retro can help us zoom in and focus. Others feel slowed down, tripped up, delayed or disrupted.

Should I back up?

Mercury pre-shadow Retro periods can be good times to do back ups. That way you’ll end up with at least three back ups a year, which is better than none! There’s a higher chance of things glitching when Mercury is Retro, and even in the shadow periods, so it can even be best to back up before the shadow period starts.

What does ‘retrograde’ actually mean?

When observing Mercury through telescopes, when retrograde it looks as if it’s slowly going back over the parts of the zodiac it’s just been in. During Mercury Retro, we sometimes feel as if we need to retrace our steps as if carefully wandering back seeking something that’s lost or an important missing detail. Or we might feel as if things are ‘going backwards’ by not happening in the normal way. Mercury Retro is perfect for personal reflecting. When we slow down like Mercury does, and think things through during this time, we can have extremely useful insights.

Does Mercury actually travel backwards?

No, Mercury doesn’t ever travel backwards. It just appears that way to us on earth when we look up.

Should I avoid signing contracts?

There’s ancient astrological advice about not signing contracts or buying things when Mercury’s Retro, but sometimes it’s completely unavoidable, and in ancient times maybe they didn’t shop every five minutes like we do! Perhaps the advice might’ve been given because people tend to think differently when Mercury goes Direct again and change their minds. While Mercury is Retro, we are in a different mental framework, often a strongly soul-driven one. So really the idea is to get at least one good night’s sleep, preferably more, between negotiations or considering a purchase. Carefully check all fine print before signing a contract and don’t rush or get carried away. I know people who have signed some of their most successful contracts under Mercury Retro, but also people who rushed and regretted their decision.

What if you’re born under Mercury Retro?

If this is you, Mercury in your birth chart will be retrograde all your life, but will change ‘by progression’ (a forecasting technique). Remember, positive things do happen under Mercury Retro. People born with Mercury Retro are affected the three times a year Mercury goes retro, either by the glitches, or by the incredible focus possible.

Got the message?

Mercury was the god of messages, so the biggest thing to keep in mind is that whatever happens under Mercury Retro, life is trying to give you a message. Be careful though not to jump to conclusions about what the message is.

Messages others got

Check out this blog, “Mercury Retrograde: Trials and Triumphs”, to read more about what’s happened to others under a Mercury Retro and the messages they got.

The Full Dates with Shadows Merc R 2018