Is Mercury Retrograde Really So Scary?

It's unclear when exactly the phenomenon of Mercury retrograde became a widely circulated joke, but it seems that anything unfortunate can be attributed to it. Fourteen years ago, few within the domestic and international astrology community discussed Mercury retrograde. Now, the term is well-known to the public. Even young people who can't name all twelve zodiac signs frequently discuss it on social media.

To begin with, the impact of Mercury retrograde is considered trivial by serious astrologers, yet it notably influences our cultural life. Its perceived triviality is due to its frequency, and Mercury itself is not a celestial body that has a major effect on us. However, its influence is significant because it has quickly embedded itself into our social lives, resulting in a widespread "Mercury retrograde" culture. Almost every six months, someone compiles recent popular stories and attributes them to the anomalies caused by Mercury retrograde.

However, when it comes to Mercury retrograde, I'm hesitant to align with the "mainstream views" often found online. I've yet to see any serious astrologer exaggerate the influence of Mercury retrograde as popular culture frequently does. From my own experience, I haven't noticed significant differences in people's experiences during Mercury retrograde compared to ordinary times. If you're reading in hopes of discovering how recent or upcoming Mercury retrograde periods will affect your fortunes, you might find yourself disappointed.

In various predictive methods such as transits and lunar phases, Mercury retrograde has its own significance and doesn't require excessive interpretation. While Mercury in direct motion doesn’t reflect experiences or encounters due to its swift movement—lasting only a day or two when forming aspects with anything in the natal chart—its regularity limits its interpretative value. Most of the time, Mercury is not considered crucial data for transit interpretations (this applies to the Sun, Moon, and Venus as well).

However, retrograde Mercury does have its unique aspects. Each retrograde period, lasting about three weeks, is acknowledged for having irreplaceable effects similar to those of outer planets, prompting astrologers to interpret its influence during these periods.

Generally, this influence occurs in specific houses, which is why many online "Mercury retrograde guides" suggest checking your rising sign, as it relates to the house where Mercury retrograde is happening. Although this approach has some theoretical basis, it's neither precise nor specific. For instance, the Mercury retrograde at the end of 2017 occurred between 27° and 13° of Sagittarius. If your rising sign is Gemini, the information you find will typically state that Mercury retrograde impacts your partnership issues (7th house). However, if your rising sign is just after 27° Gemini, then this Mercury retrograde would entirely take place in your 6th house, resulting in vastly different outcomes.

Furthermore, in transit interpretations, Mercury retrograde cannot be applied in isolation. A skilled astrologer typically uses it as a supplementary interpretative element, prioritizing the interpretation of other specific transits before considering how this "nonconforming" Mercury affects the planets and houses within a person's natal chart.

Since Mercury plays the role of an "adaptive organ" in the natal chart, retrograde Mercury in transits often results in issues related to "adaptability." Below, I've listed the potential psychological impacts of retrograde Mercury on your inner planets, although specific interpretations must be integrated into a comprehensive transit analysis.

• Sun: Unexpected inspiration, confused will, erroneous evaluations.
• Moon: Disordered feelings, distorted memories, fluctuating emotions.
• Mercury: Chaotic logic, distorted expression, vague understanding.
• Venus: Rash aesthetics, misjudged values, frivolous enjoyment.
• Mars: Overreactive responses, blind anger, sudden passion.

Retrograde Mercury does not have the capacity to significantly alter life trajectories like other outer planets, so the descriptions above should only serve as supplementary references in transit interpretations. Generally, retrograde Mercury will only cause very minor effects, which can often be completely ignored. Please do not overestimate the consequences of "Mercury retrograde" due to my negative wording habits, as this could lead to unnecessary distress and anxiety.

Beyond the natal chart, many people have significant misconceptions about Mercury retrograde on a societal level, primarily involving the exaggeration of its effects.

According to the 2016 safety accident report released by the China Chemical Safety Association, there were a total of 21 major accidents, including four particularly severe ones, occurring on June 26, October 31, November 24, and December 4, none of which fell within the timeframe of Mercury retrograde. Among the 17 major accidents, only two occurred "under the influence of Mercury retrograde," involving fishing vessel incidents on May 7 and May 12. However, early to mid-May is a very busy fishing season, and significant fishing vessel accidents occur during this time every year.

Anyone reading the above information can deduce that there is no causal relationship between Mercury retrograde and various accidents. If there's any special connection, it would suggest that the probability of accidents occurring during Mercury retrograde is actually lower, as Mercury retrograde occupies one-sixth of the year, meaning that 21 major accidents should statistically result in about 4.5 occurring during Mercury retrograde.

Much of the teasing or misunderstanding surrounding Mercury retrograde stems from a lack of understanding of this phenomenon. News often features unusual occurrences or pure coincidences, and people feel the need for an explanation to feel comfortable. When faced with various events, we're always eager to find a reasonable explanation, but the causes of most phenomena cannot be summarized in a few simple sentences. Thus, the "sense of reason" derived from the name "Mercury retrograde" has become quite popular among the public. In fact, even when Mercury isn't retrograde, or before this concept became widespread, there have always been various alternative explanations, often very "mystical."

Perhaps due to the nature of human thought, or perhaps because humanity originated in Africa, we tend to remember our "bad luck" vividly. Mercury retrograde has become synonymous with "collective bad luck," and often, even when Mercury isn't retrograde, various unusual phenomena are still attributed to it, turning it into a popular term for humor that diverges from its original meaning.

So, what is the essence of the Mercury retrograde phenomenon? Why does Mercury, which is normally fine, suddenly appear to move backward? While many may already know the answer, I'll explain it for those who are unaware.

Before Galileo, astronomy did not adopt the heliocentric model as mainstream, and Mercury retrograde results from its orbital differences with Earth. Therefore, what we perceive as retrograde motion is an illusion we experience from Earth’s observational perspective. Since Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, it has the shortest orbital period and moves faster than any other planet in the solar system. When it and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun, we subjectively feel they're "moving in the same direction." However, when Mercury and Earth are on the same side of the Sun, due to its slightly faster speed, we clearly perceive Mercury as not moving in the same direction as the Sun but appearing stationary or even moving backward.

If this is still unclear, imagine a circular track: you and another athlete are running at the same speed, with him on the inner lane and you on the outer lane. You represent Earth, while he represents Mercury; you also look toward the track's center, where the Sun should be. Since you both start running clockwise, you'll subjectively feel that the "Sun" is moving counterclockwise relative to you. Because you run at the same speed, the athlete representing Mercury on the inner lane will complete laps faster than you, leading to the illusion that he's moving clockwise relative to you when he "overtakes" you.

There is much more I'd like to say about Mercury retrograde, so please allow me to share two small rules I know. It’s okay if these concepts seem difficult to understand; I'm not entirely certain about them either, as they belong to the realms of geometry and astronomy, which are not my strong suits.

Due to the eccentricity of Mercury's orbit, which is 0.205 (compared to Earth's 0.017), the angle with the Sun varies at different times. When at perihelion, Mercury moves faster, while at aphelion, it moves slower. Additionally, since Earth and Mercury's perihelion and aphelion are on the same side of the Sun, Mercury retrograde in summer lasts longer than in winter, potentially taking up nearly 19% more time in extreme cases, aligning with the difference in eccentricity between Mercury and Earth.

For reasons currently unclear to me, the maximum angle between the Sun and Mercury in the Northern Hemisphere during summer can exceed 28 degrees; in winter, the maximum separation is about 22 degrees. Due to "perihelion precession" or axial precession, these two rules will change over time, but they will persist throughout our lifetimes (the ephemeris I have only accounts for dates until 2050, and I cannot predict beyond that).

Another law that may remain unchanged until humanity's extinction (or leaving the solar system) is Mercury's orbital period being about 88 days, slightly less than one-fourth of Earth's 365.25 days. This means Mercury completes more than three orbits each year, and each additional orbit leads to Mercury and Earth being on the same side, resulting in at least three instances of Mercury retrograde each year—and sometimes even four, as happened in 2016.