Happy New Year and welcome Mercury Retrograde.

Although Mercury doesn’t turn direction until January 5th, its effects are already being felt as we ring in the new year. Although Mercury has briefly slipped into Aquarius, by January 9th it retreats back into Capricorn. It is inviting you to take a second look to ensure that your objectives for the new year are on a solid footing.

Even those generally unfamiliar with astrology often know the term “Mercury Retrograde.” Astronomically it refers to the apparent backward motion Mercury makes periodically in its orbit around the Sun as seen from Earth. Actually this apparent backward motion is an optical illusion. It only looks that way because we are observing the heavens from Earth, another planet circling around the Sun. Just like two cars traveling in the same direction on a highway at different speeds, the slower car appears to be moving backward when viewed by occupants in the faster car. Observe cars in lanes next to you the next time you are traveling in a highway and you’ll see what I mean.

While all planets exhibit retrograde motion except for the Sun and Moon, it is Mercury who receives notoriety because of its frequency and the disruption attributed to it.

In astrology, Mercury rules mental function, communication, and machines. And all of these are more prone to experience disruption such as scheduling glitches, computer snafus, etc, during Mercury Retrograde periods.

But that is in part because this energy is not being used for what is designed to do. Retrograde means to go backward. So when Mercury is moving backward, so should we. The prefix “re” in retrograde is the key. Not to mention that taking a time-out to do these functions will re-fresh you.

Use Mercury retrograde periods to:

• Re-do
• Re-view
• Re-search
• Re-fine

Going back to basics on a project or editing work that you’ve previously done are examples.

Re-connect

This is a great time to contact an old friend or revive dormant business contacts. In my experience I’ve found that I’m more prone to receive a phone call or other contact from someone from the past.

Mercury retrograde periods are an excellent time to catch up on bookkeeping and, since this one is so early in the year, start pulling your records together for the accountant.

I recommend to clients that they keep a list of projects that tend to sit on the back burner and schedule time to address them during Mercury Retrograde periods. This way, when Mercury turns direct on January 25th, you’ll be ready to move forward.