The planet Mercury, courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
As of Sunday, June 29, Mercury will have gone into retrograde motion as seen from our own Earth. But don’t despair, ducks – take advantage of the next few weeks (until July 23, 2026).
“What’s that?” you’re grumbling. “Take advantage of that nasty little planet, messing up my plans and causing all kinds of communication problems? Ha! I’d just like to see that scenario happen, I would.”
And so you can.
You’re forewarned. If you have an important appointment, call three days ahead to make sure everything’s still humming along. Verify, verify, verify. If you’ve scheduled a meeting at work, send another memo to the departments you need to be there two days before, not half an hour before you’re sitting in the boardroom.
On vacation? Buy tickets early and online if possible. You often get at least a minimum discount, and with tickets in hand, every person at the desk or ticket office is going to do everything they can to accommodate you. You may even get a free upgrade. Consider taking an analog clock along if you need to be a certain place at a specified time – if the power goes out, you’re guaranteed to be the boss’ favorite associate when you’re there on time, even if it’s the company softball game.
This retrograde can also be used for mundane things, like emptying that old locker from the attic on a rainy day. If things are mildewed, toss them out or they may affect documents or clothing in the same container. Now’s the time to recall how mean Auntie Grizelda was to you the Christmas you were twelve – and throw out not only the hideous sweater she gave you, but the memory too. Release that resentment, guilt or sadness!
You can also vow to clean the entire house from top to bottom, but let’s not go overboard and set yourself up for failure, so you can feel resentful, guilty or sad about a new memory. Try just one room. Or do what a very entertaining woman on YouTube is doing – she sets the timer on her phone for an hour, and cleans like a whirlwind for that time. If the baby starts to cry, she stops the clock and tends to Junior, then resumes the race.
Write nasty, stinging, virulent letters and – the minute you finish one, either set fire to it in a metal container or shred it. Yes. Immediately. Do not waste even seconds before destroying it. You’ll still feel better, less stressed and irritable – and with zero chance of that letter ever accidentally getting mailed or hand-delivered.
Shock that sneaky little planet and find a project or two to complete, so you can look forward to its retrograde. That attitude will rattle its cage, I swear to you, on my board certification as an astrologer.
Charge!