Well, it’s that time again, and it's working on us from the get go.  

     Mercury goes retrograde once again. It happens 3 times a year and it lasts for about 3 weeks. This time is from May 26 to June 19, 2008. 

     Remember that there is a shadow period that goes with the retrograde, so we are already into it.  And it will stick with us to the end, around June 28  

     Mercury's retrograde creates communications issues of all kinds, and screws up any thing that depends on electronics. 

     Any issues that deal with studying, communication, businesses, travel and the like, you’ll find under attack. You will find it affects the study of new subjects and all forms of communication with the others. 

     Travel, businesses, and communications you will find having problems and delays. Computers, telephones, answering machines etc., will have problems and may experience crashes or unexpected failures.  

     Prevent important papers and information from being lost, back up you information, double check what has been put together and double check yourself so as not to leave any loose ends. Remember to save your work more often.

     Nothing seems to move in the right direction so relax and let the period pass. You might want to just get away from it all and go on vacation - well it sounds good anyway - but we will just have to make do until it passes.

     This is not a good time to start anything new, nor is it a good time to sign any legal documents or any papers of importance. It's not a good time to purchase expensive items and of course this isn’t a good time to marry. 

     Of course there is one exception, that is if you were born during a retrograde. For you, it's a great time to go over unfinished business and start to review and redo it.  You will find that this is an excellent time to work on old projects that have been left unfinished. So, think about the things you started and never finalized.

Survival Techniques During A Retrograde

     Mercury retrograde can be an extremely productive time if you know how to use the period properly.  It's all about energy. 

    During a retrograde the energy from Mercury is reduced significantly, but not cut off completely. You get in trouble because you are not aware that this energy output has been reduced, so your frustration is misdirected. 

     Mercury governs the logical and/or mechanical processes. This includes contracts, communications of all sorts including talking, email, regular mail, cars, computers, and all other electronics. Mercury governs all mechanical things.

     Prepare for the cycle by making needed mechanical repairs in advance. For example, have your car tuned up before the cycle, not during it. 

     During the retrograde, stay in your spiritual center. Pack plenty of humor and heaps of patience. It's not affected by the retrograde. 

     Use positive avoidance with people who might be having problems with the energy shift, don't start new projects, don't sign binding documents, exercise caution when you are around mechanical objects, and, finally drive defensively. Just because you are aware, doesn't mean the other guy is.

     There are meaningful, and productive things you can do during a retrograde.  It's a great time for introspection. During a retrograde you can review things for a full three weeks. But don't take any actions or make decisions until Mercury goes direct!

    A Mercury retrograde can be a very quiet and restful period. Don’t start anything new or making any decision during this period. for a while. This can be an ideal time for research. Things left undone at other times will pop up to be corrected or redone. Consider retrograde a "catch up" period.

     Consider this the time to finish up old business, reflect on past issues left undone and look into  things in a new way.  When Mercury goes direct, you will have fresh ideas and insight that will enable you to make better decisions.