Something weird is in the air. Have you noticed it? Nothing seems to be going right. Important emails have been bounced. Your laptop or cell phone has gone kaput. Your love life seems to have taken a turn for the worst. You may have even been dumped. That thing you’ve been avoiding? Well, it’s come back to haunt you, hasn’t it?
Blame it on Mercury in retrograde. It began September 6 and will continue its terrible reign until the end of the month.
In astrology, the planet Mercury represents the mythological messenger and rules over all things having to do with communication. And when it goes into retrograde (a three-week period that happens four times a year when the planet appears to slow down, stop, and move backwards) you can be sure to expect chaos, delays and confusion on all fronts.
Currently, we are in the thick of it and, so far, September has been rife with pop culture examples: The whole Serena Williams fiasco. Kanye’s bad behavior. Pussycat Doll’s Nicole Scherzinger’s surprise breakup. Remember when then President-elect Barack Obama was being sworn into office and Chief Justice Roberts misspoke? Mercury was in retrograde then, too.
Don’t worry. Everything will be okay in October. And besides, it isn’t all bad. There’s a time and place for everything in life, and that includes Mercury’s retrograde phase. About.com provides four good rules of thumb for coping during this time period (take a time-out and deal with things from your past, be non-committal and avoid making set plans, repeat and review everything, reflect on your soul), but we wonder: how does this translate into your love life?
Unfortunately, be prepared for a few curve balls to be thrown your way, as what was committed to, promised, expected or planned will surely go awry during a retrograde period. Below are some pointers for navigating this difficult time period no matter what love stage you are currently in.
Single
There is no better time to be single. Take this time to reflect on who you are and get in touch with your feelings, goals and aspirations. What’s your life plan, and what do you need to do or change to get things going? Reflect, don’t act. Mercury in retrograde is a period where you should be looking back—not forward. Do not go on a first date. You just aren’t yourself and will have difficulty communicating clearly. What’s more, you may have ghosts of relationships past on your mind. One or two of them might even reappear in your life. If they do, now’s a good time to reconcile and move on. Hold off on any new romance until Mercury goes direct on September 29.
It’s Complicated
For whatever this means to you, make sure to wait until this period is over to make up, break up or otherwise decide on a new direction in your relationship. If things have yet to be defined, hold off on the WUWU (What’s Up With Us) talk. Never fear if things have taken a turn for the worst, at the end of the month the two of you could pick up just where things left off. Until then, it’s better to just let things be and go with the flow. In addition, Mercury’s reversal provides for a wonderful opportunity to correct past mistakes and should be a time where you work to correct problematic relationship habits.
Taken
No matter if you’ve been dating for a few months or a few years, you may find yourself questioning your commitment to or interest in your sweetie, and communication snafus will be sure to cause arguments. Be patient. If things “get weird,” blame it on Mercury and forget about it. While waiting for things to simmer down, revisit some of your old haunts and good memories as a couple, which will help keep things in perspective.
