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Pre-Shadow Phase
Preceding the actual retrograde, Mercury starts to slow down, passing through
the same place in the sky where it will later begin to go direct again. We refer to this phase as the Pre Shadow. It typically lasts about two weeks
Although there tends to be a focus on
the retrograde period itself, the pre-shadow phase often sets up much of the difficulties that we later encounter or become aware of during the retrograde proper. The Mercury Retrograde
pre-shadow is indicated in blue in the calendar and in violet as it intensifies.
The First Sensitive Point
The Mercury Pre-Shadow begins as Mercury passes over the same location in the sky (by longitude of the ecliptic), that it will later pass over again as it stations at the end of its
retrograde motion.
This is the first sensitive point, and it initializes the Mercury Retrograde Pre Shadow phase. People sometimes experience the time around this point as having similar
effects to the Mercury Retrograde Station.
Sensitive Point 2: Mercury Retrograde Station
During the Pre-Shadow, as Mercury slows down before it finally stops during the Retrograde Station, the effects of the Pre-Shadow strengthen. The moment that Mercury's progress through the sky momentarily stops before beginning to reverse its direction is referred to as the Mercury Retrograde Station. This is often when the Mercury Retrograde is most felt.
Often this coincides with peaking in the Mercury
retrograde phenomena and is indicated in red.
Mercury Retrograde Phase
After the Retrograde Station, Mercury appears to go backward in the sky.
Those experiences in life we often associate with Mercury, such as sharing information, emails, schedules, communication, short travel, learning, distribution of information, computers and computer programs, details and accuracy tend to become more challenging or reveal more errors.
The Mercury retrograde phase is shown in a pink
color, with the more intense times, when Mercury is moving more slowly indicated in a darker color.
Sensitive Point 3: Mercury Direct Station
Mercury’s backward motion slows down until it appears to hang in the sky again, and this second station also tends to coincide with a second peaking of the retrograde phenomena. Mercury Retrograde Post-Shadow Phase
As Mercury moves forward, it passes over the path in the sky in which it earlier went backward. The Post-Shadow Phase can sometimes show the consequences of
choices made during the retrograde proper. While Mercury is still moving slowly, right after the retrograde, the effects are more intense, indicated with the darker color of brown.
Sensitive Point 4: The End of the Post-Shadow
The last point in the Mercury Retrograde process occurs as Mercury
passes over the same longitude in the sky as it occupied earlier during its Retrograde Station. Some people experience this point as an echo effect similar to the Retrograde Station.
Mercury Goes Direct
After the Mercury Retrograde Process, Mercury continues in the sky following a direct motion for about two months until the retrograde process begins all over again.
The Calendar for Mercury Retrograde
The three phases for Mercury Retrograde are shown as different colors. The darker color represents more intense days when the retrograde effect is
stronger. Note that because of time zones, the actual dates may vary by a day as indicated.
At the Core of the Mercury Retrograde Phenomena
There are two core phenomena to Mercury Retrograde:
One is the tendency for glitches in communication, transportation, details, and errors to come
to a head during this cycle. For that reason, it is wise to check and re-check your assumptions and the oversights of others at these times as well as the unexpected.
The other is even more important. It is the degree to which you act from your core, heart, and spirit on the one hand or whether your actions come from
your buttons being pushed, from unresolved, emotions, false judgments and expectations. Often when we act from here, we become less conscious or aware. It creates 'blind spots', and
this invites the Mercury Retrograde experiences.
This is when the Retrograde cycle reveals the consequences of your actions that occurred when you ignored your heart, aliveness, and spirit.
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Being Centered
Please note that all times are approximate. The actual times are defined by the observer location and vary due to parallax
A fuller description of the Mercury Retrograde Cycle can be found here.
More about Mercury Retrograde on our sister site:
www.astrologyhoroscopereadings.com
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