Mercury Is in What Now?

reflecting on retrograde, eclipse season, and

learning to ride the cosmic waves.

In my Intentional Retail program, I bring an aspect of astrology into the soul work portion.

Tapping into this energy, has been more beneficial than not for me and here's how it showed up in my latest decision to postpone the program.

You can also choose to not work with these energies at all. Please exercise your free will and check in to see if this message is for you or not. If it's not, stop reading and move on to something that is more in alignment for you.

Here we go

Mercury Retrograde often feels like the most apocalyptic astrological event that you will hear discussed on social media.

But guess what? If you are in your mid forties like me, we have survived approximately 160 Mercury retrogrades.

It happens 3-4 times a year and there's been no fire and brim stone, yet.

Honestly, I've been "taking a break" from the constant recognition of astrological events. There can be so much noise around them.

I feel like there's some transit every 5 minutes these days. Messages like “If you thought that one was bad, wait for this one...” or “You must do this—or absolutely do not do this.”

I have been curating this messaging out of my feed and only taking in the more grounded awareness around astrological experiences.

These planets don't rule us or force us into submission of their power.

A new to me Intuit, Sanja, said:

"These are energies that play out in our conscious and subconscious mind. We work with them from within."

Unless you are a nihilist, you believe something about creation. Whether from god or the big bang, the planets represent a part of a larger story that we are part of, not separate from.

If I'm aware that something is coming, I’ll acknowledge it—and remind myself that if anything comes up that feels disruptive, it’s probably what’s happening above activating something within.

Then I give myself the time to allow it to come... or at least say hello to it:"I see you. I know you're here. I will accept what you have for me."

Sometimes that's easy. Sometimes it's a rollercoaster.

It's ok though—I like rollercoasters.

Typically for me I will notice the significance after the period is over. Upon reflection of the wonkiness that took place.

As I write this, Mercury is preparing to station direct, or "forward" in 2 days on April 7th. The heaviness is lifting.

The actual "science"...

Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion.

Mercury orbits the sun faster than Earth. A few times a year, it passes us in its orbit. It’s not actually moving backward—just appears to from our point of view.

It’s like when a car passes you on the highway and seems to move backward for a second.

Have you ever experienced that and felt how disorienting it is for a moment?

That’s what the energy of Mercury retrograde feels like. Disorienting. Some cycles even more than others.

And when you pair it with eclipses—like we just had—well, that’s a rollercoaster with loopty-loops.

In Roman mythology, Mercury is the messenger god—and that’s where the astrological archetype comes from.

Like Venus, the goddess of love, becomes the energy of love and beauty in the zodiac, Mercury governs communication, travel, and thought.

We can go into the other planets at some point—but for now, we’re just focusing on the ones affecting us in this moment.

This retrograde took place in Aries from March 15th to 29th, then moved into Pisces from March 29th to April 7th. The first half was fiery—fast, sharp, reactive communication. The second half, in Pisces, felt more dreamy, foggy, and scattered.

And right in the middle of it all,

enter the eclipse cycle

Eclipses usually come in pairs. A lunar eclipse brings emotional release or something coming to light.

A solar eclipse offers a kind of fresh start or extra energetic boost.

The lunar eclipse on March 14th was in Virgo. It brought attention to themes like health, daily routines, and service. It encouraged us to reassess our habits and work-life balance, to let go of patterns that no longer support us.

No wonder I felt the big boost to put Intentional Retail out into the world. I was deep in Aries energy, right alongside the Spring Equinox. I felt rebirth. Growth. There was a fire in me. I was updating my new website and fine-tuning old automations with a kind of creative fervor.

Then as we approached the solar eclipse, something shifted.

The solar eclipse on March 29th was in Aries. It was a powerful moment, being in the first sign of the zodiac. The energy emphasized new beginnings, personal growth, and stepping into leadership. It was the kind of alignment that encourages bold change.

It actually would have been a great time to keep going with launching the program. But during the same time Mercury in Retrograde was entering Pisces. The fog rolled in. And everything hit tilt.

That’s the classic Mercury retrograde caution: it’s not the best time to start something new, launch something big, or make major decisions.

With the eclipse energy amplifying the already dreamy and disoriented feeling of Mercury in Pisces, it just became too much. Confusing. Foggy. Overwhelming.

And now that I think about it, March 29th was the exact day I posted that I was postponing the program. The same day as the solar eclipse and the day Mercury shifted into Pisces.

It was like someone pulled the rug out from under me.

The Rollercoaster

There was a little voice inside my head the whole time I was prepping, gently asking, Are you sure you want to launch this during retrograde? My ego jumped in like, Nah, we’ve got this.

But… we didn’t.

And that’s okay. I’ve learned to trust that it’s part of the bigger story. Sometimes the rug needs to be pulled so that we can pause.

When the energy resets, and the rug finds its place again, we can set things in motion, if they feel right.

Now I can return to the program— pieces of it— or all of it —with a new lens.

I can reflect on what needed to be addressed. Why the pause was necessary. What emotions or realizations needed space to rise.

For me, that’s what astrology is. It’s a mirror. It shows you where things are out of alignment. It invites you to look closer.

Working with these energies doesn’t mean giving up your power or becoming a victim to the planets. It’s about choosing to ride the wave instead of getting knocked over by it.

The surf always calms. The clarity always comes.

You just have to let go long enough to feel it.