Walking Backwards on the Planet of Love and Loss
"This life is built almost entirely of love and losing, isn't it?" – Andrea Gibson (1975–2025)
Mercury, the planetary ruler of all forms of communication – as well as all forms of travel – goes retrograde today, July 17, and remains so until August 11. When a planet appears to travel backward in the sky, it is said to be "retrograde," from the Latin for "walk backward." Of course, the planets in our solar system don't actually reverse course. Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion from our perspective on Earth, occurring due to the difference in the relative motion of Earth's orbit around the Sun and that of another planet.
Mercury retrograde is a well-known astrological event that prompts much unwarranted anxiety – and it happens three or four times each year, lasting roughly 3½ weeks. This current Mercury retrograde occurs in the sign of Leo and – like any other Mercury retrograde – can be associated with unexpected delays, miscommunications, misunderstandings, technical glitches, and changes in plans. So in other words, just like any other day. 😏
But seriously, a retrograde is a BIG window of opportunity – to reflect, repair, renegotiate, reconsider – all the "re" words.
On a deeper level, Mercury retrograde is an opportunity for repatterning. For starters, any time you catch yourself thinking or saying something along the lines of “I/they always/never,” consider that it might not be true anymore – or that it doesn’t have to be. Leo is the ruler of the heart. No matter what your Sun sign is, this retrograde is a good time to have the courage to (re)consider what your heart really wants and to communicate it.
Traditionally, the advice for Mercury retrograde includes delaying major purchases, holding off on signing contracts, allowing extra time while traveling, and taking more care to choose the “right” words when communicating. This practical guidance is still prudent – but what if we also used this time to reflect on who and what we love, have loved, or inevitably – will one day lose – and the perpetual resilience of our hearts?
