Mercury Retrograde Might Be Over, But Here's How It Will Still Affect Tax Day

The prospect of planetary chaos and Tax Day crossing paths on the calendar sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. But Mercury's post retrograde shadow and tax day are happening at the same time this year — and if you're anything like me, the second you hear Mercury retrograde-anything, you immediately deem it as "planetary chaos." But don't freak out just yet — all this means is that you have to be a little more cautious than usual!

On April 17, 2018, the tax season will officially come to a close. All of your paper work should be filed (unless you were granted an extension) and it will be your time to sit around and wait to find out if you're going to get a refund or if you're going to have to repay a deficit — or if you totally messed up your taxes, either way. Up in the sky, on April 15, 2018, Mercury's retrograde officially came to a close — meaning Tax Day and retrograde missed each other by two days. However, due to a little thing called a post-shadow phase of a retrograde, that doesn't mean Mercury's retrograde effects immediately disappear; in fact, they stick around for roughly two weeks as the planet turns direct again. This means that Tax Day falls during the post-shadow phase of Mercury retrograde, The official tax filing day actually falls on Mercury's post-retrograde shadow, which means that some effects commonly caused by Mercury retrograde might rear their heads come Apr. 17.

Since we're in the shadow period, we can rely on technology and communication functioning a bit better, which should help when it comes to taxes — but considering Mercury's retrograde tends to be a time of relentless setbacks, communication issues, and unforeseen obstacles that we're somehow never fully prepared to deal with, it's worth being careful if you're planning to file your taxes by Apr. 17.

The post retrograde shadow period that goes from Apr. 15 to May 3 is an incredibly reflective time, that — while still challenging — can be a great time to get your life in proper order. So even if you waited until the very last minute to file your taxes, you should be in a sound enough mindset that you won't be paying for unnecessary mistakes.

And while you might still feel foggy and unmotivated in this post-retrograde shadow period, you should be proud of yourself for weathering through and getting your taxes done.

Tax season and Mercury's retrograde and shadow periods don't need to be disastrous times. We know they're coming, we know when they're coming, and we know the complications that can arise on their behalf. So taking some time to mentally prepare yourself after the chaos of events each year is incredibly helpful. If you tell yourself each year that you're going to get a box for your receipts and folder for your paper work and a notebook to keep track of your expenses — but then you never do — use this shadow period after filing to head to the office supply store and set yourself up for a better year. Start good habits now that you can keep, so that no matter what comes up in life or in retrograde, you're on top of your money game.

And do keep in mind that even though this is a tempting time of year to splurge, you should force yourself to think about big purchases for a few days before committing. All of this negative energy that you're still carrying from Mercury's retrograde might be a bit of a devil on your shoulder when it comes to knowing what you actually need. So think about it for a few days, if you still want it, treat yourself.