3 Mercury Retrograde Protection Rituals To Keep The Drama At Bay

Halloween was scary and all, but in my humble opinion, the real Spook-tober vibes all centered around Mercury retrograde fall 2019 this year, which kicked off on Oct. 31 and continues to run its course through Nov. 20, giving us nearly three long weeks of its particular brand of astrological mayhem. With that in mind, performing some protective rituals for Mercury retrograde fall 2019 could help you connect with yourself and preserve your energy. After all, Mercury retrogrades are notorious for funking up our communication skills, throwing major wrenches in our schedules, screwing with our technological devices, and making us late to pretty much everything.

This transit marks the final Mercury retrograde period of 2019, and it's taking place in the secretive, controlling, and deeply emotional sign of Scorpio. This has been a year of water sign Mercury retrogrades, meaning we've been exploring the underbelly of our sensitive, intuitive, and emotional sides. Spring's Mercury retrograde took place during dreamy Pisces season, while summer's backspin found itself in the protective sea of Cancer. Throughout this year, these transits have forced us to reason with how we express ourselves emotionally and grapple with emotional truths boiling up to the surface.

This retrograde in Scorpio is shaping up to be the most intense of the year, as it'll have us dealing with secrets and private matters, forcing us to come to terms with reality. Ritual work is certainly going to be helpful. Before you start any ritual, though, it's important to be intentional about the endeavor and make sure your work space feels magical and sacred to you by doing some energetic cleansing. Given that this retrograde is taking place in a water sign, I'll also be intentionally drinking my crystal-healing-infused ritual water (which you can easily make yourself using products like SOJI's Black Obsidian Crystal Elixir Water Bottle or VitaJuwel's Via Guardian Gemwater Bottle). You might also consider taking an Epsom salt bath with your favorite essential oils prior to your ritual work in order to cleanse yourself both physically and energetically.

Prep your altar and magickal tools, and choose from the Mercury retrograde fall 2019 protection rituals below to make sure you're energetically armed and ready for the astrological forces at hand.

Protective Magical Cleansing Pouch Ritual

During a Mercury retrograde period like this one, it can be helpful to create a talisman that you can carry with you as a physical representation of the energetic protection you're summoning — and making a protective pouch is a great way to do so. "This is a wonderful little spell in a bag that you can carry around with you and use whenever you feel like you need to cleanse the energy of others away from you," explained Wiccan Spells on its site. "It's ideal for when you are out and about ... and would be equally beneficial if you were to keep it in your car, so that it banishes and cleanses any negative energy around you." Make one for yourself, inspired by the instructions given by Wiccan Spells.

What you'll need: 1 black square piece of fabric; a piece of ribbon; 1 small black chime candle; 1 small black protective crystal of your choosing; dried rose petals, sage and thyme leaves; lavender and/or sage essential oil.

What to do: Once you've cleansed your work space, you may begin your ritual by anointing the black candle with either clarifying sage oil and/or calming lavender oil. If you feel inclined, you may carve any protective symbols into the candle that you'd like, and then light your candle. Once the flame has found itself, use the smoke from the flame as a smudging tool and pass each of the objects being used in your pouch through the stream of smoke — the fabric, ribbon, crystal, and pouches of herbs. Practice fire safety, of course, and don't get close to the flame! As you do so, imagine the flame of the black candle as a protective force, strengthening around you.

Now, as instructed by Wiccan Spells, speak the following chant aloud three times in a row. I advise that you read it through a few times before you say it aloud so you understand what you're speaking and can put honest intention behind it.

Cleanse my soul, I ask of thee, Cleanse my soul of all negativity, Energy, and wishes, thoughts and deeds. Cleanse them all, So mote it be. And as you cleanse, protect my soul too, Through day and night, and the morning dew, Protect from harm and negativity, Cleanse it now, and leave only purity, It is done.

Once you've repeated the chant, it's time to construct your Mercury retrograde protection pouch. Blow out the black candle, lay out your black fabric, and then carefully place your crystal as well as some of the dried leaves and petals in the center of the fabric. You may add a couple drops of sage or lavender oil at this time, too, if you'd like. Now draw up the corners of the pouch and tie them together tightly with the ribbon, creating a secure and small pouch that can be carried with you throughout the duration of the retrograde. You may repeat the ritual with the same materials anytime you feel you need a protective boost.

Summon Protective Mercurial Energy For A Smooth Ride

We're all familiar with Mercury retrograde drama. And according to Old World Witchcraft, it's actually "the absence of Mercurial energy that is the cause of [Mercury retrograde] problems," rather than the retrograde energy itself. Summoning the energy of Mercury can be an effective way to combat the retrograde drama, and the following protection ritual is inspired by one that Old World Witchcraft created.

What you'll need: 3 chime candles; a Mercury retrograde ritual herb blend or other protective dried herb blend of your choosing; essential oil of your choosing; palo santo stick; pen and paper.

What to do: Perform this ritual at your home altar or any other space in your home that you're able to set aside for ritual work through the duration of the retrograde. Begin by taking each candle into your hands, one by one, and rubbing them between your palms. As you do so, close your eyes and envision yourself charging them up with your energy and connecting with you. Spend as much time as you need on this step. Once you finish one candle, do the same for the other two.

Now, take your piece of paper and pen and draw a large, clear Mercury symbol on it (☿). "Gaze at the symbol. Allow your gaze to soften and become out of focus. Breathe," advises Old World Witchcraft. "This is an ancient and powerful symbol. One that assists with communication, the legal system, travel, and the fruition of goals." Once you feel you've connected with the symbol and the Mercurial energy it represents, roll each candle on top of the piece of paper with the symbol to infuse Mercury's energy into the candles.

Now, carefully anoint each of your candles with a bit of essential oil. Pour a bit of your protective dried herb blend onto your Mercury sigil (which should be laying flat on your altar or table top) and roll each candle in the herbs. The herbs should stick to the candle, but don't worry if there's some leftover on the piece of paper. Place them in candle holders and then put them on top of the Mercury symbol.

"While holding the conscious intention of attracting pristine communication, perfect travel plans, and fast-operating technology, light the candles," instructed Old World Witchcraft. "Sit in meditation for a moment. Mercury is now evoked." Now, you may light your palo santo stick and slowly, intentionally cleanse yourself in a clockwise motion, and cleanse your ritual space where the candles are burning as well. Allow the candles to fully burn down safely, and the ritual is complete.

Daily Mercury Retrograde Meditation Ritual

Checking in with ourselves regularly during Mercury retrograde is an absolute must if we don't want to get caught up (and risk drowning!) in the rough, deep currents of this Scorpio-ruled backspin. "[Mercury retrograde] gives us the opportunity to assess our truth and how we have been communicating it to the world," wrote The Hoodwitch on its site. "This dual process has to exist and happen for us to really understand who we are and how we choose to express or communicate this information." The following meditation ritual, based on this one published by The Hoodwitch, is designed to be used daily during the retrograde, which will help you stay aware of the transformations you're going through and also stay grounded during the potentially rough ride.

What you'll need: 1 protective Mercury retrograde crystal of your choosing; incense or essential oils in either vetiver, patchouli, lavender, or chamomile and/or candles (preferably in blue, black, or white).

What to do: This ritual is designed to be 15-30 minutes long and used daily. This may seem like a relatively large and daunting commitment when you have a busy, on-the-go schedule, but Mercury retrograde periods are truly a time for slowing down. A refusal to do so is generally what causes the classic retrograde mishaps and frustrations in the first place. Carving out just 15 minutes of your day to focus on checking in with yourself and connecting with the lessons Mercury retrograde is trying to teach you is pivotal to making the most of this transit.

That said, perform your ritual each day whenever you have a few moments of uninterrupted quiet and peace. Your grounding force for the meditations should be the protective crystal that you choose to use. Keep this with you through the retrograde in your purse or pocket so that you'll always have its energy — and so you can perform your meditation even if you're not at home.

Begin by sitting and clearing your mind, holding your crystal in your palm or placing it next to or in front of you. I recommend you either light a stick of incense, diffuse or burn a few drops of essential oil, or light a candle in order to set a mood and acknowledge that you're beginning a sacred meditation. You may use a combination of these rituals, a different one each day, or none at all, if you're unable to do so.

The following mantra, published by The Hoodwitch, will be the focus and intention of your meditation. It may be helpful to write it down by hand in your book of shadows or journal, so that you feel more deeply connected to it. You may also want to speak it aloud.

The information shown during this retrograde will show me the way to break free from comfort zones and routines. This change of pace offers me a new opportunity to change my life direction appropriately. I am being shown new ways to broaden my my perspective by using my intuition.

"Allow insights from your meditations to lead you into deeper relaxation," advised The Hoodwitch. "[U]tilize candles, herbs, stones, and oils to create your own rituals for self-reflection, peace of mind and mental clarity." The ritual is complete.