Life
Many of us can be scared of the effects of Mercury retrograde, which started July 26 and goes until August 19. But why should we spend those weeks living in fear all of your tech is going to fry or your close relationships are just going to fail overnight? There are certain things you can do during this summer 2018's Mercury retrograde to make life a little easier. After all, we're all only human, and reality is ours to win.
Mercury retrograde can also be an amazing opportunity to heal. It could be seen as this: there's more pressure on us to go within and be more intentional about what does and doesn't serve us, so while there's more of a likelihood for things to go wrong, we also have more of a chance of bettering them. It's all just energy waiting to be used, and inaction may often be what does us in during the same energetic periods ruled by communication.
This retrograde is the second one of the year, meaning you can look at the period of events during the first to try and see what went wrong. Then try something different this time to get a different result. Just because you always catch a cold more during certain times of the year doesn't mean everyone, or even you, is going to always be sick for set times.
You may be more vulnerable to the elements sometimes when it's flu season, but if you've learned to cough into your hand and take your medicine and bundle up, you'll have yourself some strong immunity. By that token, there are tools for you to make sure you're bundling up with to survive Mercury retrograde. Read on to see more:
1Journal. Like, a lot.
If you can go within to see what's really bothering you, make sure to do that. Journaling can be the biggest act of self care in this regard, and it is a way to see what the deepest of our thoughts and feelings can be.
If we can communicate oh-so-intimately with our deepest selves, then it will help us with communicating oh so intimately with other humans, which Mercury retrograde is famous for making difficult.
2Spend time in nature.
Nothing can break the bond you and Mother Earth have, not even an energetically disturbing planet. Try sitting in a nearby forest or by the beach and close your eyes. Think about everything amazing in your life right now, or everything amazing that you accomplished recently that you can take credit for. The chirping of birds, the blowing of the wind, the soft texture of the grass beneath you — that all is sending you a message that you are loved. Which is a message that can be harder to receive on your own during Mercury retrograde. That's why you can hear it yourself with the help of your nature friends!
3Declutter your room.
The Marie Kondo stans out there would approve of anyone trying to make a positive change like this — try ~communicating~ with your material possessions and figure out which ones deserve new homes and more appreciation. Hey, this is an area where you can feel more abundant during a retrograde that's for a cleansing too — clearing out old things makes room for the new, just as it may go with relationships this season.
4Make some resolutions.
What do you really care about? A Mercury in retrograde can bring out honesty, so take advantage of that and ask yourself some more tough questions about where you're headed. What are your goals for the next four seasons? How are you going to achieve them? If anyone's going to be honest with you during this season, it's you to you. There will be no sugar coating here...
5Assess your true passions.
Your true passions are just dying to be uncovered. Look at everything you're involved in now, and ask whether it is out of obligation or because it truly brings you joy. If it's not a joyful hobby or activity, you should consider disposing of it — communicate with yourself with authenticity!
6Make concentrated efforts to make new friends.
Communication with people you have less fear about losing (close connections can be the scariest to navigate right now) may renew your soul in ways you didn't know. If you've been meaning to get lunch with a new colleague, do it. Take the leap to message that guy from work happy hour who nerds out about the same books or the girl making your early morning cup of joe that always knows the right thing to say when you're complaining. Feeling abundant in the new people to meet can really help you through a retrograde!
7Keep track of your finances.
Communication with the bank during this time also matters. And if you aren't keeping track of the spending you may be doing on ice cream to ease the retrograde pain, it may come back to bite you. The most practical thing you can do is set limits for yourself, but also be prepared for when your monkey mind comes to protest not being able to max out your card. Don't let it win!
8Learn more about astrology.
If knowledge is power, then astrology might be one of the key ways out there. If your astrology comprehension is limited to checking online for your weekly horoscope, then it may be tempting to feel like all of this star stuff is happening to us and we're a victim of circumstance. The truth is, the stars can provide us with the ability to make sense of the world around us — and then, using that knowledge, we can change the world around us. But this can only happen if we are willing to exert the effort required to eradicate our fears and learn the subject ourselves.
Sometimes it may be easier to hide under the covers and fear what may happen if you were born to piss off the wrong planet. But don't let that be your Mercury retrograde experience. Read more websites, books, or articles about the strange phenomenon that is philosophy if you feel compelled. You might learn it's more of a friendly science to help you with your life than you think.
9Find time to relax and unwind after hard work.
Sometimes we go for too long without taking time to enjoy where we are now.
Make extra sure you're taking acts of self care seriously. Get those massages. Read those interesting books. Scrub yourself down with that cinnamon-scented body wash. Watch a comedy on Netflix.
And make sure you try to live a less fast-paced life, at least until the stars say Mercury is back in its normal rotation, as the rest of us wish to be.
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