The One Thing To Know If You Break Up During This Spring's Mercury Retrograde

It's that time again: Mercury is going retrograde again on March 22. This happens when Mercury speeds by the Earth, which occurs 3-4 times per year. As the closest planet to the sun, Mercury’s orbit is much shorter than the Earth’s. As Mercury is going by, you may feel that some things in your life feel off, including your relationship. If you’ve recently had a breakup or you have one during this time, you may wonder how Mercury retrograde in March will affect breakups.

“In astrology, Mercury is the planet that is associated with all forms of communication and movement,” Linda Furiate, a consulting Astrologer, Healthy Habits Expert, Reiki I&II, Inspirational Guide, and the founder of Of Universal Mind, tells Bustle. “Approximately three times a year, Mercury will appear to move backwards in the sky, and this is called Retrograde Motion. This optical illusion has much to do with the travel distance between Mercury and the Sun as witnessed and observed from planet Earth. Now, Mercury will be retrograde from March 22 at 8:19 p.m.-April 15, 2018 at 5:21 a.m. EDT.” So, if you have a breakup around Mercury Retrograde, there are some things to watch out for, such as if the breakup will last.

Aside from Mercury retrograde potentially being the cause of a breakup, the whole month of March seems to be tainted, breakup-wise. In fact, a few years ago, British journalist David McCandless analyzed Facebook data to uncover breakup trends using keywords in 10,000 people’s statuses, such as “break up” and “broken up,” — and he found that March is the most popular month for breakups. Whoa, right? You may have known that around New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day were big breakup times, but March, too? Yep.

Plus, filing for divorce is most common in March, too — as well as August — a study found. It was done by associate sociology professor Julie Brines and doctoral candidate Brian Serafini, both of the University of Washington, and they examined filings for divorce in Washington State from 2001 to 2015. These months are not around popular holidays, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, which are “sacred times,” according to Brines.

Mercury Retrograde’s Influence On Romantic Relationships

“When Mercury is in retrograde Motion, there may be a higher probability for activities related to communication to become misinterpreted or misunderstood,” Furiate says. “While it is impossible to predict everything that may happen while Mercury is retrograde, this may influence our relationships.” Furiate says this is because the truth may be revealed during a Mercury retrograde cycle. “This may be a time when we turn inward to connect more with our true needs and values,” she says. “In terms of our relationships, we may often say something to our partner that does not reflect their truth. This differencing of thought and communication may lead to a potential ending or breakup of the relationship.” Plus, given that Mercury retrograde begins in March — aka the biggest break-up month of the year according to McCandless’ Facebook status research above — that’s another reason to be mindful of communication patterns in your relationship right now more than ever.

Like Furiate says, the fate of your relationship can depend on your communication style, and Linda Joyce, Relationship Expert and Astrologer, agrees. “When it comes to relationships, Mercury retrograde can be a benefit or a dilemma, depending on what kind of a communicator you are,” she tells Bustle. “A retrograde will bring up old issues that haven’t been resolved, and we all know how well that goes over, especially with men who tend to prefer to avoid emotional conflict rather than deal with it and get it off the table.”

Wave Rayne, Metaphysical Teacher and Spiritual Guide and Author who leads Courses during rare cosmic events like All Planets Direct Motion (APDM), also has a theory about Mercury retrograde and its effect on relationships. “Mercury stations retrograde on March 22, and it’s in the sign of fiery, combustible Aries,” she tells Bustle. “While you and your partner have had a nice month because Mercury has been traveling so close to Venus, get ready for things to go [wild] during Mercury retrograde. Even if your relationship is grounded and stable, this is going to be a challenging time.”

Mercury Retrograde May Mean Breakups Are More Likely To Happen...

If you and your partner break up around Mercury retrograde or in the midst of it, you may wonder if you’ll get back together again. After all, with the chance of communication being misunderstood during Mercury retrograde, making up may be likely to happen. “Whether or not this breakup will last may depend on numerous things as witnessed in each of our own astrology charts,” Furiate says. “I would have to ask my client: Is this time first time you broke up? Did you meet during a Mercury retrograde? Does either partner have Mercury retrograde in their birth chart?”

Joyce agrees that breakups could happen at this time. “If there are particularly hurtful issues unresolved, it could cause a breakup,” she says. “The retrograde will not determine how long a breakup will last — all it does it put the problem in your face again.”

Rayne says that breakups during Mercury retrograde may even last. “If a breakup occurs for any reason, it’s likely to stick if one of you has been building up resentments,” she says. Also, there’s that whole March-is-the-most-popular-month-for-breakups issue.

...But That Breakup May Not Last

If you and your partner have broken up, should you get back together again? Can you blame Mercury retrograde for it? “Unless there are factors that may endanger two people from being together, if a breakup does occur during a Mercury retrograde, I often advise my clients to give the relationship one more shot once Mercury is moving forward,” Furiate says.

Joyce, too, believes a couple may get back together again — but that they should do so with caution. “If both parties still want to make it work, there is a very good chance they’ll get back together and try to work it out during the retrograde,” Joyce says. “However, a retrograde takes you back over old issues and it will keep doing so until you resolve them — a retrograde just takes you on the merry-go-round one more time. Some people don’t have to be dragged through the coals over and over again to get the message, and others do. So please find the courage to face what needs to be faced, because you won’t escape the conflict forever. There is definitely a desire to reconnect during a retrograde, but the retrograde itself will not keep a couple together — it will just throw them together.”

Rayne, too, says getting back together is possible — but after Mercury retrograde ends. “When Mercury stations direct on April 15, there is a chance to reunite and forgive the weirdness that caused you both to split,” she says, “because you will both recognize that things were out of your control with the retrograde.”

There you have it. If you’re in a relationship during this next Mercury retrograde, communicate with caution. If you happen to break up around it, know that the breakup may not be permanent, and consider revisiting the relationship once retrograde ends on April 15 at 5:21 am EDT.