You Should Wait Until January Before Getting Back With Your Ex, Thanks To Mercury Retrograde

If your life seems a little off these days, it could be due to Mercury Retrograde. Yep, it's happening right now, from Dec. 3 through Dec. 22, and Mercury Retrograde can affect everything from your holiday travel to your love life. Of course, the term "Mercury Retrograde" is being thrown around a lot lately. According to Astrology Zone, it occurs 3-4 times a year and is when Mercury speeds past the Earth. Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, and its orbit is much shorter than our planet's. So when Mercury zooms by, you may feel it in the sense that it affects your life and causes things to be out of whack for a few weeks.

This Mercury Retrograde falls during the holiday season, which is also the season for breaking up, according to a study done by London-based data journalist, David McCandless, and Lee Byron, that looked at Facebook updates regarding breakups. If you and your significant other broke up, either recently or not, it may be tempting to get back together now — you just want somebody to kiss under the mistletoe! — but think again.

"It just won't last," Wave Rayne, Metaphysical Teacher, Author, Leader of Synchronized Global Meditations of Peace, Star Codes Coach, and the first known astrologer to publish articles, teach online courses, and present slideshow lectures on both the occurrence and potential of All Planets Direct Motion (APDM), tells Bustle. "Avoid temptation and wait until Christmas or New Year's, and then take it easy, go slow. By mid-January, things get hot again."

Why You're Better Off Waiting Until After The Holidays

Jaye at GiftedAstrology.com agrees with Rayne that you and an ex getting back together during this Mercury Retrograde period is not a good idea. "While rekindling an old romance during the holidays may sound like a beautiful idea, it's not the best option when it's during Mercury Retrograde," Jaye tells Bustle. "If your relationship already broke up once and you're bringing old wounds back to the same combination to try to heal them or fix things, the ground will be even more shaky while Mercury's energies are turned inward (or retrograde). Astrologically, it may be best to wait until Mercury goes direct towards the end of the month when energies are forward-moving and you don't have to take the long way back to repairing love. Though Mercury goes direct on Dec. 22, it takes a little while for its energies to get up to full speed ahead. If you need that extra planetary help to get back together with your ex, it maybe best to wait until after the holidays to give it another try."

Why You're Likely To Rethink Your Past Decisions During Mercury Retrograde

Linda Furiate, a consulting Astrologer, Healthy Habits Expert, Reiki I&II, Inspirational Guide, and the founder of Of Universal Mind, tells Bustle that Mercury Retrograde can have us rethinking our past choices. "The planet Mercury rules all forms of communication," Furiate tells Bustle. "He (Mercury) rules our rational and logical mind with our ability to articulate our desires. When Mercury retrogrades — i.e., when he travels too closely to the Sun — his message may become lost or not be seen in the light for which it was intended. Mercury Retrogrades allow us to rethink our prior decisions: Did we make a right decision? Do I know what I really want? Etc. Often, our mind runs wild with ideas that we feel may be spot-on perfect for us — only, later, once Mercury moves forward, no longer blinded by the Sun, we awaken to thoughts of reality."

And with Mercury Retrograde falling during the holidays, it may mean more complications. "With Mercury Retrograde in the freedom-loving and optimistic sign of Sagittarius this holiday season, our mind may be consumed with instant gratification, larger-than-life ideals, and a stronger desire to outwit our restlessness," Furiate says. "This inner drive and edgy desire for pleasure may lead us to become involved in activities that felt terrific at first — yet, when the mindless buzz of holiday joy wears off, we often awaken to regret, shame, and self-doubt."

As you can see from the above, there are plenty of reasons to not get back together with an ex during Mercury Retrograde. If you think about it, it's only for 2-3 more weeks, and if you and your ex are ~meant to be~, you can wait and see what happens once Mercury Retrograde is over.