The end of March brings the promise of so many new and better things: more sun, longer days, the potential end to snowstorms (fingers crossed!) and, ultimately, the spring equinox, a time for energy and balance. There's a lot to look forward to, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows: Mercury retrograde is returning in March 2018.
Specifically, on Mar. 22, Mercury will go into retrograde, and this period will last until Apr. 15. Of course, I don't mean to alarm you or anything, but you need to be prepared — as you may already know, Mercury retrograde is a time when things like communication and technology to tend to feel totally wonky and like something could go wrong at any moment (and honestly, they probably will). When Mercury goes into retrograde, it means that the planet Mercury is rotating faster than the Earth, which seems to make everything a little off balance.
Mercury is the ruler of communication, travel, and coding, so when it's in retrograde, it's common for issues to pop up in these areas. You might notice that you or the people close to you are a little more disagreeable. It might be hard for you to accurately get your point across without offending someone, or you might have a hard time articulating your thoughts. The wrong thing will probably be said at some point. Chalk it up to Mercury Retrograde! This is also a time that will negatively affect travel, whether it's in the form of annoying delays, traffic, or getting completely lost. Mercury Retrograde is also known to make technology go haywire.
This March, Mercury goes into retrograde in the sign of Aries, which means it's going to be kind of intense. The Aries sign is known to be bold and combative, and Mercury being in retrograde can make this sign even more passionate. According to Dark Pixie Astrology, "Mercury retrograde in Aries can bring some hot-hot-hot energy, as Aries is a high energy fire and cardinal sign. We can be more impulsive, impatient, wanting to jump into things without thinking, and this can get us in hot water in a flash, or cause some unexpected problems because we didn't think things through enough." Because of this energy, we may notice an increase in fighting, debating, and maybe even violence. You can avoid this by thinking everything through twice, staying extra vigilant, and doing whatever you can to calm yourself down if your temper flares.
This retrograde also starts with the moon in Gemini, which is a sign Mercury naturally rules. That means that this retrograde could be even more intense, with lots of communication issues. Again, be careful about your words so that you avoid saying something you never wanted to say out loud. Towards the end of Mercury retrograde, the second full moon of the month will happen in Capricorn. As Dark Pixie Astrology wrote, "That full moon is so jam-packed with energy that we need to be extra, extra careful with."
On top of all of that, Mercury retrograde is happening only two days after the spring equinox, which occurs on Mar. 20. The first day of spring signifies the urge to try new things, cleanse yourself of the past, and take on some new goals and responsibilities. Unfortunately, these are the kinds of things you would typically want to avoid doing during Mercury retrograde. Because of the issues that come with retrograde, astrologers normally advise people to take it easy, rather than trying something new and complicated — it's just not really the best time to stir the pot! So, while you may feel the impulse to do something new and bring new energy into your life, you might also want to tone that down until after Apr. 15, when the universe will be more calm.
Remember: we get through Mercury retrograde all the time, and we can do it again. And this time, once we're through it, we'll have a few months of beautiful weather to look forward to!
