No, Mercury Retrograde And Mercury Retroshade Are Not The Same Thing

The universe likes to play cruel jokes on us for sure. First Mercury goes into retrograde and then retroshade comes swooping in. It's like, can we get a break from hellish chaos down over here? While both planetary events are basically tropical storms of negativity, there actually is a difference between retrograde and retroshade. Though they sound similar and both cause similar effects, they're not the same thing at all.

Retrograde is an apparent change in the direction of a planet, where is goes backwards. While the planet does not actually start to go backwards in orbit, from our perspective on Earth, it looks like it's going backward. Meaning, it's essentially an optical illusion. That said, astrologists believe that the mere appearance of the backward motion illusion is enough to have significant negative effects down here on Earth. Astrologists believe that during retrograde, things tend to go awry. Plans experience unforeseen interferences and we end up having to deal with more obstacles than during the time that the planet is moving in an apparent forward motion, or, prograding.

Retroshade on the other hand, is a shadow period that begins two weeks before a retrograde and then starts again two weeks after a retrograde cycle. You can kind of think of it as a pre-menstrual cycle and post-menstrual cycle. You know, that moody turmoil that you go through, days before your week of period-related stress, and then those days after your period where you go through damage control and have to work on getting your life back together after you let it fall apart? While retroshade is not thought of to be nearly as toxic and damaging as at retrograde can be, it's still considered by astrologists to be a period of time in which things should be expected to be messy.

To be safe, you should probably just treat both the retrograde and the retroshade with the same amount of preparation and precaution. If you tend to be extra careful during retrograde, treat retroshade with the same attention. Make the extra effort to make sure you unplugged your straightener before you leave the house. Be extra nice and compassionate to the people you love and find it in you to practice patience. If you go into each day expecting there to be an obstacle, you won't be thrown off when there is. Leave extra early to get to work, during a retrograde and retroshade, chances are there will be extra traffic, extra delays and extra set backs.

Above all, try to remember that we're all going through it together. If we all treat each other with a little bit more love and respect during these trying times, we'll be better equip to handle them. Just remember that as with anything, it's mind over matter, so trust that you have it in you to overcome anything that comes between you and your goals. We're all strong enough to power forth when faced with set backs. Retrograde and retroshade are literally just illusions, so they don't have the power to get in your way unless you let them.