We started off 2022 with a retrograde: Venus retrograde in Capricorn. And now, joining the party is Mercury, who will go retrograde on the 14th. Let’s all take a deep breath, okay?
And, let’s preface by saying retrogrades are not always inherently bad. They’re just a shift of energy, and they will affect everyone differently. Me personally? This month has been a toughie, filled with random strings of bad luck, extra work, and relationship struggles. Personally, I often feel retrogrades just before they even start. But for you, it could do something completely different, or you may not feel it at all.
Now, let’s get into what all of this even means.
Not only are we rethinking our relationships now, but we’re rethinking our day to day lives.
I want to talk about Venus retrograde in Capricorn first – even though we’ve already been experiencing this energy. Capricorn’s stereotype is that it’s a strict, colder sign that needs to warm up to you first. Put together, career focused, and very steady and reliable. But, Capricorn can be quite warm and nurturing, and even a little, dare I say, funny.
Venus is the planet of relationships (platonic and romantic) and pleasure. It’s the planet of beauty and romance.
In retrograde, that means a lot of us have been reconsidering our relationships; questioning what kind we want and need, questioning if current significant others are serving what we need, and even asking if our friendships are fulfilling. Asking ourselves how we can bring more joy into our relationships.
For some, that can feel like friendships and relationships are falling apart. And maybe they do. Maybe you call it quits. For others, it just brings up core issues that you need to work on as partners or friends, and creates an even stronger foundation. And for others, it gets them clear on how to set up boundaries so their future relationships are fulfilling to begin with.
So, then we add a Mercury retrograde, which tends to scare everyone.
But this one feels a little different. The cliché is that our computers may get glitchy, phones will break, and we may have a little trouble getting to work in the morning. But this time, Mercury goes retrograde into Capricorn and Aquarius. These are deep-thinking signs, which means those surface level issues may still happen, but they won’t be the focus.
Mercury is all about communication, short-term or short-distance travel, and in some ways, transformations. It is a fast-moving planet that makes us think of taking action.
And again, it’s moving backwards into Capricorn. This means not only are we rethinking our relationships now, but we’re rethinking our day to day lives. Is that career serving us? What about our routines? Are we setting ourselves up for mundane, repetitive life, or are we setting ourselves up to grow?
Once Mercury falls back into Aquarius, we may be more focused on ourselves and our long-term vision with a renewed sense of creativity, focus, and may have a bit of a better plan to get there. But we have to get through a reflective, questioning Capricorn first.
See how this retrograde can really be used as a positive energy of reflection?
That doesn’t always mean it will be easy. I mean come on, two retrogrades at once! Uranus will luckily be stationing direct on January 18th, which will help get us some staying power and energy to get through this possibly tough season.
It’s definitely a reminder to take care of yourselves, especially until early February. Lean into that Venus energy and find time to do what gives you genuine pleasure. Self-care can be a bath with a bath bomb or playing your favorite video game with a friend.
And lastly, I wanted to give you some journal prompts that may be helpful to think
of during this mercury retrograde:
- Where do I want to be at the end of the year? (career wise, socially, with
money. Whichever you want to focus on) What is one little step I can take to
get there?
- How can I create a sense of calm / excitement in my life? (Choose calm
if you feel overwhelmed, choose excitement if you feel bored and stuck)
- How has the cliché idea of mercury retrograde affected how I personally
view its energy?
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