Mercury went retrograde this month in the sign of Virgo on Aug. 12, and will move direct on Sept. 5, having retrograded all the way back in the sign of Leo. Depending on the sign that Mercury retrogrades into, the lessons it teaches us can vary. And since the real stormy periods are right when Mercury goes into retrograde and right when it goes direct, now is a good time to start processing the lessons of this particular retrograde. These are the lessons Mercury Retrograde in Virgo brings; embrace them, reconnect with them, and focus within on the ways you can incorporate them (without judgment) in your lives.
Managing Stress
Virgo is a sign that's prone to a good deal of stress, and this sign shifts all our focus onto the ways we can improve. Unfortunately, this can negatively impact our self-talk, causing us to focus more on the things we could be doing wrong than the things we could be doing right.
It's important to remember that there is progress even when we appear to be moving backward, much like the planet Mercury. It's important to take responsibility for our own negative self-talk, our routines that serve us well and the ones that could be harming us.
It's good to focus on our own improvement, but we don't need to do it at the cost of our mental health.
Revamping Your Physical Health
Virgo brings into focus the ways we might be failing ourselves, and Mercury Retrograde brings to light our day-to-day life and how smoothly it runs. With Mercury Retrograde happening in the sign of Virgo, we're able to see the ways our physical habits might be getting in the way of our daily routines.
If you've been sleeping in excessively, or you really need to watch the amount of junk food you're indulging in, or have been thinking about cutting out a bad habit like smoking, now is the time when those things will come into an acute level of focus now.
You may not feel ready, but even so, Mercury has its guiding hand on your back, pushing you forward into the unknown. Follow through. You'll be ready when you try.
Valuing Your Daily Work
Mercury Retrograde in Virgo is a popular time for quitting our jobs. Anyone who isn't happy in their day-to-day work will feel restless, irritable, discontent with the routine. I mentioned already that much of the focus of Virgo is on mental health — well, part of that is on your spiritual fulfillment.
You may feel as if you could be of more service in the world in a new position somewhere else, you might feel as if the job you're in doesn't serve your highest purpose. This can cause problems with coworkers, or it can lead you to perform your job lazily, and that won't work. Remember that you can continue to do the work you are doing while seeking more, but that doing good work is rewarding in and of itself.
On the other hand, you might go back to a job at a position you previously held, and you can feel good about returning to your old work with a fresh set of eyes and ears. You know you'll be valued there.
Unhealthy Relationships
Being that Mercury is the planet of communication, Virgo is the sign of health, and that the retrograde period is a time of review, poor communication habits will seriously need to be looked at. If you're in a relationship that is codependent in any way, or you simply need to look at the way you deal with conflict and improve on that, now is the time to do it.
Many couples will enter therapy together during Mercury Retrograde in Virgo, and this is the ideal time to do so, as you review the healthy and unhealthy ways you communicate with one another.
Make sure you are using the retrograde to review and improve your lives in these ways, and you'll find that actually, Mercury Retrograde isn't that much of a pain in the ass after all.
