Mercury Retrograde: Chaos, Magic, and the Perfect Excuse to Pause

Ah, Mercury Retrograde. The astrological scapegoat we love to blame for broken printers, awkward texts, and exes sliding back into the DMs. But for us witches? This planetary backspin isn’t a curse. It’s an invitation.

Three or four times a year (including now until the 10th of August), Mercury, the planet of communication, technology, travel, and clever thinking, appears to reverse its orbit. Cue the classic symptoms: miscommunications, delayed flights, emotional landmines, and lost passwords. But what if I told you Mercury Retrograde isn’t out to get you? It’s out to get your attention.

This is sacred Trickster energy. Mercury (or Hermes, if you prefer the Greek version) is the god of thresholds, messengers, and magical mischief. He moves between worlds and brings up what’s been buried. When he’s retrograde, everything flips. What’s hidden rises. What’s avoided demands presence. What’s unspoken starts shouting.

And that’s the magic.

Rather than pushing forward, Mercury Retrograde wants you to turn inward. Slow down. Reflect. Revisit. Redo. Return. It’s like a reversed tarot card, a little complicated, but often far more powerful. Here’s how I work with this energy in my own practice:

Shadow Work & Introspection – This is prime time to dust off the journal and go inward. Light a candle, brew a nervine tea, and ask your subconscious what it’s been trying to tell you. Pull cards. Write without editing. Let your inner voice get loud.

Tech & Energy Cleansing – Retrograde loves a digital meltdown, so I meet it halfway. I cleanse my phone with rosemary smoke, change passwords, and delete files like it’s a banishing spell. Clear inbox, clear mind.

Protection & Boundaries – Communication gets wonky, so I ward my words. A sigil on my planner. A black tourmaline crystal by my modem. A mirror spell for clarity. Don’t just brace for chaos, charm your way through it.

Reconnection & Resolution – Exes and old friends may reappear, not always for drama, but sometimes for healing. This is a window to say the things left unsaid. Just use your discernment, some doors are better left closed.

Do Less. Breathe More – Retrograde isn’t the time to launch something shiny and new. It’s the time to retreat, revise, and regroup. Rest isn’t laziness. It’s strategic magic.

Think of Mercury Retrograde like a cosmic feedback loop. It’s annoying, yes. But it’s also an unmissable opportunity to clear, close, and course-correct. If you work with it instead of against it, you’ll come out the other side sharper, clearer, and more in alignment with what actually matters.

So the next time Mercury spins backwards, don’t panic. Light a candle, set your boundaries, and make space to hear the messages tucked between the glitches.

There’s magic in the mess.

And you? You were made for this kind of magic.