Episode 47: Mercury Retrograde and Communication Issues

Hey everyone. I am so excited to have this conversation with you today. I want to talk about Mercury retrograde and how it influences us. Mercury retrograde happens three to four times a year. And this is where we have this illusion where it appears that the planet is moving backward and it’s not. But how the planets influence our energy is very, very real. And some people are extremely affected by Mercury retrograde and some people are not as affected. For me, like Mercury retrograde doesn’t affect me as much as I see it affects other people.

I do unplug from the collective thought that it’s going to do something bad to me though. And if you are a person that is extremely affected by Mercury retrograde, or you want to make sure it doesn’t influence you in a negative way, I have your back. I have a free Mercury retrograde healing. You can click the show notes and listen to this healing. It’s really awesome. We unplug from the Mercury retrograde. So if that’s something you want to take advantage of, click on the show notes, find the healing, and listen to it.

For me, when we’re in Mercury retrograde, I take extra, extra care to look at, observe and adjust my communication. Mercury retrograde is here to teach us and to support us in taking extra care in the way that we communicate. Because there’s communication breakdowns during this phase. So when we are in Mercury retrograde, you want to think about how you’re saying something. You want to do this all throughout the year, but during this time it’s especially important.

You want to think about how you’re saying it and are you saying it the way that you really mean it? And are you saying it in a way that has kind compassion communication behind it? Because sometimes people are extra, extra sensitive and they misinterpret things during this time period. And so we want to be sure that we’re communicating in the proper way that we’re wanting to communicate what we’re wanting to say. The other thing is you want to make sure that you don’t just quickly text someone or send a quick email without reading it first to make sure that you are saying what you’re really meaning to say.

Context and tone are often lost in communication in text, emails, and written forms of communication, it’s often misinterpreted because people will insert tone and context in. And so if you are going to have a very important conversation, it is best to do it in person or through video chat so that tone and context can be displayed in front of the person you are communicating with. And this allows body language, and facial expressions to be read or felt so that the other person knows where you are coming from. And you also understand where the other person is coming from as well.

While we’re in Mercury retrograde, you also want to look at the tone that you’re using. And yes, I said that tone is lost in written form of communication, but sometimes we might be in a rush or hurrying, and our tone might not be as pleasant as we actually mean it to be. And so when you are communicating with someone, notice how your tone is. Are you in a rush? And is that tone going to be misinterpreted because you’re going to say it in a rush or is your tone going to be misinterpreted because you’re not communicating it in the exact tone that you actually need to deliver the message in?

I think tone is really important. I also think context is really important. So it’s best to think about and take a step back before communicating what you want to say. Then also, if you’ve been having a hard time communicating what you want to say anyways, practice saying it out loud so you can hear. Consider what you want to say to the person out loud one on one with yourself. This is a really effective, powerful way to hear what you’re trying to communicate to the other person before you go and speak to the person about that. I love this because anytime I have something challenging I want to say to someone, I will communicate it out loud with myself. I might talk to myself in the shower or in my car, or while I’m getting ready or while I’m journaling. It doesn’t matter how or what place you do it in.

It’s just giving yourself the opportunity to hear what you’re saying and asking yourself, “Am I communicating what I really want to say? Can I say that nicer? Can I say that with a different inflection? Can I say that with a different tone?” Because remember, we want to practice nonviolent communication. We want to practice empathy. We want to practice gentleness and compassion when we’re communicating. We also want to stand in our power, and we don’t want to give our power away. We also want to make sure we’re holding boundaries. And so communication is a key to having good relationships.

It’s also a key to supporting you in your needs because you have to communicate those needs to others. It also supports you in holding boundaries too. So we have the ability to communicate. And so it’s really awesome when we take the time to see and observe and to hear what we’re actually trying to communicate. Also, this goes on the other end of the spectrum. So when people are communicating with you during Mercury retrograde and outside of Mercury retrograde, it’s important to listen. Listen. Open your ears. Open your heart. Notice if the person is trying to communicate something with you, but maybe they’re not doing a good job of it. Maybe they’re not trying to do it on purpose. But ask yourself, am I taking this personal? Am I hearing what the person is saying? How can I hold space for this person and hold my boundaries? How can I listen without reacting until I allow the person to fully share what they want to say? Is the person communicating from their heart? Or are they having a bad day? Read the situation, the experience.

Ask yourself a lot of questions. Give the person empathy and grace when communicating as well. Because we’re going to make mistakes, and I want to encourage you to be diligent during Mercury retrograde in the way that you’re communicating. Also, take a step back. Pause. If it doesn’t serve the highest good to continue the conversation, it’s okay to say, “I need a break. Let’s pause. Let’s talk about this in a moment so I have time to digest what you said.” It is okay to take a break to one center to observe what you want to say, how you want to say it, and also to fully absorb what the other person said so you can work through if you did have any triggers, so you can work through what you want to say and how you want to communicate.

You can work through if that person said something to you that you didn’t care for, how can you communicate with them that your feelings were hurt, or you would have preferred a different form of communication around this topic? Whatever it is, you have to be the observer, and you also have to have very good listening skills. Listening skills for the other person, and also listening skills to what you’re saying and what you’re communicating through your words, through your energy, and through your body language and tone as well. I think Mercury retrograde is a blessing. I think it’s a time to slow down. There’s some other things you also want to consider during Mercury retrograde.

And it satisfies. Most people understand that. And so if you’re also planning on traveling, give yourself extra time during this space and time because there’s always delays. Not always. There can be delays during this time. I do not fear Mercury retrograde whatsoever. I have a trip planned during Mercury retrograde. If something happens during that trip, it just is what it is, and that’s what it is, and it’s okay. Will I be disappointed if something like my trip doesn’t happen or who I’m going to meet during that trip can’t arrive because something happens? Yes, of course I’m going to be disappointed.

However, I hold space and I hold an intention that whatever is meant to serve the highest good is going to serve the highest good. And I never fully understand sometimes what that is at that particular moment. But I know Spirit, the universe, God will reveal it to me when it is time for me to understand what the blessing is on why that happened. And that’s for anything, anything even outside of Mercury retrograde. I will set that intention because there’s always a blessing even when something bad happens.

One more thing I wanted to share with you about Mercury retrograde is to take a lot of time for self-care. The planet appears like it’s moving backward. To me, this is an interpretation that we are to take time to rest, to renew, and to restore ourselves. So take time for yourself, to replenish your energy, and to just find a beautiful place to get comfortable in, to receive guidance in, to meditate, and to just be.

I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. Make sure you like and subscribe. Make sure you listen to that healing if this is something you’re interested in doing to unplug from any negative side effects Mercury retrograde may have. So awesome, guys. I hope you have a wonderful day. Take care. Bye.