Is anyone else having a weird week/month? Because I can’t remember the last time things felt this chaotic and out of sync. You know, outside of this entire year. I don’t always look to the stars when things feel off, but I reached out to our local expert on all things in the cosmic department just in case. Turns out, there might be an answer to this period of confusion.

According to Stephanie Burke, local Psychic Medium and Reiki Master Teacher, Mercury has been in retrograde since Tuesday, October 13. “Retrograde means that a planet appears to be moving backward even though it is physically still spinning in the correct direction. When it appears to be spinning backward, that means that whatever the planet in retrograde rules is also going to be backward. Mercury rules communication. This means all communication will be backward. Any type of electronics you use for communication can also malfunction."

This is the last mercury retrograde of the year, thank heavens. This retrograde will last until Tuesday, November 3, which just happens to be Election Day. Burke informed us that the last time Mercury went direct on an Election Day was during the year 2000. "If you remember the drama surrounding Gore vs Bush, and the recount that occurred that year, it’s likely that we can see the same type of situation now, 20 years later with this presidential election. Mercury will be in Libra that day and if you’re familiar with the sign of Libra, you know that it depicts balance and fairness. That could be the little glimmer of hope we need for a smooth outcome."

What makes this super weird is that there are actually two retrogrades happening at the same time. Difficult Mars is still in retrograde until Friday, November 13. If it sounds ominous, it’s because it’s 2020 and anything negative happening on Friday the 13th does not bode well if the rest of this year is anything to go by.

Burke explained that although mercury has been in retrograde since October 13, “you may have started feeling the effects of it as far back as two weeks ago.” So that may explain how you’ve been feeling a little off all through October. She gave us a better understanding of how this particular event could impact our daily lives.

“Mercury goes retrograde three times a year. This mercury retrograde is in between two full moons and in the sign of Scorpio. This means this one will have the potential to be intense and emotional. You will have to learn to rely more on your intuition and less on your ego and insecurities. This retrograde will bring on a lot of overthinking. If you already tend to overthink everything, take a step back, breathe, and try to maintain a positive outlook. Keep in mind that although Mercury drives us crazy, makes getting anything accomplished 10 times more difficult, and seems to mess with all our plans, it’s meant to make us reflect on our path and goals and slows us down enough to make the right decisions for ourselves once it goes direct. Having two full moons during this period will help us to release everything that no longer works for us.”

Tips for how to get through the last Mercury Retrograde of 2020:

  1. Plan ahead. If you have something important planned, leave yourself plenty of extra time for overcoming any obstacles that may come your way.
  2. Be patient. Calmly tell others how you’re feeling without letting anger take over.
  3. Trust your gut. Don’t get caught up in your insecurities and think the world is plotting against you. It’s not.
  4. Take a break. If something isn’t working for you, put it down and walk away for a bit. Come back to it and chip away at it little by little.
  5. Take your time. Remember, we’re meant to slow down during this time so don’t try to rush through everything like usual.
  6. Take responsibility. Life goes completely whacky and haywire during this time. It’s so easy to blame everything on mercury, but remember that you're responsible for your own energy.
  7. The effects will last for about a week afterward, so keep that in mind as well.
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