Yasmin Boland - The Mercury Retrograde Book: Secrets for Surviving and Thriving in Astrologys Most Misunderstood Cycle

Published in the United Kingdom by:

Hay House UK Ltd, The Sixth Floor, Watson House, 54 Baker Street, London W1U 7BU

Tel: +44 (0)20 3927 7290; Fax: +44 (0)20 3927 7291

www.hayhouse.co.uk

Published in the United States of America by:

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Published in Australia by:

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Published in India by:

Hay House Publishers India, Muskaan Complex, Plot No.3, B-2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070

Tel: (91) 11 4176 1620; Fax: (91) 11 4176 1630; www.hayhouse.co.in

Text Yasmin Boland, 2019, 2022

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The information given in this book should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice; always consult a medical practitioner. Any use of information in this book is at the readers discretion and risk. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss, claim or damage arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made, the failure to take medical advice or for any material on third-party websites.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-78817-354-4

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-78817-765-8

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-78817-382-7

E-book ISBN: 978-1-78817-912-6

Interior illustrations: glyphs p.: Dragana Eric/Shutterstock; all other illustrations: Melok/Shutterstock

This book is truly a collaborative effort. It started life as an e-book which we co-wrote and Yasmin designed and offered for sale on her website. The Hay House UK team spotted it there and asked for several new sections to be added and for existing content to be tweaked, and from there it evolved into the book youre holding now.

Mercury retrograde is a phenomenon that even many non-astrologers have heard of. We think its more than worth learning about, and that by reading this book youll discover how to make it work to your advantage.

We hope you love the book!

Yasmin and Kim

This book is all about the retrograde cycle of the planet Mercury. So, lets first define Mercury

Mercury is the communications planet. Whenever you open your mouth to talk, or when you write something anything from an e-mail to a novel or beyond or even if you just think or listen to someone, youre using your Mercury. Its the mind planet and it guides how you talk, write, otherwise express yourself and take in information. Its your intellectual process. Knowing which sign and House Mercury is in will tell you how you think and express yourself, and even how you negotiate.

Mercury is also the transport planet and the planet of short journeys and commuting. It governs trade and commerce. Plus, it governs your wit, thoughts and thirst for knowledge and your desire and ability to learn. Do you think quickly? Do you like to analyse things? Are you a fast learner? Can you keep secrets? These sorts of questions will be answered when you learn about your Mercury.

Mercury is the trickster and its also the quicksilver planet. If someone is a fast talker or a smooth talker, its thanks to their Mercury. If they think too hard, or overthink, or cant make decisions, look to their Mercury for an explanation.

These days, with the rising interest in astrology, more and more people, even non-astrologers, seem to have heard about Mercury retrograde when Mercury appears to move backwards in the sky. That said, there are also many misunderstandings surrounding Mercury retrograde mostly that its all doom and gloom or somehow bad luck, which its not. This is why we wrote this book: to dispel the myths and help you get the most of this planetary phenomenon which has a potentially positive side to it.

Obviously, planets dont actually turn around and start moving backwards, even though, from our viewpoint on Earth, it sometimes appears as if they do. Its all an optical illusion, due to the relative positions of the planet and Earth and how they move around the Sun.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and its orbit is shorter than Earths a mere 88 days compared to our 365 days, which means that Mercury experiences four years in the time it takes us to complete one orbit of the Sun. Mercurys shorter orbit creates an optical illusion in that it appears to speed past Earth, slow down and then move in a backwards loop, giving us Mercury retrograde. Its the planetary equivalent of runners on a race track: the inner track is shorter than the outer track.

A graphic representation of the orbit of Mercury around the Sun, from our point of view here on Earth. The loops show when Mercury is in apparent retrograde motion.

This is how planetary retrogrades work from our vantage point. The Earth sees Mercury ahead, but the Earth moves faster than Mercury so as we catch up and then overtake it, Mercury appears to go backwards in the sky. This means that instead of progressing forwards through the zodiac, from one sign to another, Mercury appears to reverse through whatever sign it was in when the retrograde started. Its an illusion, but a meaningful one, symbolically.

Mercury isnt the only planet that goes retrograde they all do (with the exception of the Sun and Moon, which arent planets). When a planet goes retrograde, we may get a stalling in matters related to that planet or we may get a second chance for a do-over. Mercury retrograde is the best known of all the planetary retrogrades though, and it happens three or four times a year or about 20 per cent of the time.

Whether its moving forwards or backwards, Mercury in the skies triggers Mercury issues as it goes. Because Mercury is the trickster, when it goes retrograde its influence works differently its energy intensifies and things seem to go awry. However, as youll discover, you can work consciously with Mercurys energies when its retrograde and use them to your advantage.

Before we move on to exploring how to maximize Mercurys energies, lets start by dispelling a few common myths about Mercury retrograde. Weve already explained why Mercury appearing to go backwards is an illusion, and another common myth is that we cant see Mercury in the sky when its retrograde because its too close to the Sun.