During retrogrades communication can get wildly lost in translation, so hopefully you’ve managed to navigate your way through without too many issues. But we’re not out the woods just yet!
Just as there is a pre-retrograde shadow period, once the Mercury retrograde has finished, we also come into a period know as the post-mercury retrograde shadow or “retroshade”. This refers to a planet’s retrograde shadow period, something that happens both before and after the retrograde itself. It’s when the planet slows down as it prepares to enter retrograde and speeds up as it leaves its backward motion behind.
This is usually a time when you can look back on some recent issues with a clearer perspective and have the opportunity to make changes that matter. Therefore, it’s very common for people to break-up, move on and start embarking down a new path. It’s often a good time to focus on yourself and forget the distractions around you, when others may be more argumentative and confrontational.
See this as an opportunity to take stock, be patient and set yourself up for the rest of the year and by the time post-retrograde shadows ends on 13 May you could be in a much better place.
How does Mercury retrograde affect us?
If you’ve ever wondered why people seemingly freak out when Mercury retrograde happens, it’s because Mercury is the planet that influences communication, with it generally thought that the retrograde motion signifies negative undertones for the astrological world.
This can lead to everything from emails getting lost to travel disruptions, with astrologers also believing that it can result in:
- Shifts in friendships or falling outs
- Miscommunications and general misunderstandings
- Brain fog, anxiety and headaches
- Uncertainty around work and personal projects
Sounds lovely, huh?
Tell-tale signs Mercury retrograde is affecting your relationships
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, new research has found that Mercury retrograde can have a real, tangible impact on your relationships, too. According to a new survey by the dating app Flirtini, a whopping 71% of people believe that the retrograde has a negative impact on their relationships, and a further 46% have found that their loved one tends to act unusually during the astrological phenomenon.
Some of the most common issues reported include communication struggles, fights and arguments. And get ready for another wild statistic: apparently, 1 in 4 people have been dumped because of a retrograde.
Needless to say, these statistics are a little surprising — can retrograde really have such tangible affects on our relationships? Well, according to Anastasiya Pochotna, a dating expert at Flirtini, yes — but, of course, there’s no scientific reason why.
Edward Berthelot