Mercury is very close to its station retrograde in Gemini, only hours away. This period is also known as the ‘storm’. A planet in station is supposed to hold its energy in concentration.

Mercury retrograde in Gemini suggests that communications may be delayed or slowed, or ideas reviewed. In addition, words may be misunderstood, speech misheard, intentions misread.

While I don’t believe that planetary transits ’cause’ anything to happen, I sometimes wonder whether the energies offer up the conditions under which you will be compelled to review your actions.


For instance, I am fully aware that I need to watch what I say during Mercury retrogrades, especially in Gemini, which governs speech. Yet I cannot keep silent the whole time. There will be occasions where I must speak, and I cannot guarantee that despite my best precautions what I say will not be misunderstood. In such a situation, the Mercury retrograde is offering a lesson not in careless speech, but in how communications can break down in spite of the best preparations. You can take time over an important email, but you can’t guarantee it won’t be misread by the recipient.

And what about dealing with another person’s careless speech? Let’s say you are working on a group collaboration and your partner jumps in to say something thoughtless and offends others in the group. You try your best to mitigate the situation but the more you say the worse the situation becomes. Do you keep silent? Sometimes that is the best thing. Chances are, in a few weeks, when Mercury goes direct again ideas may change, and that goes for ideas about people, too.

What I’m trying to say is that being careful about what you say isn’t going to guarantee that no communications chaos will take place during a retrograde, although that is the advice you will often be given. Sometimes the fact that what you say is in fact misunderstood, or that you have yourself misunderstood someone, is a necessary step in reviewing what communication is.

I already feel my explanation is inadequate, but I think (hope) you know what I mean…