What does Mercury Retrograde mean?
A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. Retrograde periods are not particularly uncommon. Each planet retrogrades, except the Sun and Moon. A retrograde period is best seen as a cycle, beginning when the planet begins to slow to a halt before traveling backwards through the zodiac and ending when the planet returns to the point where it first paused. However, during the cycle, the planet’s energy is most powerful when the planet makes a station, appearing motionless in the sky. These stationary periods occur near the beginning of the cycle (when the planet first halts as it prepares to move backwards) and midway through the cycle when the retrograde planet slows to a stop before moving forward again. The “direct station” (when the planet halts before moving forward again) is the most powerful. The “Mercury Shadow” begins when Mercury slows significantly, a few days before the retro station and extends to the Return date, a few days
