I’ve prattled on a lot in the past about Bali and why I love it – and the people. Possibly, though, the thing I love the most are the offerings.

The process of constructing and offering the tributes is not just a belief based ritual, but also a deliberate pause to be fully in the moment- regardless of the business of life going on around.

A local I spoke to up there said that every Australian and American he meets work so hard that they come to Bali to collapse and then go home to work so hard again to pay for the relaxation that they’ve just had and to save for the next holiday for the relaxation they need from working so hard to pay for it.

He said he didn’t understand it.

What do you do? I asked. You work hard too.

Yes, but we also stop for things that matter, he said.

What about the Europeans, I asked?

They seem to allow themselves more enjoyment, he said.

Perhaps he was typecasting, but I had similar conversations with others so perhaps there’s something to it.

In our lives, we are so busy multi-tasking, juggling devices and schedules that we forget to notice the details. We miss things.

For me, Mercury retrograde has always been that time when we’re reminded that a little back-tracking, a little revision, a few deliberate pauses in the day can be a way in which we can reconnect- to our own creativity, to what’s important, to the moment.

It can be as simple as the reminder when you’re in disgusting traffic that as late as it’s making you, someone up the road may, as the result of a mechanical failure or an accident, be even more inconvenienced than you are.

Or the next time you’re delayed at the doctors being grateful that you’re not the one whose made her run late with something that could be more life threatening than what you’re presenting with.

I have this theory the fall out from Mercury retrogrades hits us because we need to slow down. Computer breakdowns, delays, mixed messages – they stop us in our tracks.

By making us vulnerable we have no choice but to take a good long hard look at the way we live our life.

But still we resist. We build protective walls around ourselves as we madly back up computers, triple check travel plans and appointments. We spend hours doing stuff that is, when you think about it, really just basic common sense.

We should be testing changes, we should be confirming appointments, we should be carrying a spare pair of knickers in our carry-on. We shouldn’t need a Mercury retrograde period to force ourselves into being just a tad vulnerable. The thing is, meltdowns as messy as they are, can also be therapeutic.

So, that’s my theory, now for the practicalities.

Firstly, the basics regarding a Mercury retrograde period:

• The planet isn’t really going backwards, it just appears that way from where we stand here on Earth
• During any retrograde cycle of any planet we bring our attentions within. The energy of the planet is intensified, and that energy is brought within. In that case of Mercury that means how we think, how we transmit messages and how messages are communicated and understood around us
• this is your signal to slow down, go within, review, revise, rewind. We review and revise in our head the nature of the area of life this retrograde is happening in for us. With our brains occupied in a different way we lose focus on what is happening around us- and that is when things, generally shitty things, happen.

We know all about the re words:

• Take the time to recharge your batteries
• Revise your goals
• Review your bright ideas
• Regain your faith in the future
• Recommit to habits, goals, the things you need to recommit to
• Reconnect with colleagues & friends you haven’t seen or spoken to for some time
• Renew and refresh whatever is jaded and old
• Revisit places, books, movies that mean something to you
• Rest and relax

We also know the type of things Mercury retrogrades can impact:

• Appointment times
• Travel times & arrangements
• Computers, phones & other electronic devices
• Getting to & from places
• Contracts and other documents

And we know how to mitigate the possible damage:

• Re-confirm appointments
• Check & re-check your travel arrangements
• Insure your luggage and tickets and make sure you have copies of all travel documents- preferably not in your bag
• If travelling carry a spare toothbrush and change of clothes as carry on- just in case
• Avoid mechanical problems, by making sure your car services are up to date
• Back up computers
• Avoid purchasing any major technology over this period
• Avoid signing contracts, but if you have to, make sure you have read & re-read all the fine print
• If you must commence a new project, do the scoping work carefully- and seriously people, we should be doing this anyway!
• If you have any changes going “live” or being implemented, test, re-test, regression test, test the back out, test the install & test again. Test.

Who is most affected by Mercury Retrograde?

• People with strong Mercury charts eg people with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Mercury in Mercury ruled signs ie Gemini or Virgo.
• People with these planets in the 3rd house
• People who have the Sun, Moon, Mercury or Ascendant in the sign which is receiving the retrograde
• People who have planets or chart points at the position where Mercury stations- either to go retrograde or direct.

10/4/17 Mercury stations retrograde 4 Taurus 48’

3/5/17 stations direct 24 Aries 23’

Note, dates could differ a teeny amount depending on your time zone.