Libra Horoscopes

Here’s your weekly Cosmic Column which takes a big picture look at the overall astrology for the week ahead for all the signs. Think of it as an overview of the biggest theme or themes of the week. We will dive into how it all affects you in your daily horoscopes in the week ahead.

Mercury is now officially in the shadow phase and getting closer to going retrograde, so I thought I would give you a list of common effects of Mercury retrograde from my new book The Mercury Retrograde book, co-authored with Kim Farnell.

Common effects of the retrograde

When a planet goes retrograde, the things associated with it slow down and unresolved or unfinished business is often the result.

We can also get indications that things are happening behind the scenes and it’s time to review the affairs of that planet.

For Mercury retrograde, that means paying especially close attention to communication, transport and new technology.

Mercury also rules buying and selling, contracts and agreements, and important documents.

That’s why you might feel as if you have everything figured out and then Mercury goes into retrograde and makes you feel as if the world has gone mad: the best‑laid plans don’t go anywhere and you start to drift off mid‑sentence.

You may also find:

◗ Gadgets that were in perfect working order suddenly break down.

◗ You can’t find your keys anywhere.

◗ You don’t read the small print on a document and later find out it has cost you dearly.

◗ You buy something expensive and find out it’s half‑price in the sale a couple of weeks later or cheaper elsewhere.

◗ Your computer crashes and you lose all your work.

◗ Documents don’t reach the intended recipient, or your phone call or text message goes unanswered.

◗ Your flight is delayed or your luggage goes missing.

◗ You turn up to the wrong restaurant when meeting a friend.

◗ Your workmate forgets you’ve arranged a meeting and doesn’t turn up.

◗ Your pay gets directed to the wrong bank account.

◗ You have an argument with your best friend because they think you’ve been gossiping about them.

◗ You get stuck in a traffic jam or your car breaks down.

But on the upside!

Of course, all these things happen when Mercury isn’t retrograde, it’s just that they seem to do so more frequently when it is.

All of this is inconvenient, annoying and frustrating, and the best thing you can do is plan ahead and be extra mindful of Mercury’s influence.

And, of course, things can also go right during Mercury’s retrograde period. For example:

◗ An old friend gets back in touch.

◗ You finally finish the work project that’s been driving you mad.

◗ A gadget breaks down, but you get a new and better one.

◗ You renegotiate an agreement in your favour.

◗ You have to redo a project and, in doing so, improve it out of sight.

◗ You need to have a tricky conversation you’ve avoided, but it works out well.

◗ Something you’d been looking for turns up.

◗ You find the purse you’d lost and it’s got more cash in it than you remember.

◗ Your redecorating projects turn out better than you hoped.

◗ Your website crashes and you replace it with a much better site.

◗ You return a dress you bought because you don’t like the colour and have no problems getting a refund.

◗ Your dreams bring you an insight into a problem.

Interested in understanding Mercury retrograde better? You’ll get my free PDF guide and explainer video about how to work out where Mercury is retrograde in your chary when you order my new book The Mercury Retrograde book this week.