Mercury Retrograde: Are the effects real or imagined?

Do the heavens affect the earth?

If planet alignments don't affect the atmosphere, why do people report that Mercury Retrograde wreaks havoc? I've shared my family's experiences in other writings and will share them again here.

One July, my laptop began freezing and going offline. My earnings on a writing site disappeared for three days before they returned, and my cell phone began dropping calls.

When I told my daughter of my woes, she asked me to check to see if Mercury was in Retrograde and it was. She told me she had mishaps during this phenomenon, and twice had former boyfriends to reach out. My oldest son said he had ex-girlfriends to call him out of the blue during Mercury Retrograde.

On at least three additional occasions since that conversation, when things are strange around me, I have checked, and Mercury Retrograde was in effect.

No scientific evidence

There is no scientific evidence that Mercury’s orbit affects human behavior, technology, communication, or the atmosphere. Still, the experience of Mercury Retrograde is very real for many individuals. The Farmers Almanac even lists possible effects based on Zodiac signs.

There is a reason so many people say that Mercury Retrograde has a "physical" effect, while planetary alignments don't. It's because one occurrence is Astrophysics and the other is Astrology.

In astronomy, "retrograde" is purely an optical illusion. It’s often compared to two cars traveling at different speeds on a highway. Mercury orbits the Sun in 88 days, which is much faster than Earth's cycle of 365 days.

As Mercury "laps" the Earth, it appears to be moving backward against the stars, similar to how a slower car appears to move backward when you speed past it.

Mercury is a small ball of rock million miles away, but its gravitational pull on a phone, car, or your brain is roughly the same as the gravitational pull of a mosquito sitting on your shoulder.

The Astrological Perspective

In astrology, the "change" isn't atmospheric or physical; it’s symbolic. Mercury is named after the Roman messenger god who governed communication, travel, and commerce.

When a planet goes retrograde, astrologers believe its energy turns "inward" or becomes "haywire." Instead of moving forward, communication (emails, conversations) and mechanics (computers, cars) are said to encounter glitches.

Psychologically, if we expect things to go wrong during Mercury Retrograde, we are more likely to notice every small mistake that we would normally ignore on a regular day.

Still, this does nto explain those of us who onyl realize Mercury Retrograde is active until after things begin going haywire. On ign the other hand, I have not seen evidence of an astrological sign predicting behavior.

I have a cousin who was born on June 14, like me, except the following year. The only similarity I have seen in 68 years is that we both are intuitive and can sense things before they happen, but this is not true of all Geminis I know.

Planetary Alignment and Mercury Retrograde

When the planets appear to line up, and Mercury seems to move backward Scientists say there is no evidence of any measurable effect on Earth. Modern science considers these events as A beautiful geometric coincidence and an optical illusion of relative motion.

From an astrological view, Mercury Retrograde may be considered a time of "high energy," portals, delays, and miscommunication."

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, this first retrograde of the year, which begins February 26, will last until March 20, 2026. If you don't believe in Mercury Retrograde, no harm, no foul. If you have experienced strange occurrences during this event, my advice is to govern yourselves accordingly.