Retrogrades are a reminder to re-evaluate, take a step back to see ourselves (feelings/actions/thoughts/behaviors/beliefs/etc) from a different perspective, and to shed what isn’t working for us. Retrogrades shake things up so we can identify areas that need our attention; they challenge us to be more flexible, open-minded, and willing to make necessary adjustments to our linear thinking and our old, familiar, repetitive ways of doing/being in the world. Growth and change are necessary, whether we like it or not, and retrogrades come along to ensure opportunities for us to grow and evolve individually and collectively.- Signing contracts
- Make big investments
- Make big purchases such as vehicles/electronics
- Jump to conclusions/kill the messenger during conversations
- Contacting former lovers and/or people from your past
- Leave late for appointments/flights/etc
- Spread rumors/gossip
- Schedule ‘Come-to-Jesus’ conversations
- Make hasty, abrupt decisions (about relationships, about ANYthing)
- Review your emails/messages well BEFORE sending them
- If contracts must be signed, review them carefully and ask for clarification as needed
- Review/renew current commitments before making new ones
- If you are thinking of an ex/person from your past or someone suddenly appears/calls/messages from your past…resolve it within yourself instead of contacting them – it is most likely about YOUR need for closure/resolution/forgiveness
- Give yourself extra time for travel…leave early for appointments, flights, work, etc
- Press the pause button before you speak, act, react, or dive into any big decisions
- Review and reconsider your approach in any area(s) feeling frustrating, chaotic, uncomfortable, or just not working well…ask yourself questions like:
- Are you holding on too tightly? Is it time to relax and release?
- Are you aligned with what you want more or less of? You’ll know because you’ll be experiencing what you want more or less of.
- Are you stuck in old, limiting thinking, feeling, or behaviors?
- What can you do-think-say-feel-choose differently to shift your experience?
Additionally, I’m facilitating a 10 day Self-love Challenge during this Mercury retrograde period in Pisces. I thought it would be interesting and, possibly even helpful, to define how this retrograde may affect self-love and/or self-care actions.
So, in terms of the Self-Love Challenge, how might retrograde affect you and what can you do to move through it with ease, while getting the most out of the self-love actions?
First of all, expect it to shake up some discomfort. Doing this challenge during retrograde is not a coincidence…it is a great time to review your self-love/self-relationship and really gain a renewed sense of self.
Secondly, if/when something isn’t working/feeling/going well or right with the self-love actions, know that is a sign that it is working! In mercury retrograde in Pisces, the frustration and discomfort is a sign for stepping up/continued SELF-CARE, or simply tending to your needs. The self-love challenge itself is exactly that – you showing up for yourself to tend to your needs in terms of love, worth, acceptance, and image. It may also be a sign to reconsider how much support or guidance you really need…to reconsider if you can go this alone, or if it is in your best interest to ask for help. If you typically prefer to go it alone, feel uncomfortable asking for help, or see asking for/accepting help as a sign of weakness…well, mercury in retrograde is going to push you toward confronting a new way of doing things. (P.S. my help is free during the challenge, so no need to worry about those retrograde finances, you just schedule the 20 minute call online here https://calendly.com/michelle-clinard/discovery-call)
Lastly, mercury in retrograde during in terms of the self-love challenge urges you to consider how and what you are communicating to yourself. Communication comes in many forms…verbal, physical/non-verbal, and mental. Review your self-communication on all levels to see what is working for you and what is working against you…you may just uncover a major roadblock on the path to self-love.
XO, Michelle
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