Mercury Retrograde: You will be feeling the effects from 5th January 2015

Sort out your administration! Back up your computer. Review your plans. In western astrology we have a Mercury Retrograde period upcoming from 23^rd January 2015 to 11^th February 2015.  But in Vedic Astrology the effects of the Mercury Retrograde period will actually be felt from January 5^th. Read about the difference below.

Mercury Retrograde periods bring all sorts of challenges in posts, communications, documents control, computer procedures, our planning and commerce and so forth. We can lose things. This is with the divine intention of making us sort out our organisation and logistics.

Bear in mind that Jupiter is retrograde over this period too (8^th December 2014 to 8^th April 2015), so at the same time we are being called upon to make sure our lower concepts (Mercury) are correct, we are also being called upon to sort out our ‘big-picture thinking’ and check that our expansion plans are grounded and realistic. We will need to assess whether our philosophies and guiding principles are true and valid for us. We might need to reassess your guru or teacher, or we might have problems with receiving our teaching. Travel plans could be adversely affected. Even the best-laid plans fall apart.

You can contact Michael Conneely for a full birth chart or full prediction reading via www.starwheelastrology.com, or join his western astrology course via www.enlightenedastrologycourse.com or his Vedic astrology course via www.mastervedicastrology.com. Here’s more about the Mercury Retrograde effect:

Now for more about the up-coming Mercury Retrograde effect: note that according to western astrology, we are saying that Mercury retrogrades from 16 Aquarius on 23^rd January 2015 to 1 Aquarius on 11^th February 2015, and this is true.

But do note that in Vedic Astrology the effects of the Mercury Retrograde effect are actually declared to start on January 5^th and they are not fully gone until 3^rd March. See below for the reason for this difference. It’s very useful to be aware of it.

What is the reason behind these two different timescales painted by western and Vedic Astrology?

Well, in western astrology, the Mercury Retrograde effect is deemed to very simply last only so long as the period that Mercury actually has backwards or retrograde motion in the heavens, in other words from 23^rd January to 13^th February.

But Vedic Astrology teaches a much fuller and a much more accurate picture for the effects of Mercury going Retrograde, for what we will experience in our lives. Vedic Astrology puts the dates of the up-coming Mercury Retrograde effects from January 5^th to 3^rd March.

Why is this? This is because on January 5^th 2015 Mercury goes past the degree it will retrograde back to. In other words, on January 5^th, Mercury enters its ‘shadow phase’. It would be a really good idea to note that this means that we won’t be able to progress our plans forward from January 5th. Instead we will have to consolidate them and take stock and review and consider. Test this for yourselves. See if this turns out to be true.

So the actual ‘Mercury Retrograde Effects Time Table’ according to Vedic Astrology is as follows:

5^th January: Mercury enters its shadow phase at 0 deg Aquarius (western)
6 Capricorn (Vedic).

23^rd January: Mercury actually turns retrograde at 16 Aquarius (western)
22 Capricorn (Vedic)

13^th February: Mercury turns direct at 1 Aquarius (Western)
(7 Capricorn Vedic)

3^rd March: Mercury gets back to its pre-retrogradation position of 23^rd January.
(16 Aquarius western; 22 Capricorn Vedic)

So in Vedic Astrology, the Mercury Retrograde effects start when Mercury crosses the position the planet will get back to during its forthcoming retrogradation, and the effects don’t actually end until Mercury regains its pre-retrogradation position. Watch what happens in your life. See which version works out more accurate: the Western or the Vedic. Of course, do note that the standing of Mercury in your birth chart will serve to make Mercury problems better or worse. My Mercury is the ruler of my Moon in my Vedic Birth Chart so, because Moon is the main planet in the Vedic birth chart, I am very susceptible to Mercury Retrograde problems, and to make it even harder for me: Mercury is lord of my 12th House and conjunct Ketu the South Node of the Moon.