Retrogrades Galore and a Full Moon This Week Means You Should Slow Down and Expect the Unexpected

Get ready for retrograde mayhem: Early in the week, on Sunday, May 23rd, Saturn, the planet of discipline and structure, stations retrograde at 13° of Aquarius. By Friday, Mercury will join the retrograde party, when the planet of communication also begins his apparent backward spin, in Gemini, at 24° on Saturday the 29th. (Saturn will travel retrograde until October 10th, while Mercury will be retrograde until June 22nd.) Couple this with the fact that Wednesday’s full moon is a super blood moon and a total south node eclipse in Sagittarius, and it’s safe to say the week ahead, marked by multiple retrogrades during a full moon, may bring sharp hairpin turns.

A lunar eclipse intensifies the full moon’s impact, holding the potential to clear away what no longer serves us without offering any warning that something is about to come to a completion. This effect is even more pronounced when the full moon aligns with the south node, as it does this week. The south node invites liberation and release. However, given that the moon is also exceptionally close to the Earth at the time of this full moon, we can expect the next few days to feel jarring and jerky.

That said, essential chapters are coming full-circle, so pay close attention. Nothing happening now is by “accident”—even the most subtle events hold meaning. For example, this full moon harkens back to May of 2002, which is the last time we had a lunar eclipse at 5° of Sagittarius, as we do now. If you can remember May of 2002, consider the events unfolding in your life and compare them to where you are today. How have you grown? What’s the underlying interconnectivity between then and now? Is there an evolutionary theme emerging?

With Mercury going retrograde the same week as an eclipse, it’s imperative to center yourself…consider it a double whammy of cosmic intensity, highlighting the need to pause.

With Mercury going retrograde the same week as a full moon eclipse, it’s imperative to center yourself. While yes, the typical Mercury retrograde advice applies—back up your data, double-check your calendar, slow down, and pay attention to nuance—the eclipse also asks us to stop, listen, and adjust, too. So consider it a double whammy of cosmic intensity, highlighting the need to pause.

That said, as we settle into Gemini season, a time of mutable air energy that bridges spring to summer, and even more so as we ready ourselves for Memorial Day weekend, it’s essential to take a playful approach in the days ahead. Given all that we’ve recently experienced and endured since the dawn of the pandemic, keeping a lighthearted attitude and sense of humor now goes a long way. Gemini is the sign of the trickster. It offers a time of year to embrace childlike wonder and allow the absurdity of life to rekindle what feels burnt out and crushed—especially our spirits.

The pandemic brought many critical lessons to life’s forefront, and central among them is the importance of mental and emotional well-being. During lockdown and isolation, social media became a lifeline for so many of us to have a sense of community. Now that we can gather with loved ones again, consider taking a digital detox at some point over the upcoming weeks. Dial back your reliance on technology. Delete Instagram from your phone. Cancel your Zoom calls with friends and instead engage life. Take a walk barefoot in the grass. Eat a meal with someone you miss. Go on an outing to one of your favorite places in nature. Breathe the fresh air, and enjoy yourself.

Try not to overthink things if intense emotions emerge over the week ahead (there’s a high probability they will). Give yourself space to feel. We are entering a crucial time of recalibration to begin developing hindsight regarding where we’ve recently been, which is perspective we crucially need. Lean into these emotions and allow them to pass through. Discern wisdom, and let the old chapter close. Then, ready yourself because this upcoming Mercury retrograde period is going to usher in even more revelations.

Jennifer Racioppi is the creator of Lunar Logic—a philosophy that integrates the deep wisdom of both science and spirituality, and blends her expertise in astrology, positive psychology, and women’s health—which she uses to coach high-achieving female entrepreneurs to reach their next level of success. Order her book, Cosmic Health, here.

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