Retrograde Is Not Motion That Actually Goes Backward
When you hear the word retrograde, it can seem as if a planet is actually moving in the reverse direction, but that is not the case. Retrograde is apparent motion as seen from Earth.
Earth and the other planets each go around the Sun at their own speeds. Seen from Earth, depending on the relationship of overtaking and being overtaken, there are periods when the other planet appears to move backward temporarily. In astronomy, this is explained as apparent retrograde. The planet itself is not changing its course.
If you grasp this mechanism first, you can avoid taking readings of retrograde periods as larger than necessary.
Mercury Retrograde Occurs About 3 Times a Year
Mercury goes around the Sun once in about 88 days. From its positional relationship with Earth, Mercury retrograde occurs about 3 times a year, and each time lasts about 3 weeks. It is not a rare phenomenon, but a movement repeated every year.
Mercury retrograde in 2027 is the following three times. From February 10 to March 3. From June 11 to July 5. From October 7 to October 28.
These dates were obtained by calculation. Because the day retrograde begins and the day it ends are known, you can use it not to avoid that period, but to decide in advance what to do during that period.
Why We Do Not Write "Retrograde Causes Malfunctions"
About retrograde periods, it is sometimes said that communication failures occur or machines break. This site does not make such definitive statements. This is because there is no basis for directly connecting astronomical movements with malfunctions around you.
What we use as a reading is the nature of the period. A retrograde period is read not so much as a period for newly advancing things, but as a period for confirming content decided so far and correcting misunderstandings. With this reading, you can overlap it without strain with actual work organization.
What to Do During Retrograde
What suits a retrograde period is checking and review work.
For example, reconfirming contract and order conditions in documents. Making up for shortcomings in handover materials. Rearranging organization for a period when plans overlap. Mutually confirming with the other party whether contact has arrived. Such work is necessary regardless of the period, but if you use the about three weeks of retrograde as a marker, it becomes an opportunity to do it without putting it off.
If you have important contact or submissions, a form that suits is to send them with leeway, not just before the deadline. This is not limited to retrograde periods. It is an effective way of proceeding normally as well. It is a reading that uses a retrograde period as a break point for acquiring that habit.
Precisely Because It Occurs About 3 Times a Year, Create a Pattern
The fact that retrograde occurs about three times a year means that opportunities for review also occur about three times a year. Rather than thinking of a special response each time, a form that suits is to decide the items to review in advance as a pattern.
For example, there is a method of using the same checklist each time. Uncompleted contact, submissions with close deadlines, shortcomings in handover materials, overlapping plans. Even just these four, if you check them in order within about three weeks, you can pick up parts that are easy to overlook in daily work. If the pattern is decided, even when you enter a retrograde period there is no need to panic, and you can use it as a period for doing your usual checking.
If you are advancing work with subordinates and colleagues, it is also effective to do this checking not by yourself alone, but in a short sharing session. This is because misunderstandings can arise not only from insufficient individual checking, but also from insufficient sharing. You can also use a retrograde period as a break point for regularly holding a checking session.
During Retrograde, Do Not Rush to Decide
What you want to avoid during a retrograde period is, for the reason that it is that period, postponing a large judgment, or conversely, rushing to decide.
Judgment itself is something to do based on conditions and records. A reading of the period can be a guide for when to do that judgment, but it does not decide the substance of the judgment. If you have an urgent project, rather than stopping it for reasons of timing, a realistic form is to add one checking procedure and advance.
Retrograde is a movement that always arrives about three times a year. Do not brace yourself for it as a special period. Use it as a regular break point for reviewing organization. That sense of distance fits how work is carried forward after your 40s. Whether there is retrograde each month is listed in "Planetary Movements" in this site's monthly horoscope, so check it together when making plans.