If you are a follower of astrology, then you’ve probably heard of Mercury retrograde. If you’re not, let me briefly explain. Usually, Mercury travels from west to east in the solar system. However, during retrograde, the planet appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Keyword: appears. Mercury doesn’t actually change directions. That would be pretty creepy.
Retrograde happens to all of the planets, but there is a reason why people choose to focus on Mercury’s retrograde in particular. Each of the planets controls different aspects of day-to-day life. Mercury is responsible for communication, travel, media, and technology, according to The Astrology Dictionary. This means that when Mercury is moving backward, so are these parts of your life, if you believe in that sort of thing.
So what does that mean for food? Should you be eating differently? Should you try that new diet now or wait for Mercury to get its s*** together? Let me be your astrology guide and help you out during this problematic period of retrograde.
Let’s Break It Down
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I wouldn’t say that food directly correlates to communication, travel, media, or technology. I would say, though, that there are ways that eating can be affected by these areas.
Communication could be affected between you and your family. This, in turn, could have you reaching for comfort foods if your relationships aren’t what they normally are. Instead of opting for an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s, try one of these healthier comfort food options instead.
Sometimes in order to get healthier foods, it’s necessary to travel a bit. You might run into a problem, though, during these few weeks of retrograde. This might cause you to choose something that’s unhealthier because it is more convenient at the time.
If you were relying on any of your favorite social media stars, like Queer Eye's Antoni, to help you whip up something fabulous for dinner, you might want to rethink that. Knowing silly Mercury, retrograde will screw that up and the meal prep you were hoping for won’t be posted when you thought, aka better run to Chipotle instead.
Having been through Mercury retrograde countless times before, you should know by now that your workout app will probably crash mid-run or your music will stop playing when you're halfway through your plank. Don’t worry, though. These small tech issues shouldn’t stop you from staying on track towards meeting your goals.
The Influence of Retrograde Depends on Your Sign
Again, if you’re not familiar with astrology and the signs, let me give you some background (and don’t feel bad for not knowing anything and everything astrology, I had a little help from Astrostyle).
The Fire Signs – Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius – are going to be most affected by Mercury retrograde. Why? Fire signs, as you might have guessed, are fiery and dynamic. They definitely will not be doing well with the changes and problems that are caused during these few weeks.
The Air Signs – Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius – will actually do well with the changes. They are filled with motion and can adapt much better to their environments than the fire signs. They will be able to take any problems in stride and make simple changes without complaint.
The Earth Signs – Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn – are best at staying down to Earth. They won’t let these problems get to them, and most likely won’t be blaming their tech mistakes on Mercury being in retrograde like the rest of us. They will also probably keep us in check during this wild time.
Finally, the Water Signs – Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces – are super intuitive, so they can probably have a sixth sense for Mercury before the planet even knows it’s about to reverse. Just kidding (but not really). While they might have some waves of issues during retrograde, they will be able to make it out on the other side.
WTF Does This Mean for Me?
You can’t blame Mercury retrograde for all of your problems. BUT, there are some correlations that might affect your food habits, as well as the other areas of your life. Stay strong and just remember that it’ll all be over soon enough.