The mercury retrograde f****d with me, but I'm not phased

Mercury Retrograde rolled around again on May 29th, so if like me you've been experiencing mishaps – let's all collectively agree to just blame it on Mercury.

Ever since getting into Wicca in 2018, I've been obsessed with learning about the way the planets and the moon affect us and our emotions. When I first learned about how when Mercury goes into retrograde things can happen and go wrong, I remembered many things that happened in the past and connected the dots. From my phone slipping out of my hands and smashing, to other technical issues – Mercury really loves messing with me. 

So, what is the Mercury retrograde? 

Well, three times each year Mercury appears to travel backwards. When Mercury is in retrograde, things appear to go wrong. Confusion, delay, technical issues and many, many mishaps. Many people report technical issues like email errors, typos, travel delays, miscommunication, problems with IT and much more. 

A lot of people don't believe in it – they think it's simply a myth. But those of us who are interested in the moon, the planets and the earth, love playing the blame game when Mercury starts to move backwards. 

Some of my most memorable Mercury retrograde mishaps:

• When my phone slipped out of my hands and the screen cracked
• General typos and buffering
• Netflix failing to load 
• Bus diversions and being late for lectures or classes
• Road works and burst water mains
• Getting stuck in a lift or the lifts in my apartment block breaking down
• Bank transactions going through twice
• Contactless not working properly
• Delivery delays
• When I got my phone screen fixed and it went wrong 3 times in a row
• When the Internet went down as I begun my first ever freelance journalism shift
• When my laptop overheated during my first ever freelance journalism shift
• Having to shell out on new technology 
• When my phone locked itself and wouldn't let me unlock it, leading to me factory resetting my phone and losing all of my photos!

These are just *some* of the times Mercury has tried to fuck with me during its backwards stint. With the last three points happening to me justo last week – it's safe to say I was a stressed out mess.

But there are some ways to ground yourself and use the Mercury retrograde as a period of reflection. Here are my top tips:

Cleanse your space with sage. After s stressful few days last week where three Mercury retrograde related events happened one after the next, I decided to ground myself. I sage-smudged my whole flat, meditated and wrote in my gratitude journal.

Remember that the Universe has your back. Even though everything might seem as though it's going wrong, look for the positives – because trust me, there will always be a positive among the negatives. When you've found it, focus on it and pour all of your passion into that. Once you switch your mood from negative to positive, more good things will come your way and you'll realise why things were going a little off kilter.

Have patience. Approach everything with a positive attitude and always have patience. If you're rushing around, more things have the possibility of going wrong, so take your time!

Although the Mercury retrograde can test us, the outcomes are always incredibly positive in the long run. If your laptop is overheating, it's because you'll soon have the opportunity to replace it. If your bus is late, it's because you wasn't supposed to get on that bus for whatever reason. It can be hard to see the positives when you're amid the sh*tshow, but trust the process and PLEASE put your faith and all of your trust in the Universe. 

I promise you, the Universe knows what it's doing, and it will only ever throw you what you can handle.

Here's three affirmations for this trying time:

• The Universe has my back and will only ever give me what I can handle and what will serve me well in the long run
• I am happy, healthy and whole, and I am grateful for the Universe and all it does for me
• I will use this period of time to reflect, grow and better myself

And remember: you are healthy, happy, whole and abundant.