A planet is said to be in retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards. This is all illusion and simply has to do with the way a planet appears in its orbit. The planet being observed looks like it is moving backwards in its orbit in relation to Earth’s orbit. A retrograde is broken down into a few parts. The first part is the “first stationary period.” During this time the planet appears to have paused in its orbit. The second part is the “second stationary period.” At this time the planet appears to stop again about mid-orbit. The last part is the “direct station.” This occurs the last time that the planet appears to stop and then begin moving forward.
It has become a superstition among people who closely study zodiac history and astrology that Mercury’s retrograde causes odd things to happen. Two weeks before the retrograde, “Mercury’s Shadow” occurs. During this time, people report many odd things happening. The types of things that occur are just a slight disruption in one’s life like burning a piece of toast and are often not taken notice of as a special case. However, during Mercury’s retrograde, many people will take precautions in their daily lives because of the more severe odd things that occur. Mercury is associated with perception, thinking, and processing information. True believers in the retrograde think that during the retrograde, these traits are all disturbed. Many people claim that during the retrograde, they forget things normally remembered, witness technology failing, and writers claim they suffer from a thinking block. All of the things that go awry during the retrograde are linked to an important missing piece. It is said that during Mercury’s retrograde it is a bad idea to make important decisions. While all these bad things come along with retrogrades, a birthday during one may actually bring very good luck. The retrograde dates for 2012 are March 11, April 4, July 14, August 7, November 6, and November 26. During the retrograde this year, pay attention and see what odd things you witness.