Wondering If You Can Manifest During Mercury Retrograde? Let's Talk About It

Mercury in retrograde is undoubtably one of the worst astrological events we must face three times each year. Just in 2021 alone, Mercury has already traveled backward through the night sky in relation to the zodiac twice, and we still have another retrograde later this year. So what does Mercury retrograde actually mean, you ask? The scientific term for this phenomenon is "apparent retrograde motion." In astrology, Mercury retrograde is connected with instances of confusion, frustration, errors, and delays. More specifically, Mercury retrograde is said to negatively affect communication. (Read: if you've been wondering why your relationships, and maybe even life, have been in shambles, you can thank this planetary movement.)

While that all seems pretty bleak, there are actually a couple of upsides to retrograde — one of which has to do with manifestation in particular. Because so many planets are in retrograde at the same time, things can get messy, meaning it's the perfect time to step back and reflect. When things go wrong, it can be easy to attribute the problems to surface-level issues, but they could actually be deeper than that. Taking time to reflect on how your life is going, what you want, and how you are going to achieve what you want is crucial during this time. During a period of chaos like retrograde, you'll want something different than what you're experiencing. By manifesting, you can rechannel your energy into the right outlets, and let the world do the rest.

The bottom line is, there's no harm that can be done if you manifest during retrograde. By focusing on what you want and thinking aspirational thoughts with the purpose of making them real, you can help set your life back on track, even during this time of confusion and frustration. Retrograde gives you the space to take a step back, focus on yourself, and think about how you can improve you life and better serve yourself. This retrograde cycle lasts until June 22, and then starts up again from Sept. 27 to Oct. 23, so use these times to manifest what you want, and come out of retrograde better than you went in.