I like to follow the Mercury retrograde phases and have read a bit about dealing with the difficulties inherent to the period. Today Mercury is entering the first part of this period and will be stationing retrograde on October 11th. To help a friend understand the effects of Mercury during this time I wrote the following:

September 21 Mercury first enters the degrees of the retrograde phase.

This period begins when Mercury first enters the area of the sky where the retrograde will happen. While Mercury is moving forward over these degrees, we on Earth can anticipate this event and prepare by establishing schedules, placing requests and generally taking care of the mercurial tasks that become problematic during the retrograde period. This is the "asking" phase of the retrograde period and requires that we act proactively to ensure a smooth retrograde experience.

October 11 Mercury stations retrograde.

Earth's orbit around the Sun begins to catches up to Mercury's orbit and the retrograde period begins with Mercury first appearing to slow down in its orbit. For the next three weeks, Mercury appears to move back along its orbital path in the sky, indicating a time for rethinking, rechecking and revaluing everything mercurial. This involves schedules, shipping and planning, which are all things that are likely to go awry while Mercury remains in this phase. Also, problems from previous retrograde periods may arise. If you have planned ahead and become aware of its movement, this period can go smoothly and should not be a cause for alarm. This is the "belief" phase of the retrograde period and requires we rely on our belief systems to effectively experience this phase.

November 1 Mercury stations direct.

Once the Earth has moved past Mercury, it will again appear to slow and then reverse direction to move forward over the same area of the sky it just retrograded. Unless Mercury has made difficult aspects to other planets during the retrograde phase, this is the most likely period to discover that things established during the retrograde phase have gone awry and correct them. Otherwise, there is a chance that problems won't become apparent until the next retrograde period several months later. This is the "receiving" phase of the retrograde period where what we've planned for can have the most effectiveness.

November 17 Mercury leaves the final degrees of the retrograde phase.

We are now given a slight reprieve from disruption until the next retrograde period, but life lessons learned during the full retrograde period will have long lasting effects throughout the following year. With awareness and planning these lessons can effectively improve life for all on this planet Earth, easing fear and conflict with improved communication and planning.