Mercury Retrograde: Does it Really Affect Us?

Several times a year, the planet Mercury becomes very popular in social networks. Not because of a new scientific discovery or future space mission, but because those who believe in astrology believe that when Mercury goes retrograde, it brings bad luck.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet in the Solar System. "Mercury retrograde" is an astronomical phenomenon in which a planet appears to be moving in a direction opposite to both its natural path and the direction of motion of other planets in the solar system.

This phenomenon occurs with all the planets of the solar system and is the result of the fact that they all revolve around the sun at different speeds relative to each other.

During these retrograde periods, Mercury appears to be moving in the opposite direction across the sky—although this is actually an illusion as we see it from our planet. This apparent "reverse motion" occurs because the Earth and Mercury orbit the Sun at different speeds.

Mercury orbits faster than the Earth, and when it "catch up" with the Earth, it appears to us that Mercury is moving in the opposite direction, when in fact it is simply continuing to move in its usual orbit around the Sun.

This can be compared to a situation where one car overtakes another on the road - then the slower car seems to be moving backwards relative to the car passing it at a faster speed.

Some astrologers consider this astronomical event, which has been observed for thousands of years, a time of misfortune and misunderstandings that greatly affect our daily lives.

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When will Mercury retrograde in 2024

Mercury is retrograde three or four times a year for about three weeks - a total of about a quarter of the year.

In 2024, this happens on the following dates:

"While astronomy and astrology may have had a closer relationship in the past, the general scientific consensus now is that astronomical phenomena such as retrograde motion do not have any foreseeable impact on human life," says Dhara Patel, a space expert National Space Center in Leicester, Great Britain.

But despite the lack of scientific support, the superstitions surrounding this astronomical phenomenon — and astrology in general — continue to capture people's imaginations.

While astronomy studies celestial bodies and physical, chemical, and mathematical phenomena to understand the universe from a scientific perspective, astrology examines the influence of zodiac signs, planets, and celestial bodies on humans.

Astrology originated in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, in the third millennium BC, and migrated from there to India.

This discipline began to take its current form during the Hellenistic period of ancient Greek civilization.

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, astrology entered Islamic culture as part of the Greek tradition and then returned to European culture through interest in the study of Arabic in the Middle Ages.

Astrology and horoscopes are classified as pseudoscience, but their followers believe that the planets, their positions and movements have a direct influence on our daily lives, our feelings, thoughts and future.

In early civilizations, there was a need to understand certain natural phenomena in order to predict the weather, the timing of precipitation, temperature, wind, and sunlight. It was a survival skill at the time.

The Greeks associated Mercury with their god Hermes, the god of luck, protection, fertility, music and deception.

In Roman mythology, Mercury was the god of commerce and communication, as well as the messenger of the gods, in addition to his role as the guide of souls to the underworld.

Why people believe in astrology

There is no scientific evidence that the retrograde motion of any planet affects us in any way.

According to the theories of cognitive psychology, a person's belief in astrology and zodiac signs comes from the so-called "confirmation bias", which is one of the common biases of the human mind.

Confirmation bias is the tendency to believe or remember information that is consistent with our prior beliefs and interpret it selectively and biased, without hard scientific evidence.

Zeynab Ajami, a clinical psychologist who now does humanitarian mental health work in Ukraine, told the BBC that "people tend to believe what makes them feel relieved or comfortable, and it doesn't require the brain to constantly analyze and re-evaluate an idea or situation".

"Astrology offers a quick and easy explanation for everything that can happen to people without having to dig into the real possible causes and multi-layered issues," she adds.

Despite the lack of scientific evidence, many people find astrology a source of inspiration, entertainment, or spiritual solace.

"A lot of people think astrology is just nonsense or false beliefs," Mireille Hammal, a reiki healer in Beirut, told the BBC.

Reiki is a popular form of alternative medicine that practices so-called energy healing, although there is no scientific evidence to support its effects.

Hammal believes that people who believe in the influence of Mercury retrograde should avoid making big purchases or planning important life events during this period.

"It's important to understand and be aware of planetary influences and choose what aligns with our beliefs without reaching the point of obsession," she says.