Making the Most of Your Retrograde

Anyone who has read at least a few astrological texts in their day has probably heard something about Mercury in retrograde. It's a flashy term that's great for impressing people at parties... but what does it actually mean? Is it really all that important? How will it affect me?
Describing a planet as "in retrograde" (as opposed to "direct" or "in direct motion") refers to its trajectory through the sky as seen from Earth. Remember, all astrology relates to our positioning on Earth and the relative angles and courses of the celestial bodies around us. When a planet changes from direct motion to retrograde, it appears to the Earth-borne eye to literally reverse its course in the sky. If you were standing on the east coast of the US, you would have noticed this phenomenon around 12am on April 18th. Mercury's retrograde motion will last until about 6:30pm on May 11th.
Don't worry; Mercury is ok. In fact, it hasn't changed its orbital pattern one bit. The perceived shift in direction is actually a naturally occurring optical illusion caused by the Earth overtaking Mercury in its elliptical journey around the sun.
However, this reversal causes some serious chaos on Earth. As Mercury, master of all communications, loses its direct hold on our planet, expect messages spoken, written, and unspoken to miss their targets. We may often find ourselves making statements or accepting agreements based on a series of miscommunications or even a complete lack of communication, and therefore later regretting our haste. As a perfect example, does everyone remember May 2nd, 2003? It was the date that POTUS George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln to announce our victory in Iraq, stating that all major combat operations have come to an end. Mercury just so happened to be in retrograde at this point in time.

In retrograde, Mercury's mythological role as a trickster (more so in Greek mythology as "Hermes" than the Roman conceptualization) truly comes into play. The breakdown of communication is not just an interpersonal hindrance; unfortunately, Mercury also controls communication within our own bodies, from our central nervous system to our emotions and thoughts. Sound advice from any astrologer for this time period would involve a lot of "do nots" and "should nots", including avoiding making any important decisions such as signing contracts or solidifying major plans. So, can we use Mercury in retrograde to our advantage, or is April 18th to May 11th just a wash?
Mercury's retrograde is a time not just to put our feet in our mouths, but also an opportunity to meditate on the past several months. Astrologer Erin Sullivan has observed that the ratio of Mercury retrograde to direct corresponds with the average human sleep cycle; that is, Mercury spends as much time in retrograde (compared to direct) as we do asleep (compared to awake). By her view, this chaotic period can be seen as a time to relax, reflect, rejuvenate, and wait out the storm.
My advice: sit back and reflect on your experiences over the past few months, assimilate them into knowledge, and grow from them. Stock up on your energy, wisdom, and communicative urges, because come May 11th, it's time to move forward.