Crystal Support for Mercury Retrograde

    Ah, Mercury retrograde...It's a time we love to hate. It gets blamed for all the major and minor annoyances of our lives.  In case you are not into astrology (and I only know enough to be dangerous), a Mercury retrograde is when from our viewpoint on Earth the planet Mercury appears to be moving backwards in its orbit in the sky. (The same thing happens when you pass a car on the highway. The other car seems to move backwards in respect to your car.) Mercury retrograde occurs 3X a year, and lasts about 3 weeks, although its effects can be felt much longer. The planet Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo. Mercury is known as the messenger of the gods. Thus Mercury rules the mind, mental processes, communication, travel, and commerce. So when Mercury is doing its little backwards dance, many have challenges in these areas which is often experienced as lost emails, faxes, or mail, travel delays or cancellations, computers telephones, and other electronics acting wonky, missed appointments, and miscommunication. And depending on the sign it is retrograde in (at the time of this writing it is in Pisces and will be going back into Aquarius), some may be more sensitive to its energies than others. Since Mercury is my sun sign's ruling planet sometimes I wish I could just remain in bed under the covers until it is over. But that is not practical or possible; life must go on. But instead of cussing and freaking out, look at this time as a gift of rest and healing. Just as tides come in and go out and seasons come and go, recognize this as just another energy cycle and learn to work with it. The keys words for Mercury retrograde begin with the prefix re: redo, review, reflect, repair, re-evaluate, regroup, etc. And there are various crystals and gemstones that can support you at this time. 

    One very helpful stone is Chinese fluorite. Fluorite is great for all mental processes: decision making, test taking, and organizing your thoughts.

    Although not a crystal, one amulet that I wear constantly is the Winged Liberty or Mercury dime, which is 90% silver. Silver is a soothing, cooling metal that is aligned with lunar, feminine energy. Silver is also very protective. In hoodoo, a silver dime is worn around the ankle on a thin chain for protection. if the chain breaks or the dime turns black, it indicates that there is spiritual work being done against you. Since silver turns black in the presence of sulfur, which is an ingredient in hot foot powder and goofer dust, it acts as a warning. 

    Blue lace agate is another calming stone that you can wear or carry for peace in stressful situations. Blue lace agate will also help you to communicate more clearly.

    Emerald is a heart chakra stone that is good for love, harmony, and healing. It also assists communication, intuition, and decision making. It is also very soothing for the eyes.

    Amazonite is a beautiful blue-green feldspar that helps you to tap into your inner warrior. It's color spans the throat and heart chakras, thus it helps you to speak your truth boldly but with love. 

    Malachite is a beautiful dark green stone with distinctive bands and circles that's good for protection against the evil eye. It also absorbs EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies), thus it is good to place around televisions, computers, and telephones. It can also be placed in the cash register to draw business. 

    Hematite with it's high iron content is one of the best grounding and protecting stones. It helps to stabilize you, deflect negativity, and aid mental clarity, focus, and concentration.

    Sodalite is a lovely dark blue stone with white veins. Sodalite is wonderful for grounding and stilling the mind. Sodalite can help with focus, concentration, and organizing one's thinking. Rest laying down with a piece of sodalite on your forehead after you come home from work to release the stress and tension of your day. You can also place it near televisions and computers to absorb EMFs.

    These are just a few of the gemstones that can be used to manage any stress you may experience during this time.