Just the words “Mercury Retrograde” can strike fear into the hearts of witches and non-witchy folk alike. I know several people who don’t have a mystical bone in their bodies, and yet they’ll still make comments about Mercury Retrograde being responsible for traffic delays and tech problems. It seems to be one of those rare magical concepts that has crossed over into mainstream pop culture.

Common astrological wisdom is to avoid big life changes during Mercury Retrograde, especially if those changes involve travel, contracts, and/or spending money. We’re often told to avoid things like buying/renting a home or starting a new job during this time. But how many of us can realistically put our lives on hold for several weeks until Mercury is direct again?

If my lease is about to be up on my apartment, I can’t afford to wait to look for a new place. If I recently lost my job, I can’t afford to wait until the retrograde is over to apply for a new one. If I have a family member in the hospital on the other side of the country, I’m going to get on that plane, no matter what the planets are doing. At the very least, most of us will probably have to send an important email at some point during Mercury Retrograde.

The following spell is one I created for times when you have to take care of Mercury-ruled business during a retrograde. With this spell, we can work with this planet as an ally instead of fighting against it. If we’re very clever, we can even make that retrograde energy work for us instead of against us!

For this spell, you will need:

• A candle, either yellow or undyed (a small tealight works just fine!) and matches or a lighter
• A plate, cauldron, or other vessel
• A blank piece of paper and a pen
• A piece of paper with the astrological symbol for Mercury (☿) drawn on it in yellow ink, followed by the symbol for retrograde motion (℞)
• The Page of Swords* card from a tarot deck
• Dried lemongrass
• Dried lavender flowers
• Fresh or dried dill

*Note: The Page of Swords works best in situations involving communication and/or technology, but you may choose to use another tarot card that fits your situation better. For example, if your situation involves travel, you might choose the Chariot; if your situation involves buying/renting a home, you might choose the 10 of Pentacles; if your situation involves a new job, you might choose the Three of Pentacles, etc.

To cast the spell:

Begin by preparing sacred space, however you normally do for spells.

On the blank paper, write a description of the situation you need Mercury’s cooperation with and your desired outcome for that situation. (For example, “My job interview at [company] goes well, and I communicate clearly and effectively.”) You need to write this entire intention backwards to reflect Mercury’s retrograde (backwards) motion. This means that if you are writing in English, you will be writing from right to left, and your letters will be reversed. (If you find this difficult, try using a mirror to check your work. If the words look correct in the reflection, you have successfully reversed them!)

Place this written intention in your working space.

Pick up the paper with the Mercury Retrograde symbol (☿℞). Speak directly to the planet Mercury as you would speak to a friend. Explain your situation to Mercury, and explain why it is important that this goes well for you. Ask the planet to help you in this situation and to specifically transform any blocks or delays related to its retrograde into energy that will help you achieve your goal.

Place the Mercury Retrograde symbol directly on top of your intention.

Pick up the Page of Swords card. Speak to the character in the card as you would speak to a friend. Ask this Page to cut through any confusion or delays in this situation and to help you communicate clearly and effectively.

Place the Page of Swords on top of the Mercury Retrograde Symbol. Place your plate or cauldron on top of the Page of Swords.

Place your candle in the center of the plate/cauldron.

Sprinkle the lemongrass around the candle. Speak directly to the spirits of the plant and ask them to help clear away any confusion, delays, or blocks in your situation, especially those caused by Mercury Retrograde, and to open the way for your desired outcome.

Sprinkle lavender around the candle. Ask the spirits of the plant to help clear away any confusion, delays, or blocks in your situation, especially those caused by Mercury Retrograde, and to allow communication to happen peacefully and easily.

Sprinkle dried dill around the candle or place sprigs of fresh dill in a circle around the candle. Ask the spirits of the plant to protect this situation from confusion, delays, or interference. Depending on the situation, you might also ask them to protect you from jealousy and toxic people.

Light the candle. As you do, say a few words. This can be as simple as, “I work with Mercury in retrograde, not against it. I move easily and effectively through the areas of life ruled by this planet.”

If possible, let the candle burn down completely before going to your job interview, applying for a lease, sending that big email, or whatever it is you need to do.

For more details: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/authors/sam-wise