How does Mercury retrograde affect us? Here's an astrologer's guide to survival.

Mercury is officially in retrograde. So buckle up, the universe may have something up its sleeve. You may begin to hear astrology lovers in your life lament the retrograde and all the ways it's shaking things up in their lives.

“When we think about a mercury retrograde it’s like tripping over your own feet and missing the train and waking up too late and forgetting to eat breakfast,” Astrologer Cleo Neptune says.

This retrograde, which will last until September 14, is no different. So how can you make it easier? Here are Neptune's expert survival tips.

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1. Take a deeper look at your chart

This Mercury Retrograde is in Virgo which means to know how it will affect your life, it’s important to know where Virgo is in your chart. You can look up your chart on popular sites like Co-Star or The Pattern.

“Mercury is at home in Virgo and Mercury likes chaos” Neptune warns. Virgo may be the sign of organization, but that’s often for other people’s lives and not their own, he says. They have a mess at home but they know exactly where everything is in their mess. So this mercury retrograde be sure to do the same.

“A retrograde in Virgo gives it (Mercury) the tools it needs to navigate the mess in a way that makes sense.”

2. Study the mess

Mercury retrograde makes a mess, there’s no way to avoid it. Humans are pretty futile against planetary forces. However, what you can do is study the mess and identify its underlying causes Neptune notes.

“Literally moving mess around to make it make sense is going to be this transit,” he says. “People realize the messes that exist in their life that reflect how their mind is working”

Sometimes taking a deeper look at something will start to reflect back at you some hidden truths. Maybe you discover you’re not planning ahead enough, or not giving yourself enough alone time. Whatever mess you have – physical, emotional, or otherwise, this is the time to take a magnifying glass to it.

3. Make lists

“A lot of lists need to be made,” Neptune says. When retrograde is in full swing everything is out of wack, so this is a good way to keep things straight. At the same time, recognize that progress is messy.

“Not in a philosophical way but in a literal way,” Neptune says of messy progress. He gives the metaphor of ripping apart a closet and looking at the pieces to ask “Which belongings are working and which ones are not?” If you can take that ideology and apply it to other areas of your life, your mercury retrograde may be just a little less turbulent.

4. Do something new

"Sh*t is going to hit the fan," Neptune says. But rather than plow forward with a method that is not working, this retrograde may push you to try an alternative route.

"Everyone is going to be out of wack and frustrated but in a way that will motivate them to do something new,” he says.

5. Say what you mean, and mean what you say

People with a Virgo Mercury placements are very good at giving feedback, Neptune says. So this season is a really good time to embody that quality. Don’t equivocate, give an honest opinion but do it with kindness.

“I feel like this retrograde is going to be a lot of encouraging people to criticize and to provide feedback on things that are and aren’t working in their lives,” Neptune explains.