How To Communicate In Your Relationships During Mercury Retrograde's Shadow Period

Once Mercury retrograde ends, it can feel like a big exhale (whew!). But alas, we're not out of the woods right away. Each Mercury retrograde comes with a "shadow" period in the weeks before and after the planet's backspin, so it's in your best interest to keep your wits about you in the coming weeks.

As the AstroTwins previously explained to mbg, Mercury retrograde has a shadow phase that starts before the actual retrograde and ends after it. "It's like the lingering fumes of a bus or car after it's driven away," they explain, noting that this phase is called "stationing," and it describes the time Mercury needs to recover the distance that it retreated while in retrograde.

Retrogrades are an excellent time to review, reassess, and revise—and in this case, their shadow period offers us the chance to get clear on our most important connections. So one of the best things you can do during Mercury retrograde's shadow period is reflect on all that you've learned or realized about your relationships since the retrograde began in early May.

As astrologer Jennifer Racioppi tells mbg, your reflections can guide you toward future action—and then it's up to you to "score the touchdown" so to speak.

Much of the confusion Mercury retrograde causes will still be felt during the shadow period, so rather than diving into making big changes, take time to slowly but surely integrate your reflections and lessons. Racioppi recommends taking the next few weeks to mull over any big relationship moves.

Again, we're very much not out of the woods yet, so many of the rules of thumb for Mercury retrograde still apply during its shadow period, like thinking before you speak, being wary of blasts from the past, and double-checking everything before you hit send.