Agreements and contracts before and during Mercury retrograde

[helena-IT]

I know that whatever happens during Mercury retrograde might not have a positive outcome, especially communication-wise, but which scenario is more likely to have a positive outcome:

1) a verbal agreement upon something before Mercury turns retrograde and signing a contract based on that agreement during its retrograde phase

or

2) a verbal agreement during Mercury retrograde and signing a contract when it turns direct

Thank you.

 

[Culpeper]

Signing contracts is best done when Mercury is direct. However, if you have no alternative and Mercury is retrograde, then do not have it rule any important house in the electional chart for the time of the signing. Also it would be helpful to have it in a cadent house.

For instance if buying real estate, your house is the first, the seller is the 7th, the property is the 4th, the 10th is price, the 8th house is the seller's agent and the 2nd house is your agent. You do not want retro Mercury to rule the first or second house as that is important to you. If it rules a house of the other party it may give you an advantage but there could be delays.

 

[mdinaz]

I know that whatever happens during Mercury retrograde might not have a positive outcome, especially communication-wise, but which scenario is more likely to have a positive outcome:

1) a verbal agreement upon something before Mercury turns retrograde and signing a contract based on that agreement during its retrograde phase

or

2) a verbal agreement during Mercury retrograde and signing a contract when it turns direct

Thank you.

I would avoid both but the 2nd is probably a better option. A signed contract will take precedence over a prior verbal agreement, and the contract can be amended to update anything that has changed since the verbal agreement was made. However, you should still wait to sign the contract until Mercury has reached the initial point at which it turned retrograde. If that can't be done I'd at least wait until Mercury gets up to speed. I'd avoid option 1 at all costs because anything signed during Merc retrograde will not turn out as planned, and signed contracts are very hard to un-do.

 

[helena-IT]

I would avoid both but the 2nd is probably a better option. A signed contract will take precedence over a prior verbal agreement, and the contract can be amended to update anything that has changed since the verbal agreement was made. However, you should still wait to sign the contract until Mercury has reached the initial point at which it turned retrograde. If that can't be done I'd at least wait until Mercury gets up to speed. I'd avoid option 1 at all costs because anything signed during Merc retrograde will not turn out as planned, and signed contracts are very hard to un-do.

Thank you very much mdinaz and I know it should be avoided but somehow all of the crucial moments in my life in the past several years happened around Mercury retrograde and there was no option for postponing - I had a scenario No2 and it didn't turn out very well in the end.

Thank you once again.

 

[JUPITERASC]

Thank you very much mdinaz and I know it should be avoided but somehow all of the crucial moments in my life in the past several years happened around Mercury retrograde and there was no option for postponing - I had a scenario No2 and it didn't turn out very well in the end.

Thank you once again.

helena-IT, to sign contracts during Mercury retrograde is often not advised IF it's avoidable
HOWEVER
if it's unavoidable,
then be particularly careful to READ THE FINE PRINT
perhaps have legal advice
certainly be extra cautious

Many contracts/verbal agreements made during mercury retrograde are honored
whereas sometimes contracts/verbal agreements made at other times are not - so factor in your natal chart indicators as well

 

[mdinaz]

Thank you very much mdinaz and I know it should be avoided but somehow all of the crucial moments in my life in the past several years happened around Mercury retrograde and there was no option for postponing

Do you have Merc retrograde in your natal chart? Some people with retro Merc in the natal chart have the opposite affect as with everyone else - the retro period is good for them and forward Merc messes them up.

 

[helena-IT]

Do you have Merc retrograde in your natal chart? Some people with retro Merc in the natal chart have the opposite affect as with everyone else - the retro period is good for them and forward Merc messes them up.

No I don't, but I do have it in my 1st house and it's the strongest point in my chart - my prenatal solar eclipse trines Mercury and my prenatal new moon conjuncts it as well as fixed star Spica. And I've noticed that its retrograde phases actually intensify its influence that is, my communication skills intensify BUT I tend to confuse my conversational partner(s).

My chart

 

[helena-IT]

And another thing, last time I had a job interview it was during Merc retrograde and I got the job but signed the agreement and started working during its retrograde. And it didn't end up all that nice - I literary run away from that company after 3 months.
But this monday I went to another job interview and if I start working for that company I will have to sign the agreement and start working from 1st November and that would be during Merc retrograde. So now I don't know what to expect.

 

[mdinaz]

No I don't, but I do have it in my 1st house and it's the strongest point in my chart - my prenatal solar eclipse trines Mercury and my prenatal new moon conjuncts it as well as fixed star Spica. And I've noticed that its retrograde phases actually intensify its influence that is, my communication skills intensify BUT I tend to confuse my conversational partner(s).

I have first house Merc with four planets in Gemini and 3 in Virgo so I'm all Merc all the time - and retrograde periods really s*** for me. I try to avoid any major things during retro periods although everything seems to break during those periods.

 

[lakostra]

I would avoid both but the 2nd is probably a better option. A signed contract will take precedence over a prior verbal agreement, and the contract can be amended to update anything that has changed since the verbal agreement was made. However, you should still wait to sign the contract until Mercury has reached the initial point at which it turned retrograde. If that can't be done I'd at least wait until Mercury gets up to speed. I'd avoid option 1 at all costs because anything signed during Merc retrograde will not turn out as planned, and signed contracts are very hard to un-do.

what does it mean "until mercury gets up to speed?"

 

[IleneK]

what does it mean "until mercury gets up to speed?"

It means until Mercury assumes its typical speed in forward motion following a retrograde period.

 

[Outlook]

Look I have Moved jobs, bought house and generally gone about my life as normal during retrogrades. I just factor in the delay or correction issue. Possibly something may have to be altered post retrograde. Sometimes it heralds a three stage process that means you revisit the agreement twice more during future retros, but none of that is terminal or problematic if you just accept the hassle.

it has worked out that I start a new job and before long move internally to something better…. Or just a house sale taking slightly longer with moving date a bit postponed Or running late.

factor it in.

my rebellious nature has always refused to allow some piece of rock to tell me what to do!

 

[StarchaserNancy]

Mercury now direct, but contracts, I would be personally wary to sign on a rx unless no other choice. But, sometimes you have no other choice. Read the fine print over and have a contingency plan for when Merc stations direct. I find the shadow before it stations rx to be particularly difficult.
If the matter pertaining to the signing has been initiated well before the shadow or rx, maybe this would make a difference, too.

 

[LindaElena_]

I'd like to pint out that whatever the Mercury situation is, there are OTHER planetary transits which have to be taken into consideration. For instance, If Pluto or Uranus or Saturn, let's say, are not favorable for the project, whatever it is, then the Mercury retrograde is probably a moot issue.
LindaElena

 

[Osamenor]

I know that whatever happens during Mercury retrograde might not have a positive outcome, especially communication-wise, but which scenario is more likely to have a positive outcome:

1) a verbal agreement upon something before Mercury turns retrograde and signing a contract based on that agreement during its retrograde phase

or

2) a verbal agreement during Mercury retrograde and signing a contract when it turns direct

Thank you.

The second. But it's only feasible if both parties are aware of Mercury's retrogrades and playing by those rules, or if the timing just happens to align that way. Most of the world doesn't follow Mercury retrogrades. If you're offered a business contract, and it happens to be right when Mercury is turning retrograde and you only have days to sign, you can't tell them to wait because Mercury is retrograde.

When I became a moderator of this forum, my becoming a moderator was first discussed during Mercury retrograde, but wilsontc wanted to wait for it to turn direct before actually giving me moderator status. So the few days, maybe a week, before it turned direct were a think it over time.

That was six years ago. I'm now apparently the longest serving continuously active moderator after wilsontc, who's been on board since the beginning of the forum.

Moderators who were made moderators during Mercury retrograde have not remained continuously active and usually not remained moderators for as long.

My experience with contracts entered during Mercury retrograde--at least, with jobs started during Mercury retrograde--when I've paid attention, has been that they end up being short term. If they were intended to be short term anyway, that isn't a problem. If they weren't, it probably is.

There may be an exception for people who were born during Mercury retrograde. For those people, Mercury retrograde times match their natural vibe. They're likely to get their best opportunities during Mercury retrograde.