The Brief: Mercury in retrograde: the astrological occurance that is known to cause chaos and communication barriers has inspired an onslaught of hilarious and helpful memes.

DEEP DIVE
Whether or not you’re into astrology, you’ve likely heard that Mercury is in retrograde. Here’s a breakdown of what that means for the planets, your life, and memes.
What Is Mercury Retrograde?
Mercury in retrograde is an astrological phenomenon in which the planet Mercury appears to change the direction of its orbit. This illusion occurs as Mercury laps Earth in its orbit. It’s known to cause communication mishaps, technological dysfunction, and chaos. The current Mercury in retrograde began on July 7th and is set to last until July 31. As astrology becomes an increasingly popular topic of online discourse and subject of memes, Mercury in retrograde tends to be a particularly prolific source of memes. People tend to blame Mercury’s position for a variety of hardships and difficulties that they may encounter.
Eclipse Season
This Mercury retrograde falls during eclipse szn, which is said to cause further chaos and confusion in our lives on Earth. On July 2nd, a total solar eclipse crossed South America and a partial lunar eclipse will occur in Capricorn on July 16. Eclipses are known to be sources of change. The combination of the eclipses and Mercury’s retrograde may make July a tumultuous month.
Survival Tips
Whether you’re ready or not, Mercury in retrograde and eclipse season are here. So check your Co-Star app, prepare to feel all the feels, and practice some self-care. Not only can memes and the wisdom of astrology influencers be a good way to de-stress in times of chaos, but they can also provide some helpful advice too.
Get out all your crystals…
Your eclipse season reminder. https://t.co/qV4k06S2vq
— Astrology by Mecca (@TheMeccanism) July 1, 2019
Mercury Retrograde Memes
Don’t let Mercury’s position ruin your entire Hot Girl Summer!
Mercury is about to go into Reggaeton y'all. You know what time it is.
— Tatianna Tarot (@TatiannaTarot) February 28, 2019
me trying to keep my mouth shut and not argue w nobody during this mercury retrograde pic.twitter.com/0rr1QgBfzR
— eni da $hit (@mfckineni) July 7, 2019
A Toy Story 4 Forky meme:
Trying not to be the person who texts their ex during Mercury Retrograde pic.twitter.com/bCJaxNIHYv
— E.V. Starling (@starlitstudy) July 8, 2019
When Mercury Retrograde decides to fall during Eclipse Season & you just gotta pretend everything’s fine even though you’re on the verge of the biggest mental breakdown of your existence: pic.twitter.com/XjF1iGBmm6
— ♃ ♃ ♃ (@lightbodyblues) July 8, 2019
Enjoy this Bottle Cap Challenge fail:
Is this Mercury Gatorade?