Should I avoid signing contracts during Mercury retrograde?
What's actually true — the astronomy
Apparent retrograde motion is pure geometry: as the faster inner planet is passed by (or passes) Earth, its path against the stars appears to loop. It is exactly predictable and involves no change in Mercury itself. AstralMath computes it from the real ephemeris.
What the tradition says (interpretation)
Astrology reads Mercury (communication, contracts, travel) turning "retrograde" as a time to review rather than initiate — hence the folklore about signings and gadgets.
The decision-science move — what to actually do
Use it as a harmless prompt to double-check, not a veto. If a decision is right, retrograde is not a reason to wait; if it is wrong, retrograde is not why. The one useful habit — read the fine print — is worth doing in every direction of Mercury.
References
- [1]Apparent retrograde motion — NASA / astronomy referenceRetrograde is an optical effect of orbital geometry — real astronomy, no physical force on human affairs.
- [2]Is astrology real? Here’s what science says — Scientific AmericanA clear statement of what the evidence supports — and doesn’t.
More questions like this in the decision-science library, or read how we separate the math from the myth.