I am not into astrology. But how can I explain why my computer broke all of a sudden (literally) overnight while I was asleep–I read my emails before bed, woke up and no internet; it took tech support a week to fix it after three visits from the guy; I dropped my damn cell phone, which I was using to read email and had to run out and buy a new one; the light on my toaster goes on when it’s off; and a series of mishaps led to a significant financial loss during this period of Mercury in retrograde? Coincidence? I don’t know!

According to the astrologers Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray or awry.

They say it is therefore not wise to make important decisions while Mercury is retrograde, since it is very likely that these decisions will be clouded by misinformation, poor communication and careless thinking. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed. What do you think?