Mercury retrograde is back and this astrologer thinks it’s actually here to help

Now might be a good time to invest in a new protective case for your beloved iPhone, or add insurance for your vacation plane tickets. Mercury retrograde season is officially upon us once again, and will be until August 1st. It’s become increasingly more #trendy to blame the annoying little problems and mishaps that occur in our lives on the dreaded Mercury retrograde - even Taylor Swift is on board - but what does Mercury retrograde actually even mean? Astrologer Chris Love sat down with Yahoo Lifestyle to help us get to the bottom of the troubling astrological phenomenon. Love explains that when a planet enters retrograde, it means that, from our vantage point, it appears to be moving backwards in orbit. Love notes that planets never actually orbit backwards, but due to the speed in which they orbit, they sometimes appear to. Love offers an example - Imagine you speed up to pass a fast car on the highway. As you catch up to it, the other car can briefly appear to be moving backwards rather than forwards. This is called retrograde motion, and mimics what happens after Mercury whizzes past Earth and we begin to catch up to it. So what does this mean for us? Well, Love reminds us, as the popular astrology saying goes, “As above, so too below.” Love explains that being the fastest moving planet, Mercury influences fast travel and communication for us Earthlings. “Planes, cars, buses, you name it.” It also has a strong affect on technology. “Anything that lets us communicate quickly, that’s what Mercury controls.” When Mercury enters retrograde, these aspects of life can start feeling quite chaotic for some. Some common occurrences may be: flight delays poor communication broken phones car trouble computers crashing lost packages chaotic emotions stress at work ...just to name a few. Love explains that in astrology, the role of Mercury retrograde may very well be to help us rather than hurt us. While Mercury retrograde seems to cause issues that stop us in our tracks - sometimes literally - it also offers us an opportunity to stop and consider if what we’re doing is aligned with who we are. Love notes, “Every little thing that Mercury retrograde puts in our path is all in an effort to get us to stop and reflect on what it is that we actually need to be doing.” Some advice if you often feel your life in flux during the shake up of Mercury retrograde? Love suggests to try embracing the challenges it brings and do some soul-searching. And if you have doubt about the validity of Mercury retrograde because it never seems to get you down, Love adds “Well, give yourself a little pat on the back because it might be a little affirmation from the universe that you’re doing things pretty okay.” As for the rest of us - it’s going to be a long July. For more Popstrology, check out Chris Love’s take on what’s in the stars for Khloe Kardashian’s complicated love life and the new royal baby’s astrology sign: Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: 11 Ways Mercury Retrograde Seriously Messes With Your Relationships Your Mercury in Leo Horoscope, Or How to Spend Your Last Hurrah Before Retrograde Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal baby is probably going to be stubborn, astrologer says