What does ‘Mercury in the microwave’ mean? Why is everyone saying it on Twitter?

Yes, Mercury is in the microwave. That’s why communication is all screwed up. For example, you probably have no clue why everyone is saying “Mercury is in the microwave.”

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People on social media can’t stop talking about how Mercury is on microwave duty. The Twitter chatter started up this September. Someone asked, “Who put Mercury in the microwave and why haven’t they taken it out?” while another said, “How much longer will Mercury be in the microwave because I’VE HAD ENOUGH SLICES?”

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“Mercury in the microwave” is a slang term for Mercury retrograde. Mercury retrograde is an astronomical phenomenon where the planet appears to move backward in the sky. This is an optical illusion caused by Mercury’s physical relation to Earth.

In astrology, you can expect banal chaos when Mercury goes retrograde. Crazy things don’t happen so much as frustrating inconveniences related to technology, travel and communication. So expect emails to get lost, flights to get delayed and maybe some of those jokes to land poorly.

When Mercury is retrograde, it tends to get the blame for anything going wrong in people’s lives. Essentially, people liken Mercury retrograde to “bad vibes” temporarily taking over their lives. Mercury retrograde began Sept. 9 and will last until Oct. 2.

“When you wake up but Mercury is in the microwave again,” @greensnft said, sharing a comic where a character’s day is a wash.

“Here’s to blaming mercury retrograde for every inconvenience in my life,” @mamaulaaan said on Twitter.

“This Mercury retrograde feels like it’s showing everyone’s true colors. we’re seeing people struggle with projection, of their fears, insecurities, jealousy, on everyone else but themselves. deflection at its finest, but they’ll be forced to see what’s really going on soon,” @celesitial wrote in a tweet.

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