After our last blog entry, Mercury Direct: The Retrograde Is Over, Cosmic Lowdown reader ibiwisi had a question for us:

"I'm an EXTREMELY amateur astrologer, only been studying for about 3 years. My instructor spoke about the "shadow periods" of Mercury retrograde, i.e. two weeks before the actual start of the retrograde and two weeks after the end. Supposedly it's just as easy to have communication, travel and technological snafus during those times as during the thick of the retrograde. Can you elaborate a bit on the "shadow period"? (Do you also feel that snafus are just as probable during those times?) Thank you."

Dear ibiwisi,
We started out as "amateurs" ourselves, just observing what we've noticed over the years. We've definitely experienced a shadow period after the retrogrades … sort of like a cosmic hangover. However, two weeks seems like a bit long for a Mercury retrograde shadow cycle. We've noticed it up to a week before and after, but usually the effects of Mercury retrograde filter out within three to five days. For example, I (Ophira) just flew on a plane from New York to Detroit the day Mercury went direct. There were definitely some technical and travel breakdowns at the airport and along the way. So just to be safe, we wouldn't rush into anything right after Mercury retrograde. Give it a couple of days to settle!