ya know, someone who uses the moniker, geminipoet, should really pay attention to things like this–

On August 28th, 2003, Mercury turns retrograde again, sending communications, missed appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup! This awkward period begins a few days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until September 20. It finally straightens out on October 4, bringing things back to normal. Mercury turns retrograde three times a year, as a rule, but the effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens. This year, however, Mercury turns retrograde four times. How confusing!

What does Mercury affect?

In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially people who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, tricksters and thieves.

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.

When Mercury is retrograde, everyone’s thinking is more introspective and we tend to think about issues and concerns which relate to the sign involved. With Mercury retrograde in Virgo, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. There is little choice but to reconsider one’s personal views and opinions about life. There is, however, an opportunity to gain insight into one’s own ego.

It should be noted that Mercury retrograde, like any cosmic aspect, affects people differently, depending on where it hits their personal charts. Some people actually prosper under a retro Mercury, especially if Mercury is retrograde but otherwise well-aspected in their birth charts. It is also a time when matters begun under a previous retro period will come to fruition, or completion as the case may be.

Mercury retro in Virgo brings blockages connected with the exercise of analytical abilities, learning and organizational matters. Indecision on these and related issues arises through an undue influence from the persuasive power of others. Confidence may be shaky. Avoid being too impatient and overly critical; the need for perfection inevitably conflicts with the reality of a less-than-perfect world, especially during this period. With regard to learning and transportation, glitches may be expected. Curiosity leads you down many paths, mentally as well as physically. The direct route tends to be blocked through inattention to detail, misunderstood directions, missed appointments and the like.

All areas of communication are affected. Methods and motivation for learning, communication and transportation are subject to difficulties under this aspect. It brings travel snafus and missed appointments of all kinds. Documents can go astray. Be sure to carry a diary and refer to it often.