Mercury in Retrograde: And Other Ways the Stars Can Teach You to Live Your Truth, Find Your Power, and Hear the Call of the Universe

by Rachel Stuart-Haas

From lunar logic to retrograde real talk, eclipses to asteroids, practicing astrologer Rachel Stuart-Haas breaks down the astrological phenomena that impact your day-to-day life in this giftable guide to the heavens, and what they have in store.

The sun, moon, stars, and other celestial bodies are constantly impacting our lives. They affect our decision making, relationships, communication. They signal change and grant us moments of self-reflection. And, if we let them, they challenge us to grow into the best versions of ourselves.

In Mercury in Retrograde , practicing astrologer Rachel Stuart-Haas takes us on a fun and energizing exploration of the astrological phenomena that guide our lives. Unpacking eclipses, retrogrades, the major and minor aspects, asteroids, and moon wisdom, Stuart-Haas teaches readers how to go beyond their zodiac sun sign and natal chart (how the stars were aligned at their birth) and start thinking like a real astrologer
-Align their energies with the Universe
-Time major life decisions to auspicious moments
-Improve their relationships, mental health, and well-being
-Create meaningful rituals for self-care
-And more!

Perfect for armchair astrologists, fans of divination, and anyone looking to improve their relationships, mental health, and overall wellbeing, this wise, delightful, and easy-to-read book provides the first step to reclaiming your life and accomplishing all you’ve ever dreamed of.

Genres: Astrology, Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Self Help

150 pages, Hardcover

Published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded for 4.5 stars. Mercury in Retrograde is a good resource for the beginners who want to advance to intermediate level in the fascinating subject of astrology. Easy to follow and well written this book gives an overview of all main subjects astrologer needs to know to read charts, interpret transitions and understand how planets in retrograde impact our life. My favorite part about this book was the survival guide through challenging times in our lives, how to recognize them and what to do when eclipses and Retrograde Planets rise on our horizon.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Naomi C. Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title is kind of misleading, but this is a really good overview of astrology and the natal chart and how to use them.

[Ky Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little tricky to understand but was so easy to read!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm currently obsessed with all things astrology-related at the moment, so I was excited to dig into this one. There's a lot of interesting information about lesser-known astrology events (such as lunar eclipses, new moons, etc.), so there's definitely a lot of value if you're curious about these kinds of things. It was a little harder for me to appreciate the zodiac stuff in the book because I haven't had my birth chart done. I know the book said you can find online ones, but when I tried, I ended up feeling pretty confused. So, I think I would recommend this title only to someone who's already had their natal chart drawn up. Otherwise, you might be skipping large sections of the book that don't relate to your understanding of the zodiac system. The book is written in a casual, fun conversational tone that makes it accessible, but there are still some elements that left me feeling a little bewildered (since they sound almost math-like). Folks who are interested in astrology will probably find this book useful in some way.

*Free ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

[MacKenzie Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! The only reason that I did not give it 5 stars is because I thought it would be centered more around mercury retrograde itself. While there were heavy themes of retrogrades, the book covered how retrogrades work with the rest of the solar system overall.

Nonetheless, I loved the intricate knowledge presented and the voice of the author. She added her own personal touch and laid out the topics in a way that was intimate and easy to understand.

I am a mid-mid/high level astrologist and my biggest takeaway from the book was the breakdown of aspects. I've always strayed away from aspects because of the math related to it, but I know have a solid understanding of how I can interpret aspects with essentially no math. I feel like I unlocked a whole new skill!

This book is a bookshelf essential for any astrologist, and I am so happy that I came across it.

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll start out by saying that I took the title of this book literally and thought it was all about mercury retrograde. It’s not. It’s a book about astrology. That being said it does have great information on all the planets’ retrogrades and what they mean. The first half has basic astrology info. Best to have your birth chart handy when reading this part! The 2nd half includes retrograde info and conjunctions (squares, trines, sextiles etc), astroids, moon phases etc. The section “Calling in the Zodiac” has suggestions for colors, essential oils and self care practices for each sign/house. All in all its a very good astrology book and I did learn quite a bit!

[sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

kind of confusingly written, but overall helpful. wanted to learn more about astrology and what the jargon meant.

[Bo Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

good for beginners, but i disagreed with a thing or two in here.

[Diane Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a title that might equate to clickbait (a discussion on Mercury in Retrograde is but a small part of this book), this little review on how to read and utilize astrology in your life is actually a good starter companion for the astrologically curious. It also doubles as a bit of a self help book, pointing out ways that astrology might help us better understand ourselves and find ways to accept who we are—and who others are. It's not deep reading, but it helps put an astrological chart in perspective for the novice.

I have always been interested in astrology on a surface level. I was introduced to it by a hometown astrologer who did up a chart in my high school years. She was the mom of a friend, and some people thought she was a witch. Now, I’m drawing up a character based on the woman in my latest writing project, and having this book (gifted to me by one of my own kids) helped me understand the craft of astrology just enough to bring the character to life.

It touches on Mercury retrogrades and what they actually mean, sure. It even explains the actual physics of a retrograde regarding the movement of planets (because my other kid, who took astronomy and earth science classes in college, wanted to make sure I knew—I did. Without the help of this book, but still, it’s good to see an astrology book not dismiss it.). But it touches on a broader scope of what things mean in your chart too—the planets, the sun, the moon, conjunctions, sextiles and trines, even an asteroid or two.

Like I said, it doesn’t go deep. It touches on the basics with short, easy to read passages for the astrology curious. It’s worth checking out if you are, indeed astrology curious. A 3.5 Rating

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book! I learned a lot more about astrology--this goes beyond the basic "this is what a water sign means" but isn't so detailed that it is inaccessible to beginners. This book covers a lot of ground, so it will be most useful for someone who has their full chart done. I did not have everything done, but I do have my basic chart courtesy of the Nebula app, and just having that basic information allowed me to learn a lot. :)

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all need a little help during retrograde season and I found this book to be just that. It is chock full of information on the various retro grades, moon phases, conjunctions and asteroids. It is not for the feint of heart. Perhaps a little more intense then beginner books. I found a bit of it confusing in some places and I have probably read 20 plus books on astrology alone. Overall well done! I will be buying a physical copy for myself.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love this book! It has taught me so much about astrology that I never knew. I wanted to go alot deeper than just my sun sign and rising sign. This book gave me exactly what i was looking for and more. I often use it as a reference when looking at my birthchart and my friends'. I would recommend this to anyone looking to go a little deeper into the different aspects of astrology. A great read!

[Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. I've grown up with a mother who was obsessed with Astronomy so some of the information was things I've come across in the past in other places. However, this is a great insightful book worth having in my collection.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick impressions: The book overall is very accessible and easy to read. This is not a book for advanced and/or professional astrologers. This is more for folks who are curious and want to get a working understanding of astrology.

(Full review on my blog later.)

[Lindsey Flagg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a nice writing style and layout, but either something isn’t matching up with my natal chart or I’m reading something wrong. There are still some interesting sections about different topics such as moon phases and eclipses, however.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! I am an avid horoscope reader and this gave me such a good insight into my houses. I also loved the different rituals for the moon cycles too!

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who want to go deeper in learning this topic, this can be a good introduction of information to astrology and the houses.

[Becky Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for helping you understand your birthday chart.

[Kaeli Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and informative! Fun to put in your birth date and find out about all my astrological signs and houses and what it all means!

[Kourtnea Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insights

[grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

i know this is a book for beginning but it just felt really complex? for some reason? i don't know i was confused after like the third section lol!

[Emily Varner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this, learned so much. Made so many graphs and charts

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear-cut, easy-to-follow introduction to Astrology. Not a lot of fluff. Very informative without feeling overwhelming, and I loved the space in the beginning to write out your own chart information. Would have given it 5 stars, but the glaring omission of any mention of Black Moon Lilith made me drop it down to 4.

Also, on a more picky note, though focusing on Houses quite a bit, the work space in the beginning does not allow enough room for you to include both planets and houses for your own chart.

[Trader (RedHotBlueReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for some very basic astrology information to get started, this book might be the right fit for you. The book contains the foundations of astrology, discusses planet positions, eclipses and retrogrades for the neophyte. It's not overly technical and it is easy to read. A good choice if you are just getting started with this practice.

[amena · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a practicing astrologer of 5 years, i’ve always seen this book at five below and sent a bit of judgment its way, thinking that it was some basic pop astrology book based on misconceptions about astrology and how it works. i received this book for christmas from a friend, and it is NOT that (do keep in mind this is your standard basic modern tropical astrology book. if you know astrology in depth you may find this book a bit juvenile or inaccurate at times due to the author’s simplification of the chart). the title might be a bit misleading, but it is the perfect book for a beginner looking to learn basic modern tropical astrology. i intend to recommend this book to my cilents. it covers the planets, the houses, a few asteroids, and even the nodes and moon phases! rachel stuart-hass even provided recommendations for remedies (or magick) to support the chart, which, as a vedic-influenced astrologer, i found interesting and intend on using some of the remedies in my own practice. i will say that my only complaint might be that the book is a bit simplistic at times, which may allow for some confusion as the reader begins to branch out of the book and to other more advanced sources of learning astrology, but considering it was $2.50 at five below, it’s so much more than i was expecting. i will say even as a seasoned astrologer, this book provided some insights (i also don’t mind an occasional brushing up of the basics considering how deep astrology can get). i also deeply enjoyed filling in the empty chart at the beginning of the book! if i had this when i was learning astrology it would have been so useful but it feels a bit juvenile for the place i am now in my practice. i intend on giving the book to my teenage sister because i feel that she and her friends would have more fun with it

EDIT: One day while I was at Whole Foods I had a spearmint (mercury ruled herb) tea spill in my purse and this book got SOAKED by it. It’s not ruined but it definitely looks like it survived a tea spill. Mercury in Retrograde indeed lol.

[Stephanie Giang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so interesting to listen to. It was nice to be able to listen and follow along while looking at my natal charts. I'm planning on buying a hardcopy to be able to take notes in it. Very interesting to learn about the different houses, signs, constellations and the intersections amongst them.