I was on a long distance road trip over the Easter holiday. I exited the highway about a mile from my destination, when my car decided to just completely stop functioning. We got the car towed to an auto shop, and I was not surprised to see that the lot was overflowing with broken-down vehicles–other victims of Mercury retrograde! Mercury retrograde officially began on April 9th and ends on May 3rd. But it is possible for you to have felt the effects as early as March 23rd, which marked the beginning of the pre-shadow period. We won’t be completely free of Mercury retrograde’s influence until the post-shadow period ends on May 21st.

Mercury is a planet that governs communication, clear thought, travel, and truth. When this planet appears to go backwards in the sky during a retrograde, you can potentially experience hiccups in these key areas. Your thinking and communication can feel scattered, and you might experience glitches in your technology and transportation. It is also a time that supports revisiting and reviewing your past, so that you can tie up loose ends and move forward in a clear way after the retrograde. The good news is that it can all be managed by staying aware, going slowly and deliberately, and maintaining a good attitude. Luckily, there are three crystals that can beautifully support you through Mercury retrograde.

1. Sodalite

Sodalite is a beautiful stone that has deep to light blue color rays and areas of white Calcite. Some specimens can contain grey, yellow, green, or pink. Sodalite stimulates the mental body and brings order and organization to energy, thoughts, and words; and this makes it well suited to help counteract the effects of Mercury retrograde. Specifically, it enhances your faculties of rational thought, analysis, objectivity, and observation. It can help to clear mental confusion and old, rigid thought patterns that would block your ability to comprehend things in a newer and truer way. Sodalite also sharpens your psychic vision and intuition, helping you to see situations from multiple levels of reality and to draw accurate conclusions.  It awakens the third eye chakra and expands your spiritual awareness.

Sodalite also has a peaceful and relaxing quality to it. Placed in your home or work place, it can assist in creating a more tranquil and serene environment. It can calm and unwind uncomfortable emotional states, such as fear, stress, anxiety, guilt, and anger. Sodalite can also help to relax a revved up mind so that you can more easily move into an altered, meditative state. According to crystal experts, Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian, meditating with Sodalite opens the subconscious to help heal wounds from the past. Mercury retrograde provides the perfect energetic opportunity to go deep with this kind of inner healing work.

Sodalite is also a great stone for the throat chakra and communication. It is recommended for writers, teachers, public speakers, and channelers who bring through higher messages during healing and psychic work. The thyroid is the gland that is associated with the throat chakra, and many people have reported that working with Sodalite consistently can boost its functioning. According to Melody, author of Love is in the Earth, Sodalite can help you to verbalize your emotions and to speak your truth in a clear and loving way. This becomes extra important during Mercury retrograde, when communication can become challenged.

2. Howlite

With all of the potential glitches that Mercury retrograde can cause, it is always useful to have a stone like Howlite on hand to ease the frustration. Howlite is a soothing white or cream-colored stone with grey veins running through it. You might have noticed that you (and everyone around you) can become more agitated during the Mercury retrograde period, especially when faced with technical problems and communication mishaps. You have to really slow down and dig deeply for patience, and Howlite can assist you on both fronts. I would recommend keeping some Howlite with you during the retrograde, because it can absorb and eliminate stress, anger, irritation, anxiety, and negative energy that you are experiencing internally or receiving from others. Howlite can calm down your thoughts and feelings, helping you to take a deep breath before acting (or overreacting). It can help you to remain objective and clear-headed, so that you can prevent an issue from escalating while accessing potential solutions.

Howlite is a stone that expands awareness and refines communication, both of which are very helpful things during Mercury retrograde. It fosters a connection with the higher realms and taps you into spiritual wisdom and realizations. If ghosts from your past are resurfacing during Mercury retrograde, Howlite can bring in more spiritual awareness about any unhealed issues that need to be resolved. It can help you tune into other lifetimes, where a pattern may have originated that is affecting you now, so that you can understand and clear it. Sometimes it is necessary to compassionately communicate your truth in order to heal and clear old issues. Howlite helps you to calmly and clearly express yourself in a productive way that honors all parties. During Mercury retrograde, when wires are easily crossed, hang onto your Howlite to help with all of your important communications.

3. Pyrite

When Mercury is causing things to go haywire in your reality, grounding, protection, and focus all become especially important. Pyrite, also known as Fool’s Gold, is a powerful, iron-bearing mineral that naturally forms in the sacred geometry shapes of the cube and the dodecahedron. When my car died in the middle of the street, I was wishing that I had a Pyrite with me. (And as soon as I get my car back, I plan on affixing a Pyrite cube to my dashboard.) The iron content in Pyrite keeps you very grounded, connected, and present in the moment, so that you can effectively deal with the situation at hand. It also keeps the auric field anchored and in tact during any kind of shock to your system, as it seals and repairs any resulting damage. Iron-bearing stones are also some of the best stones for energetic protection–especially when they are in the shape of a cube. Pyrite is known as a top protection stone that can shield you from all forms of danger, negativity, and harmful energy.

The sacred geometry that Pyrite forms in gives it some very useful qualities for Mercury retrograde. The cube and the dodecahedron have a stabilizing effect on your consciousness and energy, ordering and focusing your thoughts. This can beautifully counteract the scattering effect of Mercury retrograde on your mental body and communication. Pyrite will keep you sharp, so that you don’t miss any important details in contracts, business, or other areas where you need to comprehend the fine print. It also vitalizes your physical and mental energies, while boosting your attitude, confidence, and manifestation power. Having a positive, empowered attitude will serve you in shining through any challenge that might be thrown your way.

In conclusion, here are my other tips for surviving Mercury retrograde:

1. Realize that it is temporary. Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, making its retrograde period the shortest of all of the planets. It will be over before you know it. Focus on the light at the end of the tunnel!
2. See Mercury retrograde as a gift or an opportunity. Whatever comes up for you during this time is part of your soul’s plan for healing and forward movement. If your computer breaks, maybe it is time to get a new and better one. If an old lover contacts you again out of the blue, it might be a chance to clear and heal the past. Be open to a positive interpretation of events.
3. When things go wrong, you can just blame Mercury retrograde! Ok, I am mainly kidding, because I do believe in taking personal responsibility for what happens in your life. However, sometimes it helps to lighten the energy when you can laugh about things and chalk it up to outside forces. Let yourself off the hook and blame the cosmos. If it makes you feel better, why not?

I hope you ease through the rest of Mercury retrograde, and I know that Sodalite, Howlite, and Pyrite will be a big help. If you need a good online source for purchasing these crystals, visit crystalsbynature.com