Last Sunday when I tried to connect to the internet with my Smartphone at around 6AM while having my morning brew, the internet connection was down.
Good thing that my shift during Sunday starts at 11AM so I did not freak out. My regular WFH shift starts at 5AM so, if ever it occured during my 5AM shift, I will be tagged as late by the system or absent if the internet will be down the whole day.
It was already 9AM but my internet connection was still not available. I went to my neighbor and asked if they have an internet connection because we have subscribed to the same ISP. To my surprise their connection was stable. So I just thought that maybe there was a problem with the fiber optic line as we have different feeder sources.
I told my neighbor that I will have to connect to his WIFI in the meantime if my connection does not resume by 11AM and he agreed. After I have logged into the system for my attendance 5 minutes before 11AM, my internet connection has been fixed.
This morning, the same issue occurred. Good thing again it is my rest day so I don’t have to worry. You know when you used to wake up early almost every day your body clock is kind of used to it that even if you don’t have to go to work you are already awake as early as 6AM.
After having my morning coffee I went out for my early morning cycling session. I do this weekly during my rest day. I normally do it with 20KM distance but since the weather is not good today I just make it half. Then dropped by the nearest bakeshop for a hot pandesal. When I arrive home at 8AM my internet connection has resumed.
Retrograde Motion
So what is really the reason for these frequent internet connection failures? Even if you call your ISP and ask about the internet outage they will never tell you the real reason. They will just tell you about some technical problems like they were upgrading something in the system.
The main reason for this is due to “Mercury Retrograde”. Have you heard about it? Or perhaps you don’t believe in it.
The planet Mercury is retrograde again for the third and last time of this year, 2021.
What is Mercury Retrograde?
I think no one around here has posted about this topic or I have not stumbled upon some so I will take this opportunity to share with you what I know according to my resources. The information I will be sharing is only limited because there is a lot of this on the internet. For better understanding about the subject feel free to Google it.
According to astronomers, Mercury retrograde is an illusion, optical illusion to be more precise. We all know that since grade school the planet mercury revolves around the sun faster than the earth because of its position closer to the sun. When Earth passes Mercury revolving around the sun, there is a time that it will appear to be moving backwards. Planets orbit always travels in one direction and there is no way that it will reverse its course. So the retrograde motion becomes a phenomenon about Mercury who appears to be traveling backwards.
Astronomically speaking we are experiencing an apparent retrograde motion of Mercury that starts last September 27 and will end on October 17 EST. The first one occurred between January 30 to February 20 while the second one occurred May 29 to June 22 EST.
Why and what is the connection of this to the internet and communication?
The Planet Mercury symbolizes communication. It rules all types of form of it from writing, listening, reading, speaking and all other activities related to communication. So, when Mercury is retrograde all forms of communication seem to be disrupted. It may not have caused a total failure but there is an effect with what we do in terms of communication.
Your Zodiac And Mercury
If you are a Libra just like me or Scorpio, you will notice that your communication skills tend to become dull. You feel like you are not making any progress in the past few days. This is the reason why I am not productive lately even at work. I am not able to write well too because I just feel that there is something blocking in my head that I can’t visualize my topics clearly. You know it’s like you are slowing down.
Mercury retrograde has a negative connotation but we should not be afraid of it when it happens. Although some people, particularly those that are not so concerned about planetary movements and astrology, they will never care.
But at some point at least we are aware about what is currently happening and know the reason why it happened. This way we already know what to do next time it happens. What to avoid and need to be prepared although it may not sound like really a big deal.
One good thing about this and yet funny, you can use it as an excuse with your friend or boss. Just tell them that Mercury goes retrograde when you miss important emails or any sort of miscommunication (laughs). But of course it should not always be the case. You are always responsible for your actions.
Anyway I hope this information makes sense somehow. Try to mark down your calendar next year for the next phenomenon to occur so that you will know what to do the next time you will feel like everything is slowing down.
Thanks for reading. Ciao!
Resources:
https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/a36593904/what-is-mercury-retrograde-meaning-astrology/
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a37639750/mercury-retrograde-september-astrology/
Lead image source credits to NASA
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