Is Mercury Retrograde Messing with Your Electronics?

Waking up to a "dead" phone is a horror I would not wish on my worst enemy. In this age of "literally my entire life is on my phone", being forcibly unplugged by way of glitchy electronics is inconvenient at best. And sometimes, much, much worse.

What is important to note here is that when electronics start to act wonky for no good reason, it may be time to check the calendar.

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It may be Mercury Retrograde.

Lisa Stardust for Today describes mercury Retrograde like this:

Unlike what it sounds like, the planet Mercury isn’t actually moving backward; it’s just slowing down. Mercury normally moves faster than Earth around the sun. But when Mercury is retrograde, it is moving slower than Earth around the sun. (Mercury usually moves 88 days around the sun versus the 365 days that Earth does.) This creates an optical illusion in which we think that Mercury is moving backward.

When Mercury is in retrograde, it can affect technology in the following ways

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(According to Bing):

Electronic devices may crash for no reason
Files can disappear
Text messages might get misconstrued
Email suddenly becomes a dangerous game
Wi-Fi goes on the fritz
Mechanics can break down, making us rethink the way we rely on electronics to get through life
Cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops, desktops, and any other technological forms of communication you typically use will be affected
Mercury retrograde has a direct effect on transmission of information, communication networks and email.

When is Mercury Retrograde Tho?

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In 2023, there are three times Mercury will/have gone Retrograde. It just so happens, right about now is one of those times. Refinery29 reports:

"August 23 to September 15. Mercury retrograde will occur in the sign of Virgo. The pre-retrograde shadow will begin on August 3 and the post-retrograde shadow ends on September 30."

Wait. Pre-retrograde? What's that???? I'll tell you all about it in part 2.