Which Crystal Should You Use to Survive Mercury’s Retrograde?

By: Emily Maggrett
Estimated Completion Time
6 min
Which Crystal Should You Use to Survive Mercury’s Retrograde?
Image: Molly Aaker / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Have you heard of Mercury retrograde? This astrological phenomenon, which takes place multiple times per year, occurs when Mercury appears to be moving backward in its orbit — from our vantage point on Earth. Because Mercury is associated with language, communication, mental processes, technology and transportation, this backward movement is associated with things going wrong in those areas, from bus delays to accidentally hitting "reply all" on sensitive emails.

During Mercury retrograde, people put their feet in their mouths, forget to back up important files and discover that their crucial business flights have suddenly been canceled. However, all of these things don't usually happen to one person! That's because the effects of Mercury retrograde differ from person to person. Your Mercury retrograde problems take their form from your chart, as well as from your personality in general. For instance, an extroverted Aries will probably say the wrong thing to their mother-in-law during this time, while a scatterbrained Aquarius is more likely to make a bunch of lunch dates with business prospects, then forget to add them to their calendar.

So has Mercury retrograde got you in a twitter? If you're looking for specific guidance on getting through Mercury retrograde, this quiz can help. We're going to diagnose your likely retrograde issues through a series of questions about your personality, habits and self-care. Then we'll prescribe a special crystal which should help you to improve your emotional balance during this time. 

Ready to find out how to beat this astrological beast? Hit "pause" on whatever you're doing and take this quiz!

Woman waiting for bus or train
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Let's say Mercury retrograde has made your bus to work 20 minutes late. How do you feel?
Worried. What if everybody thinks I'm a screw-up for being late?
Happy. I was dreading work today, so I don't mind a few more minutes to myself.
Frustrated. Get it together, bus driver!
Panicked. My to-do list is epic; I need to get to work!

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Woman showering to calm down
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When you need to de-stress, what is the first thing you do?
Uh, I don't know how to de-stress?
Change into my sweatpants
Check my social media accounts (I know, I know)
Hop into the shower

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Woman Shrugging
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After you make a mistake, you ... ?
Feel guilty for the rest of my life
Shrug and move on
Swear
Come up with an overly detailed plan to compensate for it

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Bath bombs
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You go to a bath and body store, looking for calming bath bombs. Which one of these catches your eye?
A pastel vanilla bath bomb with rose petals
A psychedelic bath bomb that smells like ylang-ylang
A citrus-scented bath bomb with moisturizing shea butter
A giant lavender bath bomb with skin-soothing oat milk

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Woman under pressure
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When other people pressure you, does that make it hard for you to hold on to your own priorities?
Yes. I can be kind of a doormat.
No, but I do tend to overreact at them.
I'm actually pretty good at saying no.
I say yes because I underestimate how much time things will take.

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Woman drinking coffee or tea
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After a long day, what kind of tea restores your spirit?
Chamomile
Kava
Decaf Earl Grey
Rooibos

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Old School Kitchen
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You want to paint your kitchen a new, energizing color. Which one will you choose?
Pale pink
Tiffany blue
Lime green
Yellow

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Friends Hugging
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When you're stressed out, is it easy for you to ask others for help?
Um ... no
Yes. In fact, sometimes I ask my family and friends for too much help!
No, but my defensive tone often makes people not want to help me.
I'm afraid people will think I'm incompetent if I ask for help, so I never do.

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Essential Oil Blend
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A perfumist friend offers to create a soothing essential oil blend for you. What do you ask them to put in it?
Jasmine
Patchouli
Lemongrass
Peppermint

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Dad and sons
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What was your mother or father's worst parenting trait?
Critical personality
Tendency to forget to pick us up
Bad temper
Workaholism

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Man choosing flowers
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To brighten your day, your partner wants to bring you flowers. What kind should they get?
Roses
Sunflowers
Red tulips
Hyacinths

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Woman using face mask
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On a scale of 1 to 10, how good is your self-care? (Be honest!)
4. I don't make enough time for myself.
8. My self-care is pretty good, but Mercury retrograde hits me hard.
6. My self-care is fine (although I'm very tense)!
1. I'm so busy and anxious, I don't have time for self-care!

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Woman listen to music
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What kind of music do you listen to when you need to create positive emotions?
Classical
Grateful Dead (or another '70s rock band)
Death metal
Cheerful pop

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Embarassed woman
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Are you the kind of person who often puts their foot in their mouth?
No. I'm an introvert.
Yes. I don't do it on purpose, but I don't have a filter.
Yes. It's hard for me to hide my annoyance with others.
No. I'm good at reading other people.

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Woman getting a massage
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Let's say you're going to the spa. What kind of treatment will you have?
Holistic facial and maybe a mud bath
Ayurvedic skin brushing and an aromatherapy foot bath
Acupuncture and a sports massage
Waxing and a head massage

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Woman cant sleep
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It's 3 a.m. and you can't sleep. Why? What are you worrying about?
What I should have said
Where my clean clothes are
Annoying people
How I'm going to get everything done

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Beautiful candles
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For your birthday, you're getting yourself a luxurious fragrant candle. Which one of these strikes your fancy?
A pink pillar candle that smells like cranberries and oranges
A fall-scented candle with real leaves embedded in it
A spicy white candle that smells like lime and juniper
An elegant birch-wrapped candle that smells like white tea

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Happy Young Woman
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You've got new responsibilities at work, a twice-a-week dance class and a date with a new (but exciting) person. How do you feel?
Terrified that I'm going to screw it all up
Excited but anxious, because I don't have any "me time"
Angry. Why can't my coworkers help me carry the load?
I don't have feelings anymore; I'm too tired.😉

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Woman relaxing at beach
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Imagine you could visit any gorgeous natural setting in the world ... for free! Where are you going to go?
The San Juan Islands
A New Zealand forest
The Grand Canyon
A Mediterranean beach

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Woman on phone call
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A friend only calls you when they want to complain. After noticing this, what do you do about it?
Nothing. I don't want to lose them!
Whenever they call, I put them on speakerphone and get some chores done.
I tell them to stop whining.
I patiently try to solve their problems, even though they haven't asked me for help.

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Woman enjoying movie alone
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What's your favorite self-care ritual?
Seeing a movie by myself
Visiting a hot spring
Taking myself on a "date"
Eating a pint of ice cream

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Airplanes taxiing
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Your plane is stuck on the runway for three hours. How do you cope?
By reading (and freaking out!)
By eating a candy bar
By ranting, raving and tweeting mean things at the airline
By using the time to get some work done

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Woman relax at home
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When's the last time you took a mental health day?
Two months ago
Last week
Maybe a year ago?
Never

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Tenant receiving keys
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Let's say your landlord is offering you a new lease, with higher rent. What would you do before signing it?
Quietly check Craigslist for cheaper apartments
Call my landlord out on social media
Ask one of my lawyer friends to look it over
I'd probably just sign it, to be honest.

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Getting a manicure
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You want to give yourself a small (but wonderful) indulgence. Which one of these will you choose?
Breakfast in bed
Sleeping in
A carnitas burrito
A manicure

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Cleaning
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If you could eliminate any onerous task from your to-do list, which one would you pick?
Giving presentations
Cleaning
Learning new technology
Calling people back

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Woman doing yoga meditation
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Think about a trait that you dislike in yourself. What comes up?
I wish I were warm-hearted.
I wish I followed through on everything I said I would do.
I wish I were better at staying positive.
I wish I knew how to truly relax and unwind.

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Dachushund
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Pets help make life worth living. Which of these pet-related activities sounds the most relaxing to you?
Cuddling with a dachshund under a blanket
Walking a border collie on the beach
Hiking up a mountain with a German shepherd
Taking an Irish setter through a beautiful city park

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Woman taking a bath
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Mercury retrograde has totally destroyed your work-life balance. Which of these calming rituals will help you recover?
Yoga, followed by a long bath
Netflixing all day
Going to dinner with my friends
Opening all the windows, then cleaning my apartment

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Woman using laptop
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Let's say Mercury retrograde made you accidentally appear on a conference call in your pajamas. How would you win the client back?
I wouldn't even try. I'd probably go into Witness Protection.
I'd say "Oops!" and get on with my presentation.
I'd tell them not to judge.
I'd promise them it was an oversight that would never happen again.

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