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Cue the collective groan, missed flights, and accidental sexts to the family group chat — Mercury retrograde is upon us.
Astrology devotees believe that Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, governs communication, technology and travel. When the planet retrogrades, as it does three to four times per year, those realms are disrupted.
And the first Mercury retrograde of 2025 kicks off on March 15.
To counterbalance that cosmic chaos, one luxury hotel is offering travelers a chance to check in, bed down, tune in and take care with a package specifically designed to promote balance and calm.
The Foundry Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina — housed, as the name implies, in a former steel foundry — is offering their Retrograde Renewal package during this year’s Mercury’s retrograde phases: March 15-April 7, July 18-August 11, and November 9-29.
The Retrograde Renewal package, in partnership with Asheville Wellness Tours, includes discounted overnight accommodations, tarot readings, yoga, and sound healing sessions.
Astrologers maintain that retrograde periods are a prime time to review, reflect, redo and revise.
If a verb has the prefix “re-” before it, a retrograde is likely the perfect time to do it…and we can easily add retreat and renew to that to-do list.
“Booking a getaway is a great way to navigate the chaotic energy that often accompanies this astrological period,” Nicole Will, Founder and Owner of Asheville Wellness Tours told The Post.
“Mercury retrograde asks us to slow down, re-evaluate and to think before we act — an intentional pause. A getaway from your daily routines & responsibilities can create space for a little fun, reflection and recalibration.”
While clarity can be hard to come by during Mercury’s retrograde, the transit’s reflective energy supports intuitive, esoteric practices like tarot.
“If Mercury retrograde interferes with our ability to connect efficiently and openly to the external or outside world then the swing side of that is that it boosts our ability to turn inwards and reflect, contemplate, reevaluate, and tap into our past, life story, ego, ideas, and self-awareness,” author and tarot reader Kerry Ward told The Post.
In The Foundry’s one-hour group tarot reading, an experienced tarot reader taps into the energies of Mercury retrograde to offer valuable insights for guests’ retrograde journey and beyond.
With the ethos of movement as medicine, Will told The Post that the Retrograde Renewal package’s chakra-balancing yoga and sound healing session is designed to soothe both body and mind.
“This yoga practice helps guests cultivate balance and inner stillness so they feel poised for whatever mischief Mercury retrograde might bring their way,” she said.
“The poses are chosen to activate and align the chakras and the frequency of each sound bowl aligns with a different chakra — the two modalities are woven into a beautiful healing dance.”
Will notes that because Mercury rules communication, the planets’ retrograde easily leads to misunderstandings and mixed messages.
“Sound healing can help calm the mind, using throat chakra frequencies (like 741 Hz), can help open and balance your ability to express yourself clearly.”
Research has found a link between sound healing sessions and a decrease in cortisol, the stress hormone and deeper relaxation.
Because Mercury retrograde casts our memory back and our attention inward, this transit can dredge up unresolved emotions, which can be tempered with sound healing.
“Vibrational frequencies from sound healing can help process and release stuck energy, promoting emotional stability,” said Will.
Emotional stability, mental clarity, high frequencies and high thread count? Can dig.
If you’re seeing a last-minute getaway in your future — or planning ahead for the next Mercury retrograde — rooms start at $299, and the Retrograde Renewal is $450 plus tax for up to four guests.
