It’s very popular to believe that planetary alignments affect humans. That the stars are to blame for our moods, emotions and the way we feel physically. But is it actually true? The danger in believing this, is that it puts the blame for how you feel on things outside of your control, which is disempowering. It means you don’t acknowledge that you have the power to change it yourself, which is very empowering. Furthermore, if you believe bad things will happen during a Mercury Retrograde, they are more likely to happen, but only because your belief will manifest them in your life!

Below is an explanation of which solar system objects do have some influence on us, why others don’t and the science of why mercury retrograde is an optical illusion. Learn how you can determine your mood for yourself, rather than feel a ‘victim’ of planetary alignments.

Do planetary alignments affect humans?

From the beginning of human history we’ve been obsessed by the position of stars and planets in the sky. They were so much more visible before the light pollution of modern times, and there were fewer night time distractions! But there was a very important reason. In prehistoric times, positions of the sun and moon in the sky were used to predict changes of season, which were so important in agriculture and many other aspects of life.

However, the gravitational pulls of the planets on the earth are so weak that they have no significant effect on earth life at all.  There are only two solar system objects with enough gravity to significantly affect earth: the moon and the sun. The sun’s gravity is strong because the sun is so massive. The moon’s gravitational effect on the earth is strong because the moon is so close. The sun’s gravity causes earth’s yearly orbit and therefore, combined with earth’s tilt, it causes the seasons.

However, the laws of physics show that the gravitational pull from other planets, and changing planetary alignments, affect humans very little. The celestially-induced tidal effects (CITEs) are very, very, small. This is mainly because the tidal force is inversely proportional to the distance cubed to the other planet. For example, Venus is our nearest planet and has the strongest influence on the Earth apart from the sun. But the estimated tidal pull created by Venus on the Earth is only 0.005% of that of the moon tide. So rather than being affected by planetary alignments, we are more likely to feel a gravitational pull and the electromagnetic field of a passing truck!

Effects of the moon on nature

The moon’s gravity is responsible for the daily ocean tides. The near alignment of the sun and the moon does have an effect on the earth, because their gravitational fields are so strong. This partial alignment occurs every full moon and new moon, and it leads to extra strong tides called “spring tides”. 

Our moon plays a significant role for nature. So creatures living in tidal zones need to be tuned in to the lunar cycle. But lunar rhythms are also embedded in the life cycles of many organisms. Some rely on moonlight to navigate and procreate. For birds, the moon is essential to migration and navigation. Others will time their reproduction to coincide with the specific phases of the lunar cycle for optimum conditions. Human ovulation is also tied in with lunar cycles. Life evolved this way because, for example, it was dangerous to give birth on a full moon when more visible to predators. But does the moon affect our moods too?

Urban myths about the effects of the moon

Our bodies are 75% water, so some people believe celestially-induced tidal effects (CITEs) must also be at work within us. Urban myths have arisen suggesting increased mental illness, crime and more hospital admissions during a full moon. However, repeated scientific studies have failed to find any evidence of this. (See the link below for details of the studies.)

In fact, researchers have calculated that the tidal pull a person experiences from another person standing next to them is thousands to tens of thousands of times stronger than the tidal force of the moon! Furthermore, a mother holding her baby exerts 12 million times more tidal force on her child than the moon does, just by being closer.

Mercury retrograde – an optical illusion

Those who believe planetary alignments affect humans most commonly blame Mercury retrograde for a whole host of difficult situations. The smallest planet in our solar system, Mercury periodically appears to reverse through the sky; moving from east to west through the stars, rather than the usual west to east. During a Mercury retrograde, the common advice from astrologers is to avoid starting anything new and to focus on reassessment instead, mimicking the way the planet appears to be retracing its own movements.

However, in reality, Mercury’s apparent retrograde motion is an optical illusion resulting from Earth’s own position in relation to it. Its orbit is smaller and faster than the Earth, so when its orbit catches up and passes the Earth, it creates the illusion that Mercury is backtracking. But perspective is all it is, an optical illusion. All planets go through periods of retrograde motion seen from the perspective of the earth.  It’s nothing unusual.

So there is nothing to fear from a Mercury retrograde. But the real matter for concern is that when you believe it brings difficulties, your belief itself manifests challenges in your life by the Law of Attraction. Which then strengthens your belief that the planetary alignment is responsible.

Do planetary alignments affect your sleep?

Some people believe that how well you sleep is also down to planetary alignments. As explained above, planetary alignments have no significant effect on life on earth at all. So there is no correlation between the amount of insomnia experienced by humans and the alignment of the planets. 

Lunar cycles have a very very slight effect. You may sleep fractionally better during a full moon, but the possible difference in quality of sleep between the various moon phases is around only 3% overall. It’s not helpful for people with insomnia to “blame” outside factors such as planetary alignments, ley lines, 5G masts or other external factors. This just diverts their attention away from understanding and tackling the real cause. When you’re feeling anxious, it’s harder to sleep because your ‘monkey mind’ (the limbic system which is the part responsible for keeping you safe) won’t let you drift off into sleep until you’ve fully analyzed potential threats. Learn how to tackle those issues that keep you awake at night in Dealing with challenges. Read how to Boost your emotional set point to help you get more relaxed sleep.

How you can help yourself to feel better

The danger of attaching too much importance to the belief that planetary alignments affect humans is that it can be disempowering. If you believe you’re going to feel a certain way, or experience difficulties because of a planetary alignment, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You believe it, so you manifest it in your life. We are not ‘victims’ of planetary alignments. You set your own mood by choosing what to focus on; the things you like in your life, or the things you don’t like.

Some people blame the way they are feeling physically on the current planetary alignment. If you are feeling stressed, tired and sluggish, you can take action yourself rather than blaming external factors. It helps to exercise regularly to speed up your metabolism.

Exercise also eliminates stress hormones from the body and produces feel-good endorphins. The optimum to aim for is 30 minutes cardio-vascular exercise every day. This is also very good at combating the physical conditions that are statistically the biggest killers: heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia/Alzheimer’s. If you don’t currently exercise, you can start with online classes, or something like the Couch to 5K program. The important thing is to start somewhere and build up gradually.

How to boost your mood for yourself

If you are feeling low and stressed, then spend some time focusing on things you love, doing them when possible. If you can’t do them, think about them often and savour those thoughts. Alternatively, watch or think about things that make you laugh – it instantly boosts your mood. If you’re feeling anxious, meditation, as well as exercise, is an excellent way to relieve it. (There are many free guided meditations on Youtube.) Find more ways to boost your mood in Improve your Emotional Set Point.

Getting out in nature is also a wonderful boost to your health, vitality and mood.

Face your challenges and ‘pivot’

Whenever you have a challenging situation to deal with, it’s important to face it and deal with it straight away, rather than ‘park’ it for later. Otherwise it will probably jump into your mind to be resolved just as you are trying to sleep. In this instance, rather than distracting yourself with positive thoughts as above, consider your best remedial action first. Find your happiest path through the difficulty.  Then take the necessary action. If it’s a circumstance outside of your control, make your peace with it and accept it. Learn more about Dealing with Challenges effectively

Develop your connection to your Inner Being

Your degree of connection to your Inner Being has far more influence on your life than any remote planets. It’s your core, non-physical self, the source of your life force energy, your greater consciousness. Growing your connection to Inner Being increases your ability to flow more of this life-force energy. A stronger flow leads to better health and wellbeing. Furthermore, by doing so you raise your consciousness as you start to flow more of the spiritual energy that is your own consciousness – your Inner Being.

Ways to develop your connection:

• Get happy, as per the suggestions above and focus on things you love
• Meditate regularly
• Exercise to speed up metabolism so you can flow faster vibrational energy.
• Start to become aware of and listen to your inner guidance –
• the quiet voice of your heart, not the shouty voice of your head.
• Have energy healing to clear your energetic pathways and expand the connection to your Inner Being. The Tonal Alignment activation focuses on exactly this. Energy healing such Access Bars, Reconnective Healing or Turquoise Healing Tones also help you to develop this connection. Get to know your Inner Being.

There are many things you could feel stressed about at the moment during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it’s very important to be aware of what you’re focusing on predominantly. Whether it’s the things you like or the things that you worry about. It’s a choice. It depends how you choose to deal with challenges yourself. It’s not being determined by the position of planets millions of miles from the Earth.

Further reading:

Moon myths and the truth of lunar effects

No, Mercury Retrograde Will Not Mess Up Your Life

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