Much like Taylor Swift in her snake-filled era, the reputation of Mercury retrograde has never been worse.

“In fact,” astrologer Aliza Kelly remarked in an exclusive interview with E! News, “I can’t help but wonder who’s on its PR team.”

While the expert acknowledges that the 24-day optical illusion where the planet Mercury appears to reverse course is quite delicate (“Emails get delayed, flights are cancelled, miscommunications pop out of nowhere”), this planetary motion is a crucial part of its orbit.

Though promises can’t be made now, can we babe, “It’s an invitation to slow down,” the AstroloTea with Aliza Kelly podcaster explained to E!, “become a bit more granular, triple-check your work and ensure you’re on the right path before life speeds up again.”

As this weeks-long stretch occurs in the sign of Cancer, “it’s especially meaningful,” she added, “because it’s arriving during one of the biggest astrological turning points of 2026.”

For those who haven’t been seeing stars, The Constellation Club founder is referencing Jupiter’s recent entrance into Leo, one of the many events in 2026 she highlighted to E! and one she predicted would “shift us out of sad girl energy.”