Mercury will be going retrograde and combust soon,

• Retrograde on 14^th Jan 2022 – Forward on 4^th Feb 2022 – Total 21 days in Capricorn (14th Jan is also Makar Sankranti, Sun enters Capricorn.)
• Combust from 17^th Jan to 30^th Jan, 13 days,

He is very closely associated with the Sun and Saturn during this time. This is his first retrograde and he will be travelling back from Shravan to Uttarashadha nakshatras. One good thing is that Mercury is not changing his sign while in the retrograde motion. This means that the changes that he brings in will not be very intense. 

However the general readings will be somewhat like this. 

Misunderstandings, errors in communication, a subtle change in logical and reasoning ability, increase in irrational behaviour as people will become more adamant and unable to see their own mistakes. People will be more willing to see the bad in everything rather than the positives so you will need to put more efforts in convincing your bosses, clients etc.

Anything that involves ‘two’ can suffer. Obviously communication and relationships will see arguments. Also physical activities like travelling from one place to another will face trouble. Transport, roadways, and other transport means will see tiny niggling things which will cumulatively cause problems. Then media will twist words/events be overall irresponsible and try to cause anarchy. IT firms and software dependant systems will see issues. People involved in these professions will face trouble.

This is not a good time to start new projects as your planning may have some errors in it. Being impulsive now can cost you later. Avoid giving irrational responses to the situations which unfold around you. Best avoid anything that requires planning, foresight, logical thinking etc and continue whatever you have started before the retrograde began. Error in judgment is likely, trigged by imaginary fears. Loss of money by self triggered actions is possible. A strong sense of commitment will be essential to tide you through during this period.

Mercury controls upper respiratory tract and digestive tract. Also the nerves and skin. So if you are prone to any medical issues to these organs they can get aggravated now. He is the embodiment of the mental process so can cause depression, emotional instability, sleeplessness, anxiety etc when retrograde. Importantly from the COVID 19 point of view, colds, cough, fevers etc will increase. Lungs are paired organs and under the control of Mercury (through Gemini) so the respiratory system can take a hit. He is going to be here with Saturn and all are combust. Also skin and nerve diseases are possible depending on the individual charts. If you are going for some medical procedure do it before the retrograde starts. Any optional or new procedure during the retrograde must be avoided as misdiagnosis is possible. Obviously in case of emergencies do not delay. 

Political movements will be governed by mean mindedness and selfishness. This may have significant effects on the 5 states due for elections. There is a good possibility that people will vote for independent candidates rather than party candidates.

He is changing the Nakshatra from Shravan to Uttarashadha. While he is retrograde in Shravan, established law, conventions, rules and regulations will be challenged by people guided by their own petty interests and self ego. While retrograde in Uttarashadha, expect impractical, misplaced ideas to interfere with actual work that needs to be done. The greater good will be sacrificed for the sake of individual ego. 

Several major things are happening at this time (post here) and Mercury retrograde will add to the confusion.

Generally Mercury retrogrades are good for finishing pending past work. A possibility of rare flashes of intuition helps you find the exact solution for pushing these old stuck projects but he does not allow consistent efforts. In addition now he is combust, ie working very closely with the Sun and conjunct with Saturn. Sun is in Capricorn the zenith of the zodiac. This sign is owned by his own son, Saturn. Saturn respects the elders, ie he has a sense of duty towards his father and Sun admires his own creative expression, ie his own son. If you can grasp this concept you will be able to make use of their combined energy. This time is good for performing certain specific jobs where you repeat your responsibilities and honor your creativity but only after deep introspection. If you do not do this, you will face problems, restrictions and delays due to your faulty thinking, inability to think of others, egoistic behaviour and selfish logic. 

You can fine tune the readings by considering the house counted from the birth Moon in which Mercury is going retrograde. 

He is more favourable when he transits the 4^th 6^th 8^th 10^th 11^th signs from the birth Moon. So the signs Pisces, Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra will be better able to navigate through and also benefit in some way from this retrograde. His positive effects will be boosted as per the individual chart. You will tend to take more efforts in doing things so will be able catch possible errors before they cause you harm. However his combust status can add a dose of selfishness to your actions, so take due care. But for Gemini as it is ruled by Mercury and he is combust and retrograde both, he will cause problems.

And he is troublesome when he transits over the birth Moon and also in the signs 2^nd 3^rd 5^th 7^th 9^th and 12^th from the birth Moon. These would be the birth Moon signs, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Virgo, Cancer, Taurus and Aquarius. Here you must take adequate care as the negative effects will be amplified. You may fail to understand the significance of events around you and get involved in sudden unpleasant events.  Especially Virgo, Capricorn and Cancer should be vigilant as sudden reversals in fortune are possible.

If you are undergoing a significant Vimshottari Dasha of Mercury care must be taken. 

General remedy for all issues is listening or reciting Vishnu Sahastranama or worship of the Vighnaharta Ganpati and of course the Gayatri mantra.

But in this time, you can also try eating foods and wearing colors or perfumes linked to Mercury. Or giving Daan of the items linked to him or his mantra on the day he turns retrograde. On the behavioural side, keep in mind what can go wrong and modulate your behaviour accordingly. Finally keep up your personal spiritual practice and daily pujas.