Communication problems over the past 2 weeks? Bad judgment? Over-planning? Once again, astrology poses a possible reason.

Since December 13, Mercury has been in Sagittarius, joining Jupiter in sign for the past 2 weeks. It will stay there until January 5. Normally such a wide orb would not have such strong effects, but Jupiter in this instance is in domicile while Mercury is in detriment.

This means that Mercury is the obvious weaker of the two planets in this case, and indeed it submits to the power of Jupiter. Jupiter is strong in Sagittarius, and in conjuncting Mercury in Sagittarius it amplified the challenging effects.

Mercury is a planet of execution. It rules ways and means, communication, thinking, and application. It is domiciled in Gemini and Virgo, which are the signs it naturally manifests its energies through. They are, after all, very detailed and practical — qualities with which Mercury can execute gracefully.

However, in idealistic and theoretical Sagittarius, Mercury struggles to execute, having difficulty manifesting such grand visions and ideas into reality. Sagittarius loves abstract concepts and big pictures, which detail-oriented Mercury cannot implement easily. Normally, Mercury in Sagittarius alone brings us a weaker dose of this energy, but Jupiter in Sagittarius intensifies this effect.

As such, we may notice ourselves overidealizing our plans right now. Perhaps we dream big and execute small. We may over-promise and under-deliver. Maybe we cram excessive plans in small schedules. Perhaps we put too much hope on something that doesn’t quite materialize into reality.

Miscommunications are likely during this period as well as people have more trouble expressing the ideas and concepts in their heads right now. We are more prone to think now, making verbal expression a tougher feat.

The best way of handling this energy, perhaps, is to counteract the natural Sagittarian tendency of optimism and second-guess our ideas now. Sometimes, a dose of realism is good, and this period is one of those times. Perhaps our dreams and plans are too big for our own good right now and cutting loose some impractical parts can make them more realizable. Mercury, after all, prefers something real and solid to hold on to.

Want more astrology? Check out Cate’s new e-book on how to map your success over the years.