Mercury Retrograde. Two words that strike fear in the heart of anyone who knows even the barest smidge about astrology. A time of chaos, when things randomly break, and we are told to do nothing. Don’t sign anything, don’t buy anything, just lock your doors and windows (and hope the AC doesn’t break), hunker down and wait for it to go direct again (see end of post for retrograde dates 2023-2024).
But is it really that bad?
As with all energy that affects the Earth and the residents of it, Mercury Retrograde is not bad, or good, it simply is. Just like we change our clothes and our activities to account for the seasons; when you are energetically aware it becomes part of life to be aware of the waxing and waning of these energies and as much as possible adjust our lives accordingly.
When a planet ‘goes retrograde’ it shakes up the energy we are used to living with and offers us a chance to go back. Just like Venus Retrograde can often bring old lovers back into our lives, with Mercury Retrograde we have the chance to revisit and redefine past happenings.
Mercury being the planet of communication and all things outward and forward looking is about constant change and motion. When it Retrogrades, the Universe is simply offering us a chance to sit down, to be still and to look within. What do you want to say to yourself that you have not had time for? What do you already have around you that you haven’t taken time to genuinely appreciate and be thankful for? Instead of buying that new thing, pause and value the things you already have in your life.
This period is designed to allow us to go back, to pick up old projects we may have abandoned. To restart projects that we thought we had failed at. Mercury switches up its energy to allow us to Redefine, to Reconsider to reclaim what we had given up as lost. Often, we find that things that seemed impossible while Mercury was direct now come together easily as if someone else were guiding our moves.
There was a time when our lives were patterned by the seasons. Spring was a time of planting and preparing, Summer was the time of growing, the time to fix and repair. Autumn, we harvested the labor of the last two seasons and restocked. Winter, well that was the cold time, the time to be inside and working on all things inward. Introspection and quiet resting activities were the order of the day. Modern life, however, forces us to move at full speed all the time, there is no real ‘resting season’. Mercury Retrograde offers us the chance – 3 or 4 times a year – to simply slow down a little. To let go of what we cannot control and to regain what we may have cast aside as ‘too hard’.
Rather than fearing this time, perhaps mark it on your calendar and plan your energetic spiritual work accordingly. This is the perfect time to simply be mindful, to practice self-compassion, to move with intention through your day. Check in with your intuition at every opportunity and allow it to guide you towards the perfect projects for you.
Ultimately, Mercury Retrograde is here to teach us that we can’t control everything, and that there is a liberating freedom to be found in not trying. Use this time to embrace that freedom, to stop trying to control and simply flow where the energy is guiding you.
Mercury Retrograde Cycle: August to September 2023
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On August 3, 2023, Mercury enters the Retrograde Zone (pre-retrograde shadow) at 8° Virgo 00′
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On August 23, 2023, Mercury stations and turns retrograde at 21° Virgo 51′ Rx
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On September 15, 2023, Mercury stations and turns direct at 8° Virgo 00′
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On September 30, 2023, Mercury leaves the Retrograde Zone (post-retrograde shadow) at 21° Virgo 51′
Mercury Retrograde December 2023-January 2024
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On November 25, 2023, Mercury enters the Retrograde Zone at 22° Sagittarius 11′
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On December 13, 2023, Mercury stations and turns retrograde at 8° Capricorn 29’Rx
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On January 1, 2024, Mercury stations and turns direct at 22° Sagittarius 11’D
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On January 20, 2024, Mercury leaves the Retrograde Zone at 8° Capricorn 29′
Mercury Retrograde in Aries: April 1-25, 2024
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On March 18, 2024, Mercury enters the Retrograde Zone at 15° Aries 59′
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On April 1, 2024, Mercury stations and turns retrograde at 27° Aries 13’Rx
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On April 25, 2024, Mercury stations and turns direct at 15° Aries 59’D
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On May 13, 2024, Mercury leaves the Retrograde Zone at 27° Aries 13′
Mercury Retrograde in Virgo & Leo: August 4-28, 2024
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On July 16, 2024, Mercury enters the Retrograde Zone (pre-retrograde shadow) at 21° Leo 25′
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On August 4, 2024, Mercury stations and turns retrograde at 4° Virgo 06’Rx
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On August 28, 2024, Mercury stations and turns direct at 21° Leo 25’D
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On September 11, 2024, Mercury leaves the Retrograde Zone (post-retrograde zone) at 4° Virgo 06′
Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius: November 24-December 15, 2024
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On November 7, 2024, Mercury enters the Retrograde Zone (pre-retrograde shadow) at 6° Sagittarius 24′
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On November 25, 2024, Mercury stations and turns retrograde at 22° Sagittarius 40’Rx
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On December 15, 2024, Mercury stations and turns direct at 6° Sagittarius 24’D
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On January 2, 2025, Mercury leaves the Retrograde Zone (post-retrograde zone) at 22° Sagittarius 40′
Source: Café Astrology
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