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As a Mercury-ruled chart holder, Mercury retrogrades have become a common staple of life creating a rhythmic pattern of thinking something, having to go back and refine it before proceeding forward again. Any attempts to skip or ignore details will inevitably result in some mishap or miscommunication as a reminder to slow down. Ask anybody with strong Gemini and Virgo placements (Sun, Moon or Rising) in your life and they may understand this pattern a little more than most.
While Mercury retrograde is thrown as the reason to any hint of travel delays, argument spikes or contracts gone wrong, these three to four moments a year are meant to highlight areas needing clarity and the integration of additional details. It appears to become more severe in its occurrences to get our attention. I’ve noticed as I get older, each retrograde isn’t nearly as drastic as it was in my teenagedom and 20s (though there has been a tough one here or there).
These past two years in air signs has reeked a little more havoc as our social and communication needs were challenged through the pandemic. There was a surge of ingenuity as we all clearly understood how much connection meant in our lives while coping and testing new ways to do so in a post-pandemic world.
Mercury entered Libra on August 25, giving us a few days of more pleasant thoughts and diplomacy with others. Having left its exalted sign of Virgo brings Mercury impact back down to neutral levels, but still finds the socialness of the air sign to be beneficial. It becomes easier to work with people in the realm of thoughts and to ask pertinent questions. Going the extra mile to make closer bonds with our friends and family or give birth to inspired ideas may flow from our lips with surprising ease.
Any relational or material issue raised between Aug 28 and Sep 10 gives us glimpses of the parts of our life that will be up for our review and where shifts will have to be made.
With Mars in Gemini (the other sign ruled by Mercury), it’s prone to take a little sharper flavor than typical.
Joking and off-the-cuff remarks may mean something more or hit deeper than intended. Indecision, and catering to others may go a little overboard, including jumping a little too deep into the gossip pool to connect with others without a thought to the impact.
This retrograde is known for its kerfuffles – miscommunications, issues in travel, and general sense of brain fog or anxiety from the lack of clarity.
It often exposes our reliance on things to just work out in our day-to-day (like technology and transportation) so that we can just carry on with our auto-pilot mode. The fact is, 99% of our daily decisions are rooted in automation, driving us to continue to make the same decisions even when a seemingly unimportant fact has changed and might warrant a new consideration. For the general complaints that it happens way too often – three to four times a year – the opportunity to pay attention to and makes changes to our cognitive function is highly beneficial, even if it’s just a moment for us to pause.
When it inhabits the sign of Libra, it is traditionally asking us to reflect on the external balance of our relationships.
We are exposed to where we may betray ourselves to others to appear cordial, diplomatic and keep the waters calm and steady. It can highlight where we try to manipulate situations in the background to get our way, foregoing directly asking for what we want for fear of ruffling feathers.
In the process of building harmonious relationships, we will thus tend to make (wrong) assumptions and often omit key information that would make it a fair deal for both.
In Virgo we want to serve both ourselves and others optimally, but we end up doubting the quality of our services. We are over attached to the outcome or level of satisfaction to our service of others and end up leaking enormous amount of time and energy in the process.
And as we have seen in our Virgo blogs, this leads to becoming imbalanced, triggering health issues, or unfit for services, causing work issues. Both of which will be the real problems the Mercury retro disruptions will try to solve for this time around.
It invites us to review where/who/what exactly we’ve attached our devotion to and whether we are already going above and beyond the call of duty.
Virgo seeks to integrate all of our essential parts represented in astrology by our personal houses (see blog) that combine to become our sense of Self. It is here we set up the routine and rituals that feed all the parts of us. It’s where we heal ourselves and in turn become more of service to others.
Mercury retrograde gracing this sign will show where we have already abandoned ourselves to commitments we just made in August or make clear where we overly committed in a way that became detrimental and requires some revision. Pay particular attention to ways you are self-critical and how that may be manifesting in real world. The shift from “we” to “me” reveals an underlying piece of healing that will be foundational to growth of self that will be beneficial in relationship.
As Mercury conjuncts the Sun on Sept 23 as it is about to leave Libra, a truth of our situation is revealed and impacts us for the next three months as it aligns with the Fall Equinox. While we may get brilliant ideas to exert the balance we’ve been looking for, we are being invited to sit and reflect on the situation and let those ideas germinate until we are called to more effective action when Mercury moves direct. This is also spotlighted by 5 other planets being in retrograde (all social and transpersonal planets), making any forward movement a misstep with repercussions.
Doesn’t that all sound lovely? ? Remember, all this terrain is getting unearthed to start anew, but this time with knowledge and awareness, the ultimate Mercury gifts. It happens at lightning speed compared to other planetary retrogrades, so understanding and harnessing its opportunity demands intention. It has the potential to be more than that one story where everything went horribly wrong and created mild inconveniences in your life. Where you try to reset to autopilot mode and grow irritated rather than attentive and curious about the new piece of information you should really integrate or look for.
On Oct 1, Mercury stations direct completely leaving the shadow period on Oct 15. We’ll be given the chance to be more direct and respectful in our communications and dealing with others, firm with our updated boundaries and curious to try things out in new ways. It may bear more fruit around self-criticism and perfectionism blocks can be blown away as a need to streamline your life and getting the to-dos checked off your list becomes a high priority. Virgo has no time to wait, and after the slow pace of the retrograde (joined by 5 other retrograding planets), we’ll finally feel a green light to go.
It’s extremely easy for this one to knock us off our feet in what feels like bigger ways than past retrogrades.
Right as it kicks off, we have the Pisces Full moon – a very intuitive time to forgive ourselves, reconnect with nature and ensure we bring in moments of peace and healing into our life. This lunation is also a time when we may have to deal with the consequences of trying to be too perfect and failing to defend our boundaries. And with Mercury retrograde, it’s easy for us to lose our true North and become confused.
While in Libra it’s charged by Mars in Gemini, which can have us over-promising to others socially that will see we are incapable of following through on as Mercury shifts back to Virgo and we get overwhelmed with the operational details. The criticism this may invoke internally, and what we may project from others externally, can show as a literal manifestation in our nervous system through anxiety, mess with our mental health and affect the digestive system. Important to note, we’ll get challenged with what we learn here when Mercury goes direct and squares Mars on Oct 1.
Lilith will square Chiron throughout this retrograde, adding to this desire to overdo something in order to make amends for past absenteeism. Shame and guilt may push us to become overly caring of others and truly struggle to take care of ourselves. On another hand, the feeling of rage triggered by overly self-centric behaviors in others may challenge our efforts to find suitable compromises.
On Sep 18, Mercury opposes Jupiter, further fueling grandiose ideas of our ability to “fix” things and creating frustration when people and circumstance challenge our own vision.
An opposition to Neptune on Sept 29 may increase the chance of us being taken advantage of if we’ve refused to deal with our boundaries. Fear of confronting an issue head on can have us seek escapism through substances or filling our time with menial tasks to avoid it. What is difficult for us to grasp, thanks to an inconjunct Eris, is our right to stand up for our own morals and draw lines in the sand that are needed.
This all falls against the backdrop of the last square between Saturn and Uranus. We’re being confronted with letting go of comforts and upgrading structures that no longer serve us, but we were intimately attached to. A painful, yet necessary and unavoidable process. The ease and liberation with which this comes will depend on how tightly you held on through previous squares, attended to your responsibilities, worked hard, and stepped into a new way of life.
Merc isn’t always the jerk, though the saying goes otherwise.
We’ll have a mutual reception between Mercury and Venus, adding another focus on relationships, promoting alignment with our thoughts, action, and emotion. This can have us speaking, or self-actualizing, truths that start the revelation to come this retrograde with those closest to us. Your words will have more eloquence than normal and channeling it towards work or career may get you promoted or land the client you’ve had your eyes on. Trine Mars enhances this, melting away any barriers in a difficult pitch or self-advocacy. Just be mindful that you aren’t promising too much (see above).
There is immense potential for us to confront a dark shadow we’ve allowed to emotionally high jack us and resolve it with ease never afforded to us before. With the Nodes, Lilith and the moon forming a kite pattern, a choice is there to take personal responsibility for an emotional side of us that may not jive with societal or relational standards. We’re invited to name our shame or regret that evokes our saboteur nature in our relationships or run the risk of resentment for suppressing our true self boils to the surface. This emotional freedom is aided with the intelligence of Mercury, so being open to conversations, especially taboo ones, and getting curious about your own triggers is deftly supported.
This pattern opens up a big opportunity, but one that can easily be tucked away for later implosion. Considering Mercury catches up to the Sun exact the lunar eclipse in Taurus in November, we highly recommend tapping into this supportive pattern now at the risk of something bigger and more difficult showing under what is typically a time of crisis.
Three things to focus on during this retrograde are:
All eyes are on key personal motivations and the impact on your closest personal relationships (including yourself). While Libra is often associated with your partnerships, it’s also what you don’t see as your “self”; where you place blame on instead of accepting responsibility.
With Lilith being activated, the events of this retro hints to larger events being provoked during the upcoming lunar eclipse. As mentioned in previous blogs, Lilith points to the parts of us we feel ashamed of, the unfulfilled wishes, the guiltand areas of our lives which need to be more carefully addressed. Where we have been pointed, ridiculed, deeply misunderstood. It is rife with rage, shame and quick triggers. Throughout this retrograde, we are working to disarm a long-standing bomb, buried just below the surface.
Review, revise, try again. As the last air sign retrograde for a while, we are given the opportunity to incorporate ideology and patterns with a methodical grounding in our physical day-to-day. We are seeking balance within to create healthy compromises with others.
The opportunity is ripe to remove a deep trigger that has been a pattern in all your partnerships, so be mindful and intentional where issues come up. Be brave to face your part, to dig up the roots and find nourishing new ways to replenish that soil. This time is lighting in a bottle that can inspire a whole new mindset in an easier fashion.
Check out key dates below and enjoy the ride!
J & G
Aug 28 – Beginning of Mercury Retrograde shadow period: start paying attention to details, review any travel plans, and mute that ex(es) on your social.
Sep 10 – Mercury Stations Retrograde: full throttle in it, let the games begin. Our autopilot mode should start being jammed around that date.
Sep 23 – Mercury Conjunct Sun @0 Libra: halfway through retrograde, you should now be able to have access to the information you needed to integrate to adjust your relational pattern.
Sep 26 – Mercury Conjunct Venus & Trine Pluto: the words you speak will flow with harmony, depth, and intensity, aligning values with yourself and loved one is highlighted.
Sep 29 - Mercury Inconjunct Eris & Opposition to Neptune: our sense of reality is distorted; you may feel uneasy about something, but unable to name it. Don’t project this onto others, take the time to review it for yourself. Mind others being deceitful if you still entertain illusions and refuse to see reality as it is.
Oct 01 - Mercury Square Mars: one last chance to fight for your wound? Irritable communication at best, so mind your words and take pause on any verbal tangos that comes up.
Oct 02 – Mercury Stationary Direct in Virgo: a chance to apply lessons learned with clarity. Ground it into your routine, work and services.
Oct 03 – Mercury Re-enters Libra: how are your approaching your responsibility and/or partnerships sans trigger?
Oct 15 – Out of shadow period: mind is out of the brain fog; communications begin to get better.
Oct 19 - Mercury Opposite Chiron: this will challenge what we learned during Mercury Rx. Did we heal and take personal responsibility for our wound or have we convinced ourselves of the projection on the other, never to be connected?
