Photo by Renzo Navarro
Every sign will get a taste of the inconvenience and disruption that Mercury has in store over the coming weeks.
Nope, this is not an April Fool’s Day prank, it really is the official start of Mercury retrograde on 1 April. This time around Aries takes the retrograde hit, and while those born under the sign of the Ram will feel it more strongly than most, every sign will get a taste of the inconvenience and disruption that Mercury, the trickster planet, has in store for us over the coming weeks.
In astrology, Mercury is the official communications planet, and three to four times each year its orbit slows down so that it appears to be travelling backwards. Over the centuries it’s been noticed that this phenomenon has a powerful influence, so that while Mercury is retrograde in the cosmos, life on Earth also tends to go into a backwards spin.
Aries is all about being first, doing things ‘my way’ not ‘your way’, and always being in control, Mercury’s role covers communication, short journeys, transport, tickets, timings and technology, the kinds of things that have huge potential for snarl-ups, even without their ruling planet in reverse gear. This combustible cosmic combination is likely to raise issues and rethinks about power and authority, both on a personal level and globally too.
We’re all in this together and it’s a helpful learning curve, so strap yourself in for the retrograde ride and find out how your sign is likely to act out and act up during this retrograde phase so you can work with it rather than against it.
Although Mercury retrograde officially goes full-on from 1 April, watch out for the sneaky shadow phases. You might get a hint of what’s to come during the pre-retrograde shadow and while the official end of retrograde is on 25 April, a further sneaky post-shadow phase can still present last-minute glitches. Avoid making your move until after 13 May to be absolutely ‘safe’ if you can.
Key dates: 19 March, Mercury pre-retrograde shadow begins in Aries; 1 April, Mercury goes retrograde in Aries; 25 April, Mercury turns direct/moves forward; 13 May, Mercury’s post-shadow phase ends.
Aries
21 March – 20 April
You’re going through a lot this year, with the cosmos throwing life-correcting eclipses at you and with the Moon’s north node of Destiny in your sign too. You’re also playing host to Chiron, the comet that’s putting you in touch with your vulnerability in a big and healing way. So, with Mercury retrograde also joining the planetary party in your sign, the message coming through loud and clear is about rethinking who you are. Better still, being who you are authentically rather than the usual ‘I’ve got this’ image you tend to present to others. Be prepared to get things wrong, own a bad hair day, be less than on point with your fashion choices, and hold an unpopular opinion. The cosmic lesson now is to accept and embrace your flaws and to be more accepting of other people’s frailties too.
Taurus
21 April – 21 May
This current Mercury retrograde phase is likely to mess with your mind. It’s occurring in your zone linked to emotions, memories and ideas. Before turning backwards in this zone Mercury may have begun to dig up old resentments and annoyances that were in danger of becoming overwhelming. Your sign is a slow burner when it comes to blowing your top, but when it does happen it can be volcanic, so use this cosmic reversal to reframe the issues that may have been starting to erode your sense of calm. You might choose to step back from socialising temporarily, to work things out in your own introspective space and time. Your ruler Venus is accompanying Mercury now to soften the sting, so that by the end of this retrograde period not only will you be restored to a more zen frame of mind, but Venus will be in your own sign to give you all the gifts that the love and money can bestow.
Gemini
22 May – 21 June
Since Mercury rules your sign, you tend to feel the mayhem more strongly than most other signs whenever a retrograde phase rolls around and this time your friendships, hopes and dreams are the targets of Mercury’s backflip. There could be miscommunications with your go-to crew as some of your regular friends could be ‘missing in action’ or incommunicado, bringing fears that your super-sociable sign is being ghosted for reasons unknown. Consider giving apparently absent friends, who are also going through their own Mercury retrograde dramas, some space and explore options you can enjoy solo. Your sign’s symbol, The Twins suggests you may feel incomplete without a companion but accept the cosmic challenge to meet new people. Better still, reconnect with old friends since retrogrades usually take you back to unfinished business. A rethink of your ambitions is also likely once you’ve wrestled with fresh ideas or rebooted schemes that you tried before but it just wasn’t their time to launch. Once Mercury moves forward again you can begin to rebuild your vision for your future on experiences from your past.
Cancer
22 June – 22 July
Your career takes a hit from Mercury Retrograde during this current phase. Grand ideas about being the boss could get kicked back or put on hold, and if you’re already the head of a team or running your own business it’s possible that you could get things spectacularly wrong by over-exerting your authority and not listening to potentially strong and workable ideas from others. As a Water sign, you’re blessed with empathy but as a Cancerian you’re wide open to imposter syndrome and may be extra vulnerable and prone to crabbiness if your defensive hard shell takes a knock. But if you’re never challenged, you’ll never change, so see any career glitches that crop up now as a signpost to where you’re supposed to be. Didn’t get the promotion? Maybe it’s not the right role or company for you. Mercury is also about learning so it could be time to brush up on your skills so that when the right job does come along you’re good to go. Use this Mercury retrograde phase to rethink your role, your style of delivery, your choices and your reasons for doing what you do.
Leo
23 July – 23 August
Since Mercury’s rulership includes travel and short journeys, this current retrograde phase could leave you feeling lost. You might have decided upon one direction and gone for it, full tilt, only to be met by hold-ups, delays and indecision. Let Mercury in reverse allow you to drift for a while, perhaps to revisit places or ideas you’ve dabbled with before but didn’t follow through with. In astrology, as in life, timing is everything, and sometimes no matter how much you push forward you can end up going nowhere. You might decide to retrain or study something you ‘used to be’ good at, or embrace a whole new subject to explore, not necessarily just for your career but to help you grow and develop your wisdom and understanding. You might decide to write about an experience you’ve had, a story you’ve always wanted to get ‘out there’ in published form or in the media. Championing people’s rights also comes under the umbrella of this Mercury retrograde for you, and a desire to right some wrongs could get you all fired up to take action. Taking a step back now will give you a better view of the landscape you’d like to step into once Mercury is back on track.
Virgo
24 August – 22 September
Yours is one of only a few signs that shares its ruling planet, and while Mercury rules Gemini, it’s also the planet that rules your own sign so its retrograde phases tend to take more of a toll on you. This is a deep-diving retrograde for you, linked to issues around money, intimacy and commitment. These are areas that, perhaps surprisingly to others, you’re secretly highly passionate about. There’s a powerful karmic quality about this retrograde for you that’s urging you to confront financial debts as well as intense emotional commitments and deal with them. There may also be issues to contend with that could benefit from expert advice or counselling, particularly if these areas are taboo or off limits from seeking help from your usual resources of friends and family. What you resist, persists so it’s time to confront your demons and exorcise them once and for all. When Mercury finally makes a U-turn in mid-May, you could feel transformed by how what you’ve left in the past could become your launchpad for creating a new future.
Libra
23 September – 23 October
As the zodiac’s relationship sign, it’s a big thing to have Mercury retrograde in your partnership zone right now. Rethinking your rules about togetherness—which tends to be essential for your sign since you often feel unbalanced without an Other Half—is what this current retrograde phase is all about. As you’re rethinking things, it could be that you’ll realise you don’t need anyone else to complete you, you’re perfectly whole as you are. You might encounter an ex-lover who wants you back, and Venus your ruler, also currently in your relationship zone, could tempt you to try again. Despite the often negative press, Mercury retrograde’s strengths and gifts include the potential to help you learn from the past, so be prepared to explore options if this kind of situation arises but avoid being railroaded into something that could deplete you rather than give you the completeness you were hoping for. Dealings with rivals, important business partners and romantic partners are likely to take a step backwards before they can move forward now, so use Mercury retrograde to air the things that should have been said but were never fully resolved, and use your ruler Venus in the mix to bring harmony to the end result, however it plays out for you.
Scorpio
24 October – 22 November
Retrograde Mercury hits your well-being and work routines now, bringing the opportunity for a rethink of both areas that could turn out to be a major and worthwhile overhaul. Your habits get the retrograde ‘once over’ so that your food choices and lifestyle options could be upgraded to serve you better by the time Mercury flips into forward gear again. Too much work, not enough ‘me time’? Dealing with the drudgery or just the never-ending details of everyday living can be smoothed out and streamlined so that you get more out of your working day and have more energy for your personal time too. There may be a need to return to unfinished projects, either at work or around your home, to get them off your to-do list and to clear the draining effect of the mental and physical clutter that half-hearted and half-finished attempts tend to leave behind. ‘Just do it’ is the mantra from the cosmos for you now, and the learning curve on how and why to do it is likely to be completed once Mercury moves fully forward again in mid-May.
Sagittarius
23 November – 21 December
Too many fun things to enjoy and not enough time to do them? This Mercury retrograde phase could show you how to get the most out of everything on offer. Mercury in reverse in your zone of romance and creativity could entice you to return to a romantic relationship that failed to launch or to a creative project that fell at the first hurdle. It’s fair to say that your sign tends to take on more than you can possibly handle, so your retrograde life lesson is about not ditching things before you’ve given them a fair chance. Reconnect, renew and refresh what already gives you pleasure without having to search for the next big or new thing to fill that gap in your life. Venus, also currently in this zone, will add a layer of harmony and love to whatever you restart now. Once Mercury moves fully forward again in mid-May, you could feel inspired to take a renewed romance or a revitalised artistic project all the way.
Capricorn
22 December – 20 January
Your home life gets a visit from Mercury retrograde now. You like to be in charge of your own domain, but that’s where things could go awry during this retrospective phase. You might revisit a contentious conversation with a family member, or rethink a discussion that might have been a war of words with someone else connected to your home or lifestyle. Negotiations with builders or concerning home repairs could feel like a never-ending issue now too. It’s possible that the cosmos is telling you to spend more time at home if your priorities lately have been elsewhere. Something certainly needs to be returned to and completed, and whether it’s a plan to move away, move back or move in, conflict resolution looks set to be the answer even if the conflict is within yourself. There is love and the potential for harmony with Venus also in your home zone helping you to dial down any major drama. This retrograde phase is about learning more about your family needs, and what home could or should look like and feel like to you.
Aquarius
21 January – 18 February
A conversation that has got you all fired up could flip into reverse while Mercury’s retrograde in your communication zone. If you’ve said the wrong thing, you could dig yourself into an even deeper hole during this phase if you’re not prepared to backtrack, renegotiate or apologise if you’ve been the one who’s in the wrong. All those unanswered texts, posts and messages you’ve been meaning to get around to could come back to haunt you now, with answers required more urgently because of your delay in replying. Since your sign is the sign of technology, it would be crazy if you of all people failed to back up your gadgets as they’re more likely to be troubled by glitches while Mercury’s retrograde. Even so, avoid investing in new tech now as this and committing to contracts or signing anything that locks you into a longstanding agreement are standard retrograde no-nos, unless you really can’t avoid it. Issues with travel, transport, studying, neighbours and siblings could also resurface now. Venus will lend you extra charm to help you defuse situations but the simple cosmic takeaway from all of this is to get more organised, and to always be charming in your future interactions since you’ll usually get better results and more help if you do.
Pisces
19 February – 20 March
Money is at the root of your Mercury retrograde experience this time around. A need to check what you have and what you owe is more important now as anything left unfinished is likely to drain you and cause more paperwork and admin than if you’d dealt with it when it first emerged. Your spending might have been out of control, with a ‘buy it first, regret it later’ approach to your budget. Conversations with financial institutions could be part of this retrograde phase, and if you’re having difficulties, conversations with organisations who can help you out are also highlighted. With Mercury in reverse, taking steps backward before you can move forward is all part of the learning experience. Your self-worth is also in the big cosmic picture now and as Mercury flips backwards you could be re-evaluating your sense of self, who you are and what you have to offer in life. It’s not all about money, that’s for sure, and Venus also currently in your finance zone can act as a buffer to show you that you’re loved and appreciated just as you are. You only need to convince yourself of that fact and once Mercury’s out of retrograde in mid-May, you’ll have it all figured out.
This article was originally published on Vogue Australia.
