Mercury has traditionally been associated with communications. Note that the planetary movements do not cause events, they simply reflect climates with potential trends on Earth. When Mercury turns retrograde, or appears to move backwards in its orbit, we may encounter a higher than normal occurrence of disruptions, delays, breakdowns and upsets in all fields relating to and involving communications, from transportation to negotiations. Keep in mind that our experiences are always the result of our choices. (See retrograde motion explained below.)
Recent and upcoming Mercury retrograde dates:
- Aug 05, 2024–Aug 28, 2024
- Nov 25, 2024–Dec 15, 2024
- Mar 15, 2025–Apr 07, 2025
- Jul 18, 2025–Aug 11, 2025
- Nov 09, 2025–Nov 29, 2025
- Feb 26, 2026–Mar 20, 2026
- Jun 29, 2026–Jul 23, 2026
- Oct 24, 2026–Nov 13, 2026
Typical Mercury Retrograde situations: labour disruptions and strikes, rallies, marches, protests, breakdowns in negotiations, labour relations and peace talks, computer hardware and software crashes and slowdowns, loss of mail, loss of luggage while travelling, car problems, delays in receiving mail and communications, loss of documents, mix-ups and errors in written and verbal communications, unreliability of email, (except for spam of course, which seems to proliferate like wildfire!) or loss of mail or shipped items.
When Mercury slows down and appears to reverse its course, it is an invitation to pay attention, to turn our attention to the still small voice that lies within, and to listen. This requires a choice for peace, and a deep trust in the inherent intelligence of all Life expressions. Ultimately, communication errors are a result of inattentiveness. To ensure that your retrograde Mercury period goes smoothly, both personally and professionally, pay extra attention to all things involving communications!
Retrograde Motion Explained
Retrograde motion is the apparent backwards motion of a planet as it revolves around the sun. It is akin to the optical illusion that occurs while riding in a car on the highway alongside a train. Due to variations in speed, the train appears at times to be moving backwards, relative to the speed of the car in which you are riding. Likewise, from the perspective of the faster-moving planet, the slower planet appears to be moving backwards.
All the planets have retrograde periods. For example, Mercury retrogrades approximately 3 times each year for 19-24 days; Venus retrogrades 43 days, about once every 18 months; Mars, for approximately 80 days, every 2 years. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto retrograde for 4-5 months a year. So far as business and day-to-day activities are concerned, the retrograde periods of Mercury, Venus and Mars are the most important. For example, when selecting dates for new projects, or business ventures, it is important that Mercury, Venus and Mars be in direct motion.
The following illustrations show how the planets appear to move forwards and backwards.
