Understanding Mercury Retrograde Transits
Every time Mercury, the cosmic comedienne and marketeer, goes retrograde, it ignites a chorus of unnecessary shrieks and shudders. Mercury is associated with things like thought, communication, travel, information, processing, and commerce, so its retrograde periods can correlate with disruptions and delays to these things. Mercury retrograde a confusing time! But there is, as always, a message in the madness. There’s a code to be cracked.
What is Mercury retrograde in astronomy?
Mercury retrograde is when Mercury appears to travel backwards through the sky for a period of time. According to NASA, “Retrograde motion is an APPARENT change in the movement of the planet through the sky. It is not REAL in that the planet does not physically start moving backwards in its orbit. It just appears to do so because of the relative positions of the planet and Earth and how they are moving around the Sun.” Mercury’s retrograde periods (and all other planets’ retrograde periods!) occur when Mercury is physically closest to the Earth — this is important to remember!
When is Mercury retrograde?
Mercury goes retrograde three or four times a year every year, for three weeks at a time. To track planetary retrogrades on your own, Astro-Seek’s Planetary Overview is a fantastic free resource.
Mercury retrograde dates in 2023:
Mercury will be retrograde in Capricorn from December 29th, 2022 at 4:31 AM ET through January 18th, 2023 at 8:11 AM ET. Mercury stations retrograde at 24º Capricorn and will station direct at 8º Capricorn.
Mercury will be retrograde in Taurus from April 21st, 2023 at 4:34 AM ET through May 14th, 2023 at 11:16 PM ET. Mercury stations retrograde at 15º Taurus and will station direct at 5º Taurus.
Mercury will be retrograde in Virgo from August 23rd, 2023 at 3:59 PM ET through September 15th, 2023 at 4:21 PM ET. Mercury stations retrograde at 21º Virgo and will station direct at 8º Virgo.
Mercury will be retrograde in Capricorn and then Sagittarius from December 13th, 2023 at 2:09 AM ET through January 1st, 2024 at 10:07 PM ET. Mercury stations retrograde at 8º Capricorn and will station direct at 22º Sagittarius.
What does Mercury retrograde mean in astrology?
In astrology, Mercury retrograde is a period of time that is notorious for coinciding with loads of mishaps, miscommunications, and mechanical misfires. During Mercury retrograde, we are naturally compelled to slow down, rest, review, and integrate. It’s when we take it easy, move a bit slower, and think back. And we have to laugh at the messiness, confusion, and general absurdity; Mercury retrogrades remind us to have a sense of humor — life doesn’t always have to be so gloomy and serious, and things don’t have to run smoothly all of the time.
With the help of modern technology, we now know that no planet is actually changing directions, and we know that this retrograde motion occurs when the planet is the closest it can ever be to the Earth. This tells us that the idea that a retrograde planet is a ‘weak’ planet is illogical and incorrect. When planets are retrograde, they are the closest to the Earth, and when we are closer to something, its (perceived) influence becomes stronger, not weaker. If I stand closer to the heater, I’m hotter, right?
If anything, Mercury retrograde is Mercury to the max.
So… is Mercury retrograde bad?
Short answer: no, not inherently.
In astrology, retrogrades are powerful, necessary, and potent periods of time. They can be intense and overwhelming. They have a lot to offer to us. It just may not be what the ever-grinding capitalist machine wants.
We don’t like retrogrades because we don’t like to wait, take our time, or turn inward. We’re used to running forward and grinding away to the hurried pace of the machine. Fear of Mercury retrograde is linked to capitalism and its insistence that we must, at all times, keep traveling full steam ahead without ever taking a moment to slow down, review, or think — the things that Mercury retrograde is for — because nonstop productivity is all that’s permitted in a capitalist society. It’s required in order to keep the whole show running. Planetary retrogrades, especially Mercury Rx, demand something else of us. Something more primal, chaotic, and earth-centered. Something more human, less mechanical and robotic.
Mercury retrograde is non-literal and non-linear. It’s one big practical joke. It’s satire, it’s art, it’s poetry, and it rejects immediate action. Things that come up during Mercury retrograde are super symbolic - mull ‘em over. Have a laugh. Remember that rest is radical and learn to speak the language of pranks, puns, and symbols. Revel in absurdity.
The compulsion to text your three-years-ago lover who probably hasn’t looked in a mirror since the last time you showed him one? Probably just Mercury’s mischievous way of trying to slow you down and shift your focus inward. Mercury is the prankster of the zodiac, after all. This is all one big practical joke. Mercury retrograde slows us down in order to, ironically, get us where we’re going more efficiently. Tortoise and the hare shit.