Mercury Retrograde, What does Mecury Retrograde Mean? When is Mercury Retrograde?

Mercury Retrograde Dates
So you can plan your weddings, trips, house purchase,
job change, c-section births, car purchase,
anything you wish to be permanent:

2010
Mercury begins the year already retrograde from
December 26, 2009 at 21 Capricorn
Mercury turns direct January 15, 2010 at 5 Capricorn

Mercury turns retrograde April 18 at 12 Taurus
Mercury turns direct May 11 at 2 Taurus

Mercury turns retrograde August 20 at 19 Virgo
Mercury turns direct September 12 at 5 Virgo

Mercury turns retrograde December 10 at 5 Capricorn
Mercury turns direct December 30 at 19 Sagittarius

Mercury Retrograde Dates Until 2022 – no excuse to marry on wrong date now:

Dec 10 2010 to Dec 29 2010

Mar 30 2011 to Apr 23 2011

Aug 2 2011 to Aug 26 2011

Nov 23 2011 to Dec 13 2011

Mar 11 2012 to Apr 4 2012

Jul 14 2012 to Aug 7 2012

Nov 6 2012 to Nov 26 2012

Feb 23 2013 to Mar 17 2013

Jun 26 2013 to Jul 20 2013

Oct 21 2013 to Nov 10 2013

Feb 6 2014 to Feb 28 2014

Jun 7 2014 to July 1 2014

Oct 4 2014 to Oct 25 2014

Jan 21 2015 to Feb 11 2015

May 18 2015 to Jun 11 2015

Sep 17 2015 to Oct 9 2015

Jan 5 2016 to Jan 25 2016

Apr 28 2016 to May 22 2016

Aug 30 2016 to Sep 21 2016

Dec 19 2016 to Jan 8 2017

Apr 9 2017 to May 3 2017

Aug 12 2017 to Sep 5 2017

Dec 2 2017 to Dec 22 2017

Mar 22 2018 to Apr 15 2018

Jul 25 2018 to Aug 18 2018

Nov 16 2018 to Dec 6 2018

Mar 5 2019 to Mar 28 2019

Jul 7 2019 to Jul 31 2019

Oct 31 2019 to Nov 20 2019

Feb 16 2020 to Mar 9 2020

Jun 17 2020 to Jul 12 2020

Oct 13 2020 to Nov 3 2020

Jan 30 2021 to Feb 20 2021

May 29 2021 to Jun 22 2021

Sep 26 2021 to Oct 18 2021

Jan 14 2022 to Feb 3 2022

May 10 2022 to Jun 3 2022

Sep 9 2022 to Oct 2 2022

Dec 29 2022 to Jan 18 2023

Mercury Retrogrades three times a year for three weeks each time. Mercury Retrograde is a time to process, digest, and organize your life & heed your lessons learned. This is a good time to figure things out, see things from a more internal perspective, work on your core - belief system and decide how to proceed so you can work and communicate more effectively.

This is the time to clean out the closets, organize your files, and throw out the old, give away to charities. But not really a time to move, buy a home, start a job, to buy anything electrical, sign legal documents or get married. Whatever you start in a Mercury Retrograde period WILL not be permanent in your life. Make your decisions wisely at this time.

Mercury is said to be in retrograde motion when, due to our relative orbits around the Sun, parallax view causes it to back up in our sky.

This awkward period begins a few days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until when the Winged Messenger reaches his direct station. At this time it halts and begins its return to direct motion through the zodiac.

A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. This traditional concept arises in the illusory planetary motion created by the orbital rotation of the earth, with relation to other planets in our solar system. Planets are never actually retrograde or stationary they just seem that way, due to this optical illusion.

Retrograde periods, although often problematic for us earthlings, are not particularly uncommon. Each planet retrogrades, except the Sun and Moon.

Fated Events
As a rule, retrograde planets presage a period of seemingly inevitable or fated events, which relate to their sphere of influence. They present us with a series of events over which we seem to have little or no control, relating especially to the sign in which the retro-gradation occurs. For example, Mercury retrograde in Virgo presents quite different sets of circumstances from those generated when it retrogrades into Leo, you might want your personal chart done to see how this always affects you.

A retrograde period is best seen as a cycle, beginning when the planet begins to slow to a halt before traveling backwards through the zodiac and ending when the planet returns to the point where it first paused. However, during the cycle, the planet's energy is most powerful (and more likely to generate critical events of universal importance) when the planet makes a station, appearing motionless in the sky.

These stationary periods occur near the beginning of the cycle (when the planet first halts as it prepares to move backwards) and midway through the cycle when the retrograde planet slows to a stop before moving forward again. The "direct station" (when the planet halts before moving forward again) is the most powerful and can be used for maximum benefit.

Some astrologers consider that the "Mercury Shadow" begins some three weeks before the actual retro station (when Mercury passes the point of direct station for the first time), but I am more inclined to think that the really noticeable peculiarities begin when Mercury slows significantly, a few days before the retro station. This period of "Mercury Shadow" extends to the Return date, some three weeks after the direct station.

What does Mercury affect?
In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially people who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, tricksters and thieves.

Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray, or awry.

It is therefore not wise to make important decisions while Mercury is retrograde, since it is very likely that these decisions will be clouded by misinformation, poor communication and careless thinking. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde, these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed.

The key issue here is one of focus. Mercury's retro phase tends to bring unforeseen changes and blockages, but the aggravation and frustration that many of us experience during these periods is often due to our own inability to roll with the punches. Is this due to our ego-fixation? Mercury sets out to restructure our thinking processes and for many of us this is painful and frustrating. Moreover, these experiences reveal flaws in our internal organization as well as our external planning, which can make us feel foolish and inadequate.

Mercury retrograde, like any cosmic aspect, affects people differently, depending on where it hits their personal charts. Some people actually prosper under a retro Mercury, especially if Mercury is retrograde but otherwise well-aspected in their birth charts. It is also a time when matters begun under a previous retro period will come to fruition or completion as the case may be. Firm decisions that have been previously made when Mercury is traveling normally through the zodiac may be implemented or finalized while Mercury is retrograde without too much worry, for experience shows that this can be done without undue problems arising.

Mercury has ruler-ship of communication and transportation. This covers just about everything in one way or another. When Mercury is retrograde all things having to do with communication and transportation are prone to snafu and breakdown. You will notice during Mercury retros that the incidence of traffic light malfunctions, telephone service interruptions, lost and mishandled messages, city blackouts, general misunderstanding of information, missed connections and other problems in travel, and every other imaginable kind of trouble in these areas rises dramatically.

Try to avoid signing legal documents and opening new businesses during these periods. If it absolutely can't be avoided then go ahead. But be aware that there will almost certainly have to be renegotiation and new beginnings at a later date and be prepared to deal with that.

Avoid surgery when Mercury or Mars is retrograde. Mercury retrograde can mean misunderstandings, mistakes, and confusion. Since Mars in the planet of surgeons, when it goes retrograde surgeons tend not to be at their steadiest or most reliable; they may not be able to concentrate well. Furthermore, Mars retrograde can mean heavy loss of blood. The moon is also a factor when selecting surgery times.