Retrograde planets – Mercury

Retrograde planets – Mercury

When planetary transits are analyzed in a natal chart, depending on the period, one or more aspects can be active for months and for some planets like Pluto or Neptune, the aspect could last a couple of years. This happens because seen from the earth, at a certain moment the planet seems to be going backwards (in astrology it is called retrograde).

This condition is given by the elliptical that each planet has around the sun, its translation speed, and the movement of the earth in relation to them. All the planets move forward and with constant speed, that is why the ephemeris tell us in what degree and minute each planet is each day but seeing it from the earth produces an optical illusion that the planet is going backwards.

Depending on the planets in our birth chart and when a planet is retrograde, an aspect will last for the period relative to advance, reverse and advance forward and that is why we can spend months under the energy of a certain transit.

All planets can have a retrograde period, but in this case, we are going to refer to Mercury since its retrograde aspect can have implications beyond whether or not it makes an aspect in our natal chart.

Mercury can be retrograde two or three times a year, and it is in this period that the energies that are active should be considered.

Mercury rules commerce, communication, travel, business transactions, and agreements. During a retrograde period, it is advisable to work inwards, work on the details of things and plan so that these jobs can be verified once Mercury is direct. Since communication can be affected, one must be very careful with what is said, how it is said, since the moment is propitious for misinterpretation. This is not the right time for agreements or commercial campaigns. Computer related things can fail or have intermittent problems that are difficult to diagnose. The same as for trips, it is recommended to schedule the times considering the margin for delays.

Catastrophes cannot necessarily occur just because Mercury is retrograde, but if small complications or misunderstandings, knowing the period when it occurs, more caution than usual is recommended. As they say, prevention is better than cure.

Mercury is retrograde from August 23 to September 15 in the sign of Virgo and then from December 13 to January 1, 2024, in the signs of Capricorn and Sagittarius.