8 Myths of Mercury Retrograde
Mercury retrograde is a cosmic event that occurs three or four times each year when the planet appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac constellations. Mercury rules intelligence, communications, transportation, and technology, and these are the areas of life that we see most affected. This year Mercury retrograde will occur on the following dates:
March 15 – April 7
July 18 – August 11
November 9 – 29
The first retrograde on March 15 begins in Aries and ends April 7 in Pisces. The second begins and ends in Leo, and the third begins in Sagittarius and ends in Scorpio. Every year the Mercury retrogrades occur in zodiac signs in only one or two elements. The elements of the Mercury retrograde signs this year are Fire and Water.
Myths abound regarding tips for “how to survive” Mercury retrograde, including what to avoid doing. Some of the most common myths include the following:
Mercury Retrograde is Rare. The truth is that Mercury appears to move backwards three or four times each year for around three weeks each time. This is more than 2 months and sometimes up to 3 months in total within the space of a year. This makes Mercury Retrograde more common than many astrological phenomenon.
Don’t Sign Any Contracts. While it is important to exercise caution regarding any type of commercial trade or deal, you don’t necessarily have to hold off on purchasing a car or a house, or signing a legal agreement just because Mercury is in retrograde. If it doesn’t cause you any inconvenience, you can wait until the retrograde is over, but if all is going well with your deal, and other astrological transits are well placed, your deal might go through with no major issues. In fact, Mercury Retrograde is often an ideal time to return to incomplete projects or to attempt something that failed the first time, like re-listing a house on the market.
Expect Technology Troubles. While Mercury retrograde can cause electronics to glitch or fizz out at times, it is not overly common for most of us. To be safe, carry a power bank and back up your work, and give yourself some extra time and patience if you are relying upon technology for work or communications.
Wait to Send a Message or File Paperwork. If you message is not time sensitive, you may decide until after Mercury goes retrograde to send it. For example, if you are filing a lawsuit but you still have months left in your statute of limitations, you may want to hold off until after the retrograde. But if you have a feeling inside of you that a message must go out, or that you need to file something, go ahead and do it. Just keep a record of it and if the email or paperwork goes missing, you can share your backup copy.
Black Out Mercury Retrograde Dates for Any Travel. The truth is that travel delays and cancellations occur throughout every year regardless of whether Mercury is in retrograde or not. Keep paper copies of your tickets, plan ahead, and cushion your plans with a little bit of room so that you can remain flexible and go with the flow if changes to your itinerary occur. While travel changes are slightly more likely during Mercury retrograde, there is no need to forget about having fun.
It Affects Us All the Same Way. The truth is that Mercury retrograde, like other planetary retrogrades and transits affect some of us more than others, depending on our birth chart blueprint and the sensitive points of our natal chart that it is activating. If Mercury is retrograde in Aries, as it will be in March 2025, and your natal Mercury is also in Aries, or its opposite sign Libra, it will likely be quite activating for you.
You Have No Control Over It. While we may not command the gods, we can petition Mercury for a mitigation of his retrograde effects. You can perform a ritual for him on a Wednesday (his day of the week) with some of the herbs and colors from Mercury Correspondences and ask him to go easy on you. This is no guarantee that you will not suffer from any ill effects but it does place you in space of speaking your intentions out loud for things to go smoothly, which on its own is quite powerful.
Nothing Good Can Happen. This is a big one that many ascribe to. Just duck and cover until it’s over. But this is far from true, and many new projects do manage to move ahead quite successfully during these periods. However, Mercury retrogrades are optimal for returning to past projects and either finishing them or adding on. Keep reading below for more details about the benefits of Mercury retrogrades.
Mercury Retrograde—What Is it Good For?
These astrological phases are actually quite powerful for the following:
Reviewing our life choices
Reconnecting with old friends
Re-applying for a school or job
Reviewing course material
Reflecting on the past
Renewing marriage vows
Re-engineering broken designs
Revisiting old neighborhoods
Finishing or re-creating projects
It is also a key time for releasing film sequels, as three of the highest box office grossing films with “return” in the title were released with Mercury in retrograde:
The Return of the Pink Panther was released in the United States on on the second day of Mercury in retrograde in Gemini on May 30, 1979.
The Star Wars sequel Return of the Jedi was released May 25, 1983 the last day of Mercury retrograde in Taurus.
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was released on the first day of Mercury retrograde in Capricorn on December 17, 2003.
On a deeper level, Mercury retrogrades are ideal times for considering how our own style of thinking and communicating impacts our life and the lives of those around us—by reflecting on our choices and communication styles we can see blind spots in these areas. These times are also wonderful for helping us develop patience and equanimity as we ride through some of the wonky cosmic weather.
To learn more about how Mercury retrogrades affect your life based on the specific details of your birth chart, schedule a personal astrological consultation.
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