The Mercury Retrograde Cycle

The Mercury Retrograde Cycle

The Mercury Retrograde Cycle

Mercury has more retrograde cycles than the other planets. Mercury goes retrograde three times each year. This occurs roughly at four month intervals and usually coincides with the same element for three consecutive retrograde periods.

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It moves the fastest of all the planets. Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo.

All the planets except the Sun and Moon have retrograde periods every year. The exception is Mars which turns retrograde every two years. you can see that it affects many planets and that there is almost always one planet retrograde at any given time.

Mercury’s Upcoming Retrograde Periods

2023

During December 13th, 2023 to January 2nd, 2024 from 8° Capricorn to 22° Sagittarius.

2024

During April 1st to 25th from 27° Aries to 15° Aries.

During August 5th to August 28th from 4° Virgo to 21° Leo.

During November 26th to December 15th from 22° Sagittarius to 6° Sagittarius.

Mercury Retrograde Element Focus

Mercury’s current retrograde signs are mainly the Fire signs (Sagittarius, Aries and Leo) for 2024.

 

The Mercury Retrograde War Cry!

“Go back, go back, go back to the woods.

You haven’t, you haven’t, you haven’t the goods. 

You haven’t the spirit, you haven’t the jazz… 

You haven’t the moves that Mercury has!”

Pop Culture and Mercury Retrograde

As the details of Mercury retrograde permeate through to the general public the words, “Mercury retrograde” become a catch phrase and is diluted down into basic, and often most inflammatory words. You will hear things like, “don’t buy computers, cars or phones when Mercury is retrograde.”

Well yes, certainly those things can be said, but astrologers know there is a more subtle effect to the apparent reversal of direction for the innermost planet.

Your Natal Mercury Condition

As with all astrology good forecasting and interpretation for yourself hinges on your own chart. If you have a well-placed and robust Mercury you will withstand the influence of Mercury retrograde (or any retrograde depending on the planet) and still be standing as other folds under their weaker Mercury placements.

A broad generality is like saying, “All cars reverse (or back-up) badly” when really it is more that, “some drivers can’t reverse very well.”

You know yourself that you are better at some things than others and certainly you will do some things way better than anyone else. So saying we all suffer the same way when Mercury is retrograde is simplistic.

If you have Mercury retrograde in your birth chart you will withstand the negative effects of any Mercury retrograde period now and in the future.

How Retrogrades Affect Your Chart

Whichever house in your natal chart this retrograde occurs will be the area of life that is affected.

For example, if this Mercury retrograde period occurs in your fourth house then you will revisit family and home issues and you will need to go back and attend to them as drains, leaks and plumbing come to mind.

If Mercury retrogrades in your seventh house, your marriage will need further discussions and conversations and yes it will be about dragging up past issues (like affairs) to be once aired again as these things just won’t stay buried.

 

The Illusion of Aparrent Retrograde Motion

Retrograde motion is the apparent backwards movement of a planet.

The analogy I use when I’m teaching a class is that when you are on a train moving forwards then another train pulls alongside going at the same speed, if the second train slows down it appears to be going backwards, although it is still moving forwards albeit slower than your train.

This is an optical illusion and clearly demonstrates planetary apparent retrograde motion.

 

 

Read more >>>  Mercury retrograde and Job seeking.

Author Bio

Alison Price: Astrology Coach

Alison wants to help you uncover your individual creativity and lead a fulfilling life using your own astrology. She shares her wisdom from the heart with a touch of humor.

Learn more about Alison’s journey.

If you’d like to get in touch with Alison, you can reach out to her via email at starzology@gmail.com.

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Wheel of the Year

Wheel of the Year

The Wheel of the Year Diagram The wheel of the year is a diagram that shows the Sun's movement through the twelve signs of the tropical zodiac from Aries to Pisces. You can draw a wheel of the year in many ways, but they still represent the passing of time throughout...

Astrology Crossword Challenge

Astrology Crossword Challenge

Astrology Crossword Challenge

Here is a fun Astrology Crossword for those strong Mercury types.

What to do

Print this page, complete the crossword, scan to a file, attach to an email and send to info@starzology.com to have your name posted here as one of the few to complete this crossword.

 


Our correct completed crossword congrats go to…

Julia Cann from Plymouth, England.

Arwynne O’Neill from Vancouver, Canada.

Maria Michaelidis from Skorpios, Greece.

Hennie Potgieter from Phalaborwa, South Africa.

Jan Weiss from Coventry, England.

Ali Khan from Toronto, Canada

 

 

 

 

Clues Across

1. A positive element (3).

2. His laws on planetary motion (6).

4. Part of the Great Year (3).

5.  Greenwich Mean Time abbr. (3).

10.  An astrologer’s reference book (5, 2, 6).

12.  Mars’ colour (3).

14. Exalted in Aries (3).

15.  Largest of the big four asteroids (5).

16.  Ptolemy’s famous work (11).

19.  The house of your children’s career (6).

21.  An asteroid award (4).

24.  Finger of God aspect pattern (3).

25.  Local Mean Time abbr. (3).

26.  Easy aspect (5).

28.  The metal of Mars (4).

29.  Sagittarius’ element (4).

30.  Right Ascension abbr. (2).

31.  Falls in Virgo (5).

34.  Junction of the plane of the ecliptic and a planet’s path (4).

35.  A chart used in synastry (9, 5).

36.  Aspect tolerances (4).

37.  The point of the celestial sphere directly above the observer (6).

38.  Castor and Pollux are the Gemini pair (5).

 

Clues Down

1.  Saturn is the traditional ruler (8).

3.  The sign of the monarchy (3).

6.  Quadruplicities (5).

7.  Age of Aries symbolic animal (3).

8.  Planet of reflection (4).

9.  Toronto’s vibrant astrology group (9, 7).

11.  A planetary condition (7).

13.  The planet that rules the Phoenix (5).

14.  The State Of The Art astrology conference (4).

15.  A planetary key (6).

17.  Hemisphere from 4th to 9th (7).

18.  Immum Coeli abbr. (2).

20.  Below the Asc/Dec axis (5).

22.  Planet of rebellion (6).

23.  The 29th degree (8).

27.  The rulers of the signs (7).

32.  These can be fixed (5).

33.  The 6th house pertains to animals smaller than this one (4).

 

 

Author Bio

Alison encourages you to explore your unique creativity and live a satisfying life through your personal astrology. She offers her insights from the heart and with a sense of humor.

Go here to read more about Alison’s story.

If you want to send Alison a quick message go here.

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If you enjoyed this crossword check out some more information we have on astrology on our blog.