The Notorious Mercury Retrograde
I was exposed to the pop culture lore of Mercury retrogrades years before I familiarized myself with the astrological realm. From the posts and discussions that bubbled up leading up to every retrograde period, I always had the impression that mercury moving backwards was comparable to a tsunami that’ll take out whatever is in its path. As I furthered my practice and looked to trusted astrologers in the community for insight, I realized that this narrative was FAR from being universally true.
Like most astrology topics that gain traction in the media, Mercury retrograde was contorted into a beast that served to absolve people of taking accountability and placate their dissatisfaction in times of adversity. Everyone’s friends, mother, boss, and favourite social media influencer knew about scary Mercury’s mischievous ways during a retrograde period, and used it as an excuse or justification, but somehow nobody stopped to ask themselves how serious this transit actually was.
A calendar showing the duration of the Mercury retrograde from the summer of 2024. The red shades depict the intensity of the retrograde periods. The blue and brown shades represent the pre and post shadown periods respectively.
To put things into perspective for you, Mercury goes retrograde roughly 3-4 times a year. From the start of the pre-shadow to the end of post-shadow period, it lasts roughly 7-8 weeks. The actual retrograde phase — which would be when the effects are most noticeable or intense — only lasts for 4 weeks. Even during this retrograde phase, it’s not intense the whole way through, as we can see when we consult the calendar on the left. Given this information, it’s safe to assume that Mercury retrogrades are nothing unique nor rare, and they’re actually quite frequent and mundane when comparing it to a Mars or Venus retrograde for example. Before I get into the instances where a Mercury retrograde period might actually pack a punch in your own natal chart, let’s look at what Mercury represents as a planet.
Mercury is considered to be a “neutral” or “common” planet, as it doesn’t fall into the category of benefic nor malefic like the other planets, nor does he have a preferred hemisphere, as he rejoices in the 1H whether or not he is rising. Instead, he is “capable of acting as a functional benefic or malefic depending on whether it is more closely associated with benefic or malefic planets in a given chart” (Brennan, p. 185). Given Mercury’s versatility in terms of planetary condition, we can see why he bodes well in both Gemini and Virgo, as they are double-bodied (mutable) signs; which further plays into this notion of Mercury being an adaptable planet.
In her book Ancient Astrology, Demetra George describes Mercury as “the bestower of forethought and intelligence, and rules over practical wisdom, education, reason, and knowledge…he is connected with language, communications, friendship, fellowship, numbers and accounts, weights and measures, coins, sports, commerce, business, marketing, and banking” (p. 50). Additionally, when consulting The Arcadian Hymn to Hermes from the Optic Hymns Grimoire, it’s noted that Mercury is a “…Teacher of Teachers, Universal Mind, Arcadian child of Māyā divine, Mathematician, Magician, Traveler, [and] Thief…” so it’s clear straight away that Mercury touches so many areas of our lives; usually to both extremes. Mercury can be your favourite teacher who inspires you to devote yourself to a field of study, but he can also be the person that charms you while they steal your wallet from your purse or pocket. Hermes is the jack of all trades, and likes to keep us on our toes even on a good day, so it’s no surprise to me that his planet’s retrograde periods are so frequently and widely discussed; it’s hard to ignore!
Now that we’re more familiar with Mercury’s characteristics as a planet, as well as his retrograde cycle, let’s take a look at what would make a Mercury retrograde particularly loud for an individual.
Signs That a Mercury Retrograde Will be Impactful for You
You have Mercury as your chart ruler
This goes for both the natal chart ruler and the chart ruler of your Solar year. If your chart ruler goes retrograde, you’ll definitely feel it throughout the entire transit. Since this is a very personal part of the chart, you can assume Mercury topics will be hitting more than just the house where Mercury is transiting.
2. You have Mercury activated by profection
If your activated profection house is ruled by Mercury (Gemini or Virgo), this means that Mercury and mercurial topics will be more present in your life for that Solar year. This also means that whenever Mercury goes retrograde, you will feel it a lot more regarding those specific house topics. To learn more about how to find out which profection year you’re in, consult my 1H Profection Year article here.
3. You have natal placements that make an aspect to transiting Mercury
If Mercury goes over one of your personal placements during the transit, you will feel the retrograde more than those that don’t have any planets/angles making aspect; particularly planets conjunct or opposite Mercury, but any aspect will have an impact regardless. Also, pay close attention to when Mercury aspects your chart ruler, as this is the most “personal” planet for the native. Since this is Hellenistic astrology this definitely applies to aspects both by sign and degree, but just note that degree-based aspects will always be felt more intensely than sign based ones.
If you made it to the end of this artcile, thank you so much for reading. I hope this helps you to approach Mercury retrogrades with less stress/panic, and develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which a transit may affect your natal chart.
To learn more about how Mercury shows up in your chart, along with your other placements, you can always book a reading with me here. I’d love to help you cultivate a deeper understanding of your chart, and the cosmos in a broader sense!
Sources:
Brennan, C. (2017). Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. Amor Fati Publications.
George, D. (2019). Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice (Vol. I). Rubedo Press.
Mastros, S., L., & Charles, B. (2022). Orphic Hymns Grimoire. Hadean Press Limited.
2024 Mercury retrograde calendar. (n.d.). https://astrologyhoroscopereadings.com/2024-mercury-retrograde-calendar.html
