For the past two weeks, Mercury has been slowing, gearing up for its retrograde, and on Wednesday, August 23rd, it begins its retrograde journey through Virgo. This will last until September 15th, when it will once again station and start moving direct. 

The Mercury retrogrades this year have all been in earth signs, which has made them a little more grounded than they would be in the other elements. Mercury is the ruler of Virgo and it’s also exalted there, which means that not only is Mercury not answering to another planet during this time, it’s in the sign it loves to be in. So while the typical Mercury retrograde is very annoying, this one should be a little less so (one hopes). 

The start of it may be rocky, as Mercury stations retrograde while approaching a conjunction with Mars, which is still in Virgo and a day prior (August 22nd) formed an exact opposition to Neptune in Pisces. Mars wants action, and Neptune represents delusions and doubts, so when tough Mars-Neptune aspects hit, we feel irritable and unsure. This is the state of things at the start of this particular Mercury retrograde. However, as Mercury backs away from Mars and Mars continues to head toward Libra, that should dissipate. 

When Mercury is retrograde, as always, it makes for a time of reflection and reconsideration. Is that stuff that’s going haywire totally out of the blue, or can we make it easier for ourselves in the future by, say, leaving a little earlier before we’re scheduled to be somewhere, or by cleaning out the gunk in our sink drains before everything backs up? I use those two examples because Virgo is a sign generally associated with punctuality and cleanliness, so Mercury’s lessons during this retrograde may manifest in those two areas.

Virgo is all about routine, so it’s time to rethink your everyday routines to mitigate future snafus. 

On September 4th, Mercury makes a nice aspect to Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion, which will be at 15 degrees of Taurus. Then right around 7 am EDT on September 6th, Mercury is exactly conjunct the Sun (in cazimi). Those are the only major aspects it makes during the retrograde, and those are generally pretty pleasant. 

The rule of Mercury retrograde is patience. Frustrations may present themselves, but you knew they were coming. Be patient and remember that Mercury retrogrades don’t last that long.