Tag Archives: Mercury Retrograde

New Moon in Sagittarius

The last few lunations (new and full moons) we’ve had have been very intense (that Gemini full moon a couple weeks ago was crazy!), and this upcoming new moon in Sagittarius is no exception (and neither is the full moon in Cancer later this month). 

This new moon, which occurs on December 12th a little after 6:30 pm EST, is fiery. While the sun has pulled away from its conjunction with Mars, Mars is still co-present in the same sign as this sun-moon combo. But with Mars in the mix and not currently making any hard aspects to other planets right now, this new moon is a good one for harnessing our energies and focusing them on our lofty goals and global views (in true Sagittarius spirit). However, the moon is making a hard aspect with Neptune, the planet that shrouds circumstances in uncertainty and vagueness, so you may find it hard to get clarity on what you actually want. 

Venus, now in Scorpio, is currently separating from an opposition to Jupiter in Taurus. Venus doesn’t usually like being in deep, dark Scorpio, but its movement through this sign gives us the opportunity to dive deep into our relationships, face hard truths, and strategize about our finances and our resources. Opposite expansive Jupiter, Venus is a little more powerful and friendlier in Scorpio than it would normally be. 

However, Mercury retrograde looms. Mercury is stationary when the new moon occurs, which means it’s at a virtual standstill. It starts to go retrograde overnight on the 12th/13th. When a planet is stationary, its influence is felt even more than usual, so our communication and our tech activity is going to be very prominent during this new moon. If you haven’t already, you may start to experience the usual Mercury retrograde mishaps. A package I mailed to a friend in Virginia last Monday somehow passed through Virginia on Wednesday and sailed on to Florida. Florida! She ended up getting it, just several days later than anticipated. 

The good thing about Mercury being retrograde in earth sign Capricorn is that there’s a grounded quality to it, so it’s not going to feel a mile minute. Capricorn is a take-charge cardinal sign, so even though Mercury retrograde encourages reflection and reassessment, in Capricorn, you’re likely going to feel hard-pressed and want to forge ahead regardless of the retrograde. Just know that anything you move forward with now will likely need to be revisited again and potentially revised in January. 

To learn more about where this new moon will play out in your chart, read below for your rising sign and your sun sign. 

Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising: You’re renewed at this time. This new moon is an excellent time to harness that energy of renewal and plant seeds for the next year. The Mercury retrograde encourages reflection prior to manifesting anything new, so look backward before looking to the future, but it’s still a good time to think about your goals, your desires, and your dreams. Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is about the big picture, so mood board or journal your loftiest goals. It’s also a good time to think about a new look, e.g., coloring your hair or zhuzhing up your wardrobe, if you’ve been feeling stagnant and wanting a change. 

Capricorn & Capricorn Rising: New moons generally have us feeling more tired, but this may be particularly true for Caps and Cap risings this time because it’s occurring in your 12th house. Mars’s energy could offset some of the darkness of the new moon, so you may find yourself with some erratic sleep schedules around this time. Rest as much as you can, hydrate, and with the nights getting longer now, use the opportunity for hibernation and self-reflection. Mercury is going retrograde in your sign, so it’s time to get introspective. 

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising: This is occurring in the part of your chart concerned with friendships, community, and hopes and dreams. Think about what you’re giving to and getting out of your friendships and your larger networks, and consider whether you should make adjustments. It’s also a good time to spend some QT with your friends. Go to people’s parties, even if you feel out of your comfort zone. You may end up planting seeds and making connections that will be fortuitous down the road, and even if not, you’ll have a good time. Take a tip from one of my all-time favorite Joni Mitchell lyrics and wreck [your] stockings in some jukebox dive.

Pisces & Pisces Rising: For you, this new moon may signal a new career opportunity. Even if no offers or interview requests come your way, you may try to lay some groundwork for career growth through small actions, such as setting a new LinkedIn alert or reaching out to an old colleague that you haven’t spoken to in a while, that leads to a new opportunity. With the Mercury retrograde, reassessment is key, so you may want to revisit your resume/CV and make some edits that are more reflective of where you are now.

Aries & Aries Rising: Have you been feeling some sort of spiritual calling, or a desire to study a topic that intrigues you? Or is the cusp of winter making you get the urge for going? This new moon may have you both seeking deeper meaning in life and craving adventure. Aries folks are impulsive, but this is an apt opportunity for some soul searching. And whatever you embark on at this time, whether it’s going back to school, signing up for a meditation retreat, or checking out international job boards, could influence or result in a new income stream in the future.

Taurus & Taurus Rising: Things may be feeling particularly heavy around this new moon, as it is occurring in an area of your chart that relates to finances and resources, which can be tangible assets, time, or energy, that we receive from others or that we owe. A new moon represents the new phase of a lunar cycle, and with Mercury retrograde, it’s a good time for reviewing not only your bills and spending habits, but also the mental and emotional resources you share with others. Take stock of how you give and take, and make adjustments where necessary or advantageous for you.

Gemini & Gemini Rising: This new moon is occurring in the area of your chart concerned with partnerships. Against the backdrop of your ruler, Mercury, about to go retrograde, it may have you feeling some extra stress or facing some questioning thoughts about your relationship. Reassess the give-and-take of your relationship(s) and make some changes if you feel an imbalance. This new moon could also mean that you are beginning a new phase of your relationship with your partner, or that you’re meeting someone with whom you’ll build a relationship. It could also indicate the beginning of a new phase or change for your current partner; where this will play out for them depends on where this new moon occurs in their own chart. 

Cancer & Cancer Rising: New moon, new routines. For Cancers and Cancer risings, this new moon marks an opportune chance to review your daily schedules and rituals relating to work and your health. Are you slacking off in some area? During this new moon, you should be able to harness the energy of Mars to change it up. If your work life is feeling stale and stagnant, now’s the time to focus on what you can do to switch up and energize it so that it doesn’t feel like drudgery. You’re also primed to assess your diet, your exercise plans, and your sleep schedules and make changes. 

Leo & Leo Rising: If you have kids, this new moon could signify a new phase for them. Maybe they start a new project, make a new friend, learn new things that delight you, or suddenly seem like an adult. With or without kids, this lunation marks a chance to reevaluate your attitudes around joy, fun, creativity, all the good stuff, the stuff that brings you pleasure. Think about how you’re structuring your daily life and how you can carve out space for the stuff you do purely because you like it. Sex? Have it! Wine? Drink it! Painting? Buy new brushes. 

Virgo & Virgo Rising: It’s a good time to reevaluate your commitments to your family and your home and make sure you’re taking enough time for yourself. Striking the balance between what you want to do and what you are obligated to do can be difficult. With your ruler, Mercury, going retrograde, now is the time for introspection and reevaluation. You may also feel compelled to get in touch with your roots, which may involve booking some international travel. Start a new adventure, but just make sure to triple check any reservations you book from now through January so that you can minimize Mercury retrograde-type snafus. 

Libra & Libra Rising: You may have a heightened awareness of your everyday routines and communication at this time, and with Mercury about to retrograde, this is an especially opportune time to reflect on how you interact with the people with whom you surround yourself. There may be some frustrating misunderstandings that occur, or expectations you have of others or vice versa are not clearly stated. Try to be as clear as you can with others and ask for details and specifics from them, so no one is left guessing. Also be conscious that Neptune is going to have people feeling anxious and sensitive, so it’s all about being explicit but striking a balance by also being diplomatic (which, as a Libra, is your forte).

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising: The focus of this new moon is on your finances, your resources, and how you make your money. Take a look at your bank account(s) if you haven’t in a while, and consider carving out a dedicated savings account for something you’re striving for. Mercury retrograde is all about those “re” activities, so you may want to wait until January to make any big moves, but this is a great time to review your finances and your assets and think about how to configure or reconfigure them so they are helping you achieve your long-term goals.

As always, horoscopes are for entertainment purposes. so take them with a grain of salt. These are based on my interpretation of the transiting planetary positions. Unfortunately, I cannot predict the future. 

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo

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.

Mercury Retrograde in Taurus

Mercury went retrograde last week on April 21st, and before that, it was in its retrograde shadow for a couple weeks, so you may have felt the effects before last Friday. It is retrograde until May 14th. 

A couple things about Mercury retrogrades in general. First, it may be obvious, but Mercury doesn’t actually reverse. It just appears to go backward due to an optical illusion that occurs when the Earth is at its closest to Mercury. This happens 3 to 4 times a year. This article in USA Today explains it clearly and has some nice graphics to illustrate the concept. 

Second, things go a little haywire in the days leading up to, during, and in the days after a Mercury retrograde. Mercury is the planet that rules communication, travel, and technology. When Mercury appears to be retrograde, those areas become a little fraught. Miscommunications abound, emails get sent to the wrong recipients, flights get delayed or canceled, and frustrating tech snafus occur. 

It’s been a matter of days since Mercury stationed retrograde, and already there was a global Microsoft 365 outage, Southwest had a technical issue that grounded their flights for several hours last week, and my mother’s refrigerator died. The days leading up to the retrograde seemed particularly rough this time, with the solar eclipse in the mix. 

However, this Mercury retrograde shouldn’t be any worse than most, and in fact, it may actually not be as bad as some. It’s in an earth sign, as are the other Mercury retrogrades this year, and it’s the fixed earth sign of Taurus, so that makes things a bit more grounded than normal. However, Taurus rules money and resources, so you want to be especially careful with financial transactions this month. Double check your online banking so you don’t either pay the same bill twice or experience some unforeseen tech issue that causes your payment to not go through. That’s the kind of stuff that can occur with Mercury retrograde in Taurus. 

Otherwise, just follow the guidance that applies during any Mercury retrograde: reread your emails before you send them, double check your work, avoid buying any new technology during the retrograde if you can, and if you’re traveling, allow extra time, even if it’s just leaving for the subway a few minutes earlier than your normally would. And be patient, knowing that the next few weeks are going to be a little more frustrating than normal and you may have to do things over again later. Many astrologers recommend actually using the Mercury retrograde period to do “re” activities: reflecting, revising, and relaxing.