mercury is slowing down right now, preparing to station retrograde at 20 pisces exact on saturday the 23rd at 1:41am PST. with the conscious mind and intellect stationing retrograde in pisces we have a lot of non-linear, non-rational, intuitive and psychic energy available to us right now- and also a lot of confusion, delusion and deception. add to the fact that there is SO MUCH pisces in the sky this week (sun, mercury, mars, neptune and chiron) and the waters of the Unconscious are deep, fascinating, blissful, nebulous and deceptive. navigating the coming weeks of mercury retrograde will take awareness, patience, trust and faith. something deep regarding our psyche and it’s greatest fears and greatest dreams can be revealed in the next month!
the following includes an overview as well as a detailed listing of the aspects made by mercury- all of which are made three times due to mercury’s retrograde. the first set of aspects happens during mercury’s shadow phase which is the phase where mercury goes over all the degrees he will backtrack over when he is retrograde- this is like a preview of what is to come. the second set are the aspects made during mercury’s retrograde phase which is when we are in it and dealing with it all on an inner level. the third set are the aspects mercury makes for a third and final time which helps wrap things up and set changes/realizations made during mercury retrograde into motion.
when the mind and intellect is turned inward/downward it’s a spiritual and shamanic time where rethinking, reviewing and revising are in order. it’s not a time to get it all figured out and set it stone. and it’s certainly not a time to sign on the dotted line and fully commit. if you have to sign on the dotted line/commit to something during this phase know that you will probably have some adjustments to make down the line- as what is being revealed right now is not the full picture. it wont be until the end of mercury’s retrograde and after he makes the last set of aspects that full clarity will come. keep that in mind as you navigate the coming weeks and months.
***for more info mercury’s retrograde for your sign personally- check the weekly horoscopes (be sure to read for sun AND rising sign)***
mercury entered his shadow phase on february 7th when he sesquiquadrated juno in capricorn. this is one of the defining aspects of mercury retrograde- which brings up questions, confusion, idealism, deception and illusion in regards to relationships, commitments in our lives and contractual arrangements that are based on obligation. juno typically governs partnership and marriage but i have found she also symbolizes where we are deeply committed to something- for good or for not so good. with juno in capricorn we can find ourselves questioning our traditions, conventions, dogmas, and where we do things out of the status quo. questioning what we are committed to and looking to see if we are doing so out of fear and/or a need for safety, security, or control is key. retrograde mercury sesquiquadrates juno again on march 5th and again on april 8th when he is in his direct motion. after his last aspect to juno he will be moving out of his shadow. pay attention to what is going on in relationships/commitments/obligations during this period and pay particular attention to the days that the aspects are exact for deeper insights.
another defining aspect of this mercury retrograde is mercury’s conjunction to mars in pisces. mercury aligned with mars on february 8th- a day after he entered his shadow, he does so again on february 26th when he is retrograde, and his last conjunction with mars won’t be until may 7th when they are both in the sign of taurus. mercury/mars is typically feisty, firey, assertive and aggressive- yet they are both in passive, surrendering pisces. at best we can use this energy to tap into our intuition and deep psyche’s knowing, at worst we are passive-aggressive, fearful and completely confused. it is very important during this time that anger has a healthy outlet. if we are angry but hold it back it will come out in other ways- illness, depression or passive-aggression. pay attention to what is up for you on the days mercury and mars align as insights into what needs to be said or dealt with can be revealed.
the last major defining aspect of this mercury retrograde is mercury’s alignment with chiron, the wounded healer. they did so on february 10th when mercury was in his shadow, will do so again on march 8th when mercury is retrograde, and the third and final conjunction will occur on march 29th. deep wounds are up right now- in our personal psyche and in the collective psyche. opportunities for deep healing and expansion of awareness lie just on the other side of those deep wounds- and in order to access them we have to move through those wounds rather than transcend/deny/ignore them. it is important that we don’t stay in the place of the victim and that we don’t over focus on others- their needs or their shadows- but that we focus on ourselves. pisces is a deeply compassionate and empathic sign- but it’s also known for codependency, addiction and victimization. these shadow aspects of pisces can be brought to our awareness with greater clarity- which brings profound opportunities for shifting out of them and into a new, more liberated expression! pay close attention to what is happening on the days mercury and chiron align to see where your opportunities for deepest healing lie.
there are other aspects made throughout mercury’s backwards journey and i have listed them below for those interested in specifics. mercury will station direct at 6 pisces on march 17th at 1:03pm, but he won’t leave his shadow until after april 8th. we have until then to get clear on what this journey is asking of us and then we can implement positive action afterwards. on may 7th when mercury and mars align for the 3rd time in taurus we get a shift out of the nebulous, confusing, passive-aggresive shadow energy of pisces and into the solid, focused, grounded energy of taurus. the depths of the Unconscious we navigate over the coming months will eventually lead us to solid ground. so let go of the needs for safety and security and dive deep now! there is gold to be found in the shadows…
~divine harmony
MERCURY RETROGRADE IN PISCES
mercury conjunct neptune- 2/6
SHADOW BEGINS
mercury semisquare juno- 2/7
mercury conjunct mars- 2/8*
mercury semisex uranus- 2/8
mercury square jupiter- 2/9
mercury conjunct chiron 2/10
mercury sextile pluto- 2/11
mercury trine saturn- 2/12
2/23 mercury stations retrograde at 19’52 pisces
mercury conjunct mars- 2/26*
sun conjunct mercury- 3/4 (marking the midway point of the RX cycle)
mercury sesqui juno- 3/5
mercury conjunct venus- 3/6
mercury trine saturn- 3/6
mercury sextile pluto- 3/7
mercury conjunct chiron- 3/8
mercury square jupiter- 3/9
mercury semisex uranus- 3/11
3/17 mercury stations direct at 5’37 pisces
mercury semisex mars- 3/19*
mercury semisex uranus 3/25
mercury trine saturn- 3/28
(same day as sun/venus/uranus)
mercury conjunct chiron- 3/29
mercury square jupiter- 3/29
mercury sextile pluto- 3/29
mercury trine NN- 4/4
mercury semisex mars 4/5*
mercury semisquare juno 4/8
SHADOW ENDS
mercury conjunct mars- 5/7*