The ancients gave the planet Mercury the title of “The Trickster.” When he goes retrograde, you’ll discover why! You may even come to suspect the very Heavens are aligned to be playing cosmic jokes on you.

 

Until he goes direct this angelic-looking god with the winged slippers will be demanding your respect. Mercury was the messenger of the gods. So transmitting any information can go haywire during this period. Things get lost in the mail frequently now. People can just forget to post important letters or documents.

 

Emails, texts, and voice mail are not immune to Mercury retro either. Don’t expect a quick response, if any. The person may not have received it. Could be too, they just misinterpreted the message. You can write or speak something now and the party will not read or hear the same message. Do not assume now that anything you say or do will be interpreted correctly, because it may not.

 

Signing contracts is a big astrological no-no now too. You won’t see the fine print. As a result you can easily get hoodwinked.

 

Doing a media blitz to promote a product or service can also backfire big time. If there’s a printing mistake, you may be legally bound to honor it, even if it means a loss.

 

You may start to wonder if you’re suffering from a learning disability or going into early dementia. This is because you can be talking to someone and forget mid-sentence what you were talking about.

 

Mercury rules trade and profit as well. Therefore initiating business deals, doing presentations and starting any new business venture can all meet with roadblocks or possible future failure. Decision-making should be avoided too. You won’t be able to weigh all the pros and cons. Mercury will withhold his gift of logical thinking.

 

Mercury will dig deep into his bag of tricks to mess-up anything to do with travel or transportation too. It is not advisable to travel because there are usually more delays, cancellations, bumped flights and reports of lost luggage than at other times. You should not be booking trips now either, even if it is to be taken when the planet goes direct.

 

It is one of the worst times to purchase a new car. If you do, you will get the lemon of your life.

 

Allow yourself extra time getting to engagements. There are usually more delays and traffic nightmares abound. Plus everyone’s sense of timing is confused and off-kilter. Clients can show up on the wrong day or an hour early or late for appointments.

 

Mercury rules the health professions. So elective surgery should be postponed. If you are in need of medical attention, of course go. However if you are scheduling something that can wait, go when the planet is direct. Then you will receive a more accurate diagnoses.

 

Want to start a much-needed diet?  Don’t! - New health regimes can be doomed under these rays.  In mythological lore Mercury stole cattle from his half-brother Apollo. However he was caught red handed in the act by their father, Jupiter. To escape punishment, he quickly made a deal with Apollo. Mercury would give him his lyre in exchange for ownership of cattle.

 

As a result, Mercury earned the title “Protector of Thieves.” So be on guard against people who are skilled in deceptive acts. Also since cattle are under his domain, the cattle markets are strongly influenced by his retrograde movements.

 

Mercury may have a lot of naughty tricks up his sleeve, but he can turn some into blessings for you too. As the Messenger of the gods, he mediated between the visible and invisible world. When he goes retrograde, we are forced to rely more on the right side of our brain. Your dreams can take on a greater clarity, assist you with problem solving, and might even be prophetic. Have something lost or possibly stolen? Seek out his help before falling asleep during the retrograde.

 

Rational concepts can sometimes keep us from seeing the true inner meaning of people, circumstances and events in our lives. In contrast, Mercury now compels the conscious mind to take a back seat. Allow yourself to explore revealing intuitive insights.

 

Have projects started, but never completed? This is the time to take them off the shelf and complete them. Old ideas or plans can be successfully researched and implemented.

 

People born with Mercury retrograde or have the planet retrograde in their year’s solar return chart might actually find it easier to navigate than others. They’re tuned into their natural rhythm.  Those born under the signs of Gemini and Virgo, or are Mercury ruled, or have it prominent in their charts will be even more impinged by the retrograde than others.

​

2023 Mercury Retrograde Dates and Times    

Direct          January 18        08:12 AM     8 Capricorn 8°

Retrograde      April 21          04:35 AM    15 Taurus 37°

Direct          May 14            11:17 AM     5 Taurus 51°

Retrograde      August 23         03:59 PM    21 Virgo 50°

Direct          September 15      04:21 PM     8 Virgo 02°

Retrograde      December 13       02:09 AM    08 Capricorn 29°

Direct          January 1,2024                  22 Sagittarius 11°    

​

2024 Mercury Retrograde Dates and Times        

Direct          January 01        10:08 PM     22 Sagittarius 10

Retrograde      April 01          06:14 PM     27 Aries 13

Direct          April 25          08:54 AM     15 Aries 58

Retrograde      August 05         12:56 AM      4 Virgo 06   

Direct          August 28         05:14 PM     21 Leo 24

Retrograde      November 25       09:42 PM     22 Sagittarius 40

Direct          December 15       03:56 PM      6 Sagittarius 23

​