Prepare yourself, your relationships and your technology because Mercury Retrograde is not over yet.
If you need a reminder, Mercury Retrograde refers to a three-week period when the planet Mercury appears to orbit backwards—and brings a lot of communication, travel and technology catastrophes into our lives. “Mercury, the planet of information, transportation, communication, contracts, processes, commerce and more, goes retrograde approximately three to four times every calendar year,” astrologist Evan Nathaniel Grim explains to marie claire Australia.
“Mercury is not actually orbiting in a backwards motion,” Evan continues, explaining that the retrograde aspect is actually “an optical illusion that occurs whenever Mercury begins to lap the Earth in its relatively faster revolution around the Sun.”
According to Evan, Mercury Retrograde brings us comes with so many complications because it “typically scrambles our thought process, leading to mistakes and miscommunication. Since Mercury rules over a vast array of interconnected systems, its retrograde phase can also lead to travel delays and technology glitches.”
Whether you’re ready or not, Mercury Retrograde is upon us so scroll on and read about exactly what you can expect from it.
When Is The Next Mercury Retrograde In Australia, 2024?
The next Mercury Retrograde will occur between August 5 and 28, 2024.
Unfortunately, that won’t be the last one of the year and we will also have a retrograde between November 26 and December 15.
Which Sign Is Most Affected By Mercury Retrograde?
According to Evan, certain star signs are going to feel this retrograde more than others. “In this case, Mercury will appear to move backwards from 4 degrees of Virgo to 21 degrees of Leo. This means that people with major placements from 21-29 degrees of Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius and Taurus, as well as 0-4 degrees of Virgo, Pisces, Gemini and Sagittarius will feel the effects of this Mercury Retrograde most acutely.
“This covers the mutable and fixed signs, which are the modalities represented in Mercury’s retrograde phase. Also, Gemini and Virgo Risings will also be directly impacted because Mercury is their chart ruler.”
While Evan says that “every sign will be impacted in a unique way,” he explains that those born during a Mercury Retrograde will always fair the best. “These people tend to have an easier time managing this transit because they are naturally attuned to it,” Evan says.
Related: Find out if your Zodiac sign is Cardinal, Fixed Or Mutable
What Will This Mercury Retrograde Bring?
According to Evan, this Mercury Retrograde is going to be a big one.
“Since this Mercury Retrograde covers two zodiac signs (Virgo and Leo), the effects will be two-fold,” Evan explains.
“During its retrograde through Virgo, expect to be re-evaluating health decisions and fitness regimens since Virgo rules over these topics. Virgo is also very process-oriented and is actually one of Mercury’s home signs, therefore, this retrograde can be positive in that it can help people refine and optimize a particular process. People may, however, be more argumentative than usual since Mercury will square off with Mars in Gemini initially when it’s stationing retrograde in Virgo during early August.”
“Then during its retrograde in Leo,” Evan continues, “we will be called to revisit our creative projects and pursuits. We will also reconsider whether our relationships cultivate a sense of joy and romance. If a relationship is not sustaining that honeymoon phase feeling, then perhaps people will be thinking of ways to recapture that passion.”
However, that’s not all for this Mercury Retrograde. According to Evan, our relationships are also going to feel the impact.
“Mercury will align with the sun on August 18 (this is called a Cazimi), which in this instance will mark a critical point at which many people will be making major decisions regarding their relationships. This is because Venus will also be opposing Saturn. Perhaps some people will break things off with a partner because the relationship has languished, while others might actually double down on their commitments. And in other cases, someone could use that day to forge a really promising creative partnership.”
What Should You Do During This Astrology?
When it comes to Mercury Retrogrades, many people feel nervous about their usual routines.
However, Evan assures us that you don’t have to remain housebound for three weeks—its simply about thinking twice about the decisions you make and leaving room for flexibility if things go wrong.
“During a Mercury Retrograde, which lasts approximately three weeks, it’s best to reflect on prior decisions, to wrap up existing projects, and to factor in potential delays when traveling. It’s also
prudent to proofread any important communications before hitting send and to enter into a critical conversation with a clear plan of what you’d like to say. You should also anticipate some potential technology snafus, therefore it’s best to back up your data.”
You can find more of Evan’s astrological advice on TikTok and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
