Starting on March 15, Mercury enters its first retrograde of 2025. The retrograde runs from 09° Aries to 26° Pisces and makes thrice-repeating conjunctions to Neptune and the North Node and sextiles with Pluto in Aquarius. This is a unique retrograde as it will happen entirely within the retrograde cycle of Venus, both in time and by degree. This retrograde also coincides closely with our eclipse season, which runs from 3/14 to 3/29.
The Basics
Mercury, the planet of communication, technology, and travel, is the fastest-moving planet in our solar system and retrogrades three to four times every year. This means that Mercury’s retrograde cycle is “business as usual” and isn’t something that should be feared. However, it is a change in the energy signature of one of our personal planets, so it’s worth paying attention and making adjustments where necessary.
Retrogrades don’t mean that the planet ACTUALLY is moving backward, of course. It is a shift in our perception of the planetary movement through our skies. In this way, our perspectives and perceptions can get slightly twisted during these times, and it is easy to miss key details or communicate ineffectively.
During Mercury’s retrograde, Mercury traces its path backward in our skies, and it is considered better to go over your work rather than start something new. Mercury passes over these degrees in the sky thrice: the first time during its pre-retrograde shadow, the second time while it moves backward during its retrograde, and again a third time while it moves forward in its post-retrograde shadow. Because of this, we all get the cosmic opportunity to relearn and refocus on certain things that are going awry in our lives.
By comparing the degrees of Mercury’s retrograde to your birth chart, you can understand how Mercury’s retrograde cycle might affect you.
Mercury retrogrades affect some people more than others. By order of significance, these people are most likely to be affected by a Mercury retrograde:
- If you have Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in Gemini and Virgo, or Mercury closely conjunct (within 2°) to your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant
- If your natal Mercury was in retrograde or out of bounds
- If the current retrograde crosses over your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant (in conjunction) or makes a square or opposition
- If the current retrograde crosses over your Mercury, Venus, or Mars or makes a square or opposition with them
- If the current retrograde makes a trine with one of your personal planets or a sextile to your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant
- If you work in a job that involves technology, communication, or travel or are currently undergoing a task that involves one of these domains during this retrograde cycle
- If you live with, are in a relationship with, or closely work with a person who meets the above criteria
One can assume that the more of these factors in play, the stronger you may experience the effects of a Mercury retrograde cycle. This isn’t to say that what you experience will be bad or wrong – some people experience a lot of freedom from Mercury’s journey. The more open you are to giving up control and staying open to the ever-changing landscape of a Mercury cycle, the easier it will be.
The Nitty Gritty
Mercury will retrograde from 09° Aries on 3/15 to 26° Pisces on 4/7, a reflection of Venus’s ongoing retrograde from 10° Aries on 3/1 to 24° Pisces on 4/12. Notably, Aries is sign #1 in the horoscope wheel and is concerned, to some degree, with new beginnings and pressing onward into the future. At the same time, Pisces is sign #12 and concerned with processing all of the input that came before it to reach completion. Typically, in prograde (forward) motion, the planets all move from Pisces into Aries; this is the demarcation of the start of the astrological year and the point of our Spring Equinox. Instead, Mercury (and Venus) will traverse from Aries back into Pisces in the opposite direction.
I have written about how this point – between 29° Pisces and 00° Aries – is THE pressure point of the year. Not only will Mercury and Venus cross over it three times each during their retrograde cycles, but the Sun passes over it this month, and both Saturn and Neptune will also cross over it this spring before retrograding later in the year and passing over it again in backward motion. Combined with the constant movement of the Moon, this point is traversed 25 times this year. This is a big deal and a significant magical opportunity, which I have discussed in more detail here.
That said, this double personal planet retrograde is the meat of this long-term transit, and we should all be paying close attention to what is coming up during this time. With two personal planets involved in this double transit, this is, by definition, personal. It will show up in many people’s lives – if not through Mercury, then through Venus. In a world that has been rapidly changing, each of us likely has something that we need to go back and redo.
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though it may be triggering to perfectionists and others who are unable to take criticism or admit to their own shortcomings. The big flex right now is to admit mistakes early and often and actively work to fix them.
That’s it.
I mean, it sounds so simple. But it becomes much more difficult if you are the only one willing to admit mistakes or attempt to make amends. The pitfall of this double personal planet retrograde is that people will most definitely not be at their best (Venus retrograde) and also be unwilling to talk about it (Mercury retrograde).
I wish I had a brilliant solution or an easy out for those who can see this coming, but there just isn’t one. Personal planet retrogrades tend to be hard, and two at once will be exponentially more difficult for many people. Even if that’s not you, you will likely have to deal with the aftermath of other people’s frustrations over these planetary conditions.
Both Mercury and Venus will pass over Aries and Pisces. Venus is exalted in Pisces and exiled in Aries. Mercury is both in its fall and exiled in Pisces and neutral in Aries. Here, we can see that Venus will have an easier time in Pisces and Mercury while they are in Aries. Said a different way, the Venus retrograde will start more challenging and likely ease with time, whereas the Mercury retrograde will become more complex as it evolves.
Standard Mercury retrograde advice applies: Mercury’s main domains are Communication, Technology, and Travel, so if you need to do anything in those three realms, you should expect some delays. Apply that literally and metaphorically as needed in your own life. This can be somewhat remediated by working directly with Mercury, but only to a certain point. Social media tends to go down during Mercury’s retrograde cycle – often more than once. Save often and proofread thrice before you hit “Send” on any important communications during this time.
There are a lot of people who advise against travel during Mercury’s retrograde periods, but I prefer it. Things often take longer, but the long way around seems to bring me to precisely where I need to be.
I don’t want to demonize Mercury retrogrades here. I love Mercury’s retrograde cycles and look forward to them every year. You tend to recognize the pitfalls and setbacks if you enter them with a negative expectation. Still, if you enter them with a more open mindset, you are more likely to identify the opportunities that arise.
This is the cosmic right time to work with any of the many res: rewrite, rework, reinvent, renegotiate, redo, retry, renovate, reconsider…
The list goes on.
Mercury’s retrograde is undoubtedly not the time to start something new. It is the time to review what has gone before and make the necessary adjustments so that it works better.
We all need that, whether we are willing to admit it or not.
The Details
3/1 – Mercury stations retrograde 26° Pisces, Venus retrogrades 10° Aries
3/2 – Mercury conjunct Neptune 28° Pisces, Mercury conjunct North Node 28° Pisces
3/3 – Mercury enters Aries
3/5 – Mercury in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius
3/11 – Mercury conjunct retrograde Venus 08° Aries
3/14 – Total lunar eclipse 23° Virgo
3/15 – Mercury retrogrades 09° Aries
3/20 – Sun enters Aries, Spring Solstice
3/23 – Sun conjunct retrograde Venus 02° Aries
3/24 – Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury 04° Aries
3/25 – retrograde Mercury sextile Pluto in Aquarius
3/27 – Retrograde Venus enters Aries
3/29 – Solar eclipse 09° Aries, retrograde Mercury enters Pisces
3/30 – Neptune enters Aries
4/7 – Mercury stations direct 26° Pisces
4/16 – Mercury enters Aries
4/17 – Mercury conjunct Neptune 00° Aries
4/20 – Mercury in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius
4/26 – Mercury exits its post-retrograde shadow 09° Aries
Leave a Reply