What Will this Mercury Retrograde Be Like?

Every Mercury retrograde has it's own themes or qualities. They are not all alike! Though some common occurrences include miscommunication, technical difficulties, revisiting people and places, and rescheduling, the signs of Mercury's retrograde time and the aspects with other planets influence the tone.

The next few weeks we experience the retrograde in Pisces and Aquarius. Pisces' creative and emotional qualities define the first week, until the 12th. Returning to creative projects and ideas is a great plan and you might just naturally gravitate back to art, journaling, making music, or anything that involves self expression and channeling imagination and emotions.

You could also find yourself reverting to old thought patterns that are self deprecating or to relationships that lack appropriate boundaries.  Consider the difference between love/forgiveness and being taken advantage of or exposing yourself to repeated pain. You can love and not allow that person in your life. You can forgive and keep good boundaries and never return to the way things were.  If anything, we might soften boundaries and have a recurrence of hurt or disappointment. If this sounds like you, stay strong.

On the 12th, Mercury is back to Aquarius with a more logical detached influence. This is helpful if the Pisces part set you back on a path you'd like to change.  More of the technical effects of Mercury retrograde kick in. Systems and science, cell phones and computers, appliances and future plans tend to be repaired, reconsidered or put on hold.  It is a good time to experiment with something that MIGHT work as long as you're not so attached to one outcome you can't let go or change your plan later.

Peaks in the retrograde occur on the 19th as Mercury squares Saturn. Old business will be persistent if not taken care of. This is a stubborn aspect, insistent on resolution but unyielding about how to do so. Aquarius is logical and forward thinking and Scorpio, where Saturn is, is emotional and has trouble letting go. It's not a piece of cake to find the common ground here. Being willing to work through things as a process and let go of something you felt was non-negotiable is the only way to make any progress here and now. The stubborn streak can be personal, but with Aquarius as the sign of community, it might also be a group experience, like a project or set of rules or a plan no one can fully agree on. I feel like this is the strongest influence of the retrograde, so the question is what feeling are you attached to that you could release and replace with a solution and the freedom to move on? It could be a grudge or an old image of yourself or a relationship gone by. Mercury in Aquarius makes it easier to step back and be objective with yourself in order to set up something new after the 28th. And that is when the retrograde ends!