c r e a t e y o u r m e r cu r y r e tr ogr a d e i n · 2019-12-02 · when mercury retrograde...

Create Your Mercury Retrograde in Virgo & Leo Battle Plan

Table of Contents:

When will you feel Mercury retrograde? 5

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #1: The Houses 10

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #2: Hard Aspects 26

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #3: The Start & End 31

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #4: In Your Sun, Moon, or Rising Sign 35

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #5: The Eclipse 38

To Recap: The Parts of Your Battle Plan 41

2 / © The Dark Pixie Astrology

August 2017 Retrograde Calendar

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

(in Mercury Shadow since July 22nd)

1

2

3

4 Enter Mercury Storm

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12 Mercury Retrograde begins 9PM 11 Virgo 38 (starts opposite Neptune)

13

14

15 Moon enters Gemini 10:06AM (start of mutable grand cross)

16

17 Moon exits Gemini 12:13PM (end of mutable grand cross)

18

19

20 Exit Mercury Storm

21 Solar Eclipse 2:30PM 28 Leo 53 Moon enters Virgo 4:25PM

22 Sun enters Virgo 6:20PM (sign of retrograde) Moon conjunct Mercury retrograde 5:41AM 7 Virgo 41

23 Moon exits Virgo 9:05PM

24

25 Mercury at critical degree (4 Virgo) to Aug 26th

26 Mercury Retrograde conjunct the Sun 4:42PM 3 Virgo 41

27

28

29

30

31 Mercury Retrograde enters Leo 11:28AM & anaretic to Sept 2nd (29 Leo) Enter Mercury Storm

*Aug 12th - 15th, Aug 17th - 31st Mercury retrograde is part of a mutable t-square


September 2017 Retrograde Calendar

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

1

2 Mercury retrograde triggers Aug 21st Solar Eclipse

3 Mercury retrograde conjunct Mars 5:38AM 28 Leo 43

4

5 Mercury Direct 7:29AM 28 Leo 25 (ends conjunct Mars)

6

7 (Mercury at eclipse point again)

8 Mercury anaretic to Sept 9th (29 Leo)

9 Mercury enters Virgo 10:51PM

10

11 Exit Mercury Storm

12

13

14 Mercury at critical degree (4 Virgo)

15

16

17

18

19 Exit Mercury Shadow

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30


When will you feel Mercury retrograde?

If you’re still new to astrology, you may not be familiar with the term

retrograde and what it means. A planet is called retrograde when it

appears to be moving backward. It’s not actually moving backward, it

only looks that way because of the way the planets move in relation to

each other. Normal motion for the planets is forward motion, so when

they’re moving backward, the energy for the planet works in reverse

and can get thrown off.

When the planet begins moving backward, this is called turning

retrograde. When the planet begins moving forward again, this is called

turning direct. Planets can also be what’s called stationing, which is

when the planet is hovering in about the same spot in the Zodiac.

Planets usually station at the start and at the end of a retrograde period.

The Sun and Moon are the only planets that don’t retrograde, and the

outer planets retrograde for months at a time, so their impact is more

subtle. Mars retrogrades every 2 years or so, and Venus retrogrades

every year-and-a-half or so. Mercury is the only planet who retrogrades

for just a few weeks at a time 3-4 times every year. His retrogrades are

shorter in duration but occur more frequently.

Mercury, Venus, and Mars are what are called personal planets, which

are the planets that most closely correspond to who we are, so when


they’re retrograde, it can really throw us off. When it comes to Mercury

retrograde, his impact can be very strong in our modern world, and

continues to grow stronger. Why? Because Mercury is one of the tech

rulers, ruling the little gadgets we’re always attached to now, and is the

ruler of communication, which we now have so many more ways to do.

When Mercury is retrograde, he can throw these things off, and we can

struggle to see eye-to-eye, to understand each other, to get on the

same page, and we can lash out through all of the means we have for

communication, getting us in more trouble. Mercury rules our

conversations in person, by phone, written, and most importantly for the

times we live in, online.

In addition, Mercury is one of the travel rulers, specifically ruling

short-distance travel (which is basically anywhere you don’t need a

plane to get to), and things like bicycles, cars, trains, and busses.

Mercury also rules our health, so all of his issues can bring out health

problems, and rules our daily lives, so he can mess up our routines,

schedules, chores, and organization, and governs our neighbors,

neighborhoods, and communities. Mercury rules stress in general, which

can bring on extra health issues, extra issues with focus, and extra

problems in our daily lives. And Mercury rules our work too, so we’re

missing deadlines and lacking focus and getting into it over projects and

work ideas.


Mercury retrograde has these two astrological phenomena called the

shadow and the storm. They are essentially when the Mercury

retrograde begins to have an impact. You see, it doesn’t start the

second Mercury turns retrograde and end the second Mercury turns

direct. Instead, we have these periods in the shadow and storm where

the energy starts the ramp up, and we begin to feel the impact of the

retrograde.

The shadow period comes first. The shadow period begins when

Mercury first comes to the point in the Zodiac he will turn direct at

BEFORE he turns retrograde. The shadow period ends when Mercury

comes to the point in the Zodiac he’ll turn retrograde at AFTER he turns

direct. The shadow period lasts for about two months. For the

August-September 2017 Mercury retrograde, it ends at 28 degrees Leo,

and Mercury first comes to 28 degrees Leo before the start of the

retrograde on July 22nd. The retrograde starts at 11 degrees Virgo, and

Mercury comes to 11 degrees Virgo after the retrograde ends on

September 19th. SO the shadow periods lasts from July 22nd to

September 19th for this Mercury retrograde period.

The storm period for Mercury retrograde is when Mercury is moving

less than 40 minutes per day. Mercury is the second-fastest moving

planet (the Moon is the fastest), and doesn’t like moving slowly at all, so

this is usually the period where Mercury retrograde is most troublesome

and creates the most problems. There are usually two storm periods,


one around the start of the retrograde and one around the end.

Remember that planets are stationing when they turn retrograde and

direct, so this is when Mercury is moving slowest. For the August -

September Mercury retrograde, the first storm period is August 4th -

20th, and the second storm period is August 31st - September 11th.

Most people don’t feel the impact of the Mercury shadow. How do you

know if you will? You might feel the impact if your Sun, Moon, or Rising

is in a sign ruled by Mercury, in the sign Mercury will retrograde in, or if

you have a strong natal Mercury. If none of that is the case, you usually

won’t feel the impact of the Mercury shadow, and instead will start to

feel the impact of Mercury retrograde with the first storm period.

Your first challenge:

Determine if you’ll feel Mercury retrograde during the shadow or the

storm. You can feel the shadow period if:

- Your Sun, Moon or Rising is in a sign ruled by Mercury: Gemini or

Virgo

- Your Sun, Moon, or Rising are in the sign Mercury will retrograde

in: Virgo or Leo

- You have a strong natal Mercury: You have a strong natal Mercury

if it’s the most or least aspected planet in your chart, it’s on the 1st,

4th, 7th, or 10th house cusps, it’s closely conjunct your natal Sun or

Moon, it’s a singleton, the apex planet of a yod or t-square, it’s

anaretic or at a critical degree


If none of that applies, focus on the storms.


Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #1: The Houses

The overall impact for each of us when it comes to Mercury retrograde

is on the house(s) Mercury retrograde occurs in. The areas of life ruled

by the house gets the brunt of the retrograde impact, and we can

experience difficulties during the retrograde we need to work on.

When Mercury retrograde moves from one house to another, it will

cross over the house cusp of the house it began in, and this can be a hot

spot period that lasts for about 3-5 days before and 2-4 days after

Mercury actually crosses over the house cusp. This can be a trigger for

events, developments, and general retrograde wonkiness, so it’s one of

the most important dates for you to watch during a Mercury retrograde

period.

Here are interpretations for Mercury retrograde in Virgo by house:

1st House: You can have great difficulty with the little things, paying too

much or too little attention to the details, and it unravels everything in

your life. You can be overly discriminating, too picky, and lack focus for

work, not wanting to work at all or deal with the everyday tasks and

chores that need to be tackled. Make sure you have an outlet for stress,

and try not to take on more than you can reasonably do.


2nd House: You can pay too much attention to your finances,

scrutinizing every little thing and being a miser, or you can pay too little

attention to your finances, and screw yourself over missed details.

Financial issues may bring about extra stress. You can feel less

grounded, impractical, and can experience health issues from

overindulgence, so get grounded and try not to go overboard.

3rd House: You can read too much into every little thing people say, or

not pay enough attention to the subtle clues people are trying to

communicate to you. You can be too discriminating with who and what

you choose to communicate, or hold back on expressing yourself. You

can be overly anxious during the retrograde, so maintain your stress

levels, and give your mind a break.

4th House: You can pay too much attention to every little thing with your

family and the people closest to you, reading too much into their

emotional motivations, or don’t pay enough attention to them and are

overly subjective. You can have great difficulty expressing your feelings,

and act timid and shy. You maybe overly critical of family and those

close to you, so try taking a step back. Discomfort can create problems

for you, so stick to what you know best.

5th House: You can hold yourself back from doing the things you enjoy

most, feeling you need to focus more on your work and tasks, or you

abandon work and tasks completely so you can focus on hobbies and


play. If you have children, you can overly scrutinize them or vice versa.

In dating, you can be too discriminating. Try to go easier on the people

you love, and make time for the things you love to do.

6th House: You can have great difficulty with your work life, focusing too

much or too little on the details, the little things, and working yourself

too much or not enough. Your stress levels can be much higher, and

you can be too focused on having structure and order, or abandon

routine completely and lack discipline. Give yourself some time away

from all of the work and tasks and chores, and work on lowering your

stress levels.

7th House: You can focus too much on the people in your life and your

relationships, putting them under the microscope, or not focus on them

enough and miss all of the little things. If single, you can be too

discriminating, and if in a relationship, you can scrutinize your partner

too much. Imbalance can also create extra stress for you, so work on

being better balanced and focus on the areas of life that have been

neglected lately. Go easy on the people in your life as well.

8th House: You can have obsessive focus with the details and miss the

big picture, or you can obsess over something so much that you miss all

of the details that are right under your nose. You can pick situations and

people apart. You can struggle with work professionally that’s done with

a partner, demanding too much from them. This transit requires you to


lower your intensity, otherwise you can go too far with everyone and

everything. Don’t be so serious and lighten up.

9th House: You can be overly discriminating with your big ideas and

opportunities, and talk yourself out of them, or you abandon any reason

and logic and pursue opportunities that you shouldn’t. You can feel

extremely stifled mentally, and are so stuck in the details that you miss

the big picture. You may crave more freedom than you have, or feel you

have too much freedom. Try to balance your need for space and the

reality of how much space you have, and avoid being impulsive.

10th House: You can pay too much attention to the details with your

goals and not see your direction, or you avoid dealing with the details

completely and make some bad decisions. You can be shy and don’t

make much of an impression. You can be overly discriminating with

where or who you get advice from. Try to take a step back and merge

the bigger picture with the details.

11th House: You can pay too much attention to the details with your

dreams and talk yourself out of them, feeling that they’re unrealistic, or

you don’t want to be realistic at all, and you believe in dreams that have

no chance of happening. Try putting work on your dreams on hold for

now if you start questioning things, and come back to them when the

retrograde is over. You can scrutinize your friends or groups you belong


to, or are too discriminating with new contacts, so go easy on your social

circle.

12th House: You can overly scrutinize subconscious motivations of

yourself or others and get so focused on the details that you miss what’s

right in front of you, or you don’t analyze them enough and have too

many misunderstandings and emotional upset. Get out of your head and

ask yourself if you should be focusing more on your own subconscious

issues. You can listen too much to logic and reason, or to fantasy and

dreams, so try to balance. You can also be exhausted, easily drained

from doing too much, so take breaks.

Here are interpretations for Mercury retrograde in Leo by house:

1st House: You can be overly focused on getting attention, wanting to

be in the spotlight and be the center of everyone’s world, but you may

not get as much attention as you want, or you get attention that you

don’t like. Try not to be so demanding of other people focusing on you,

and work to be more generous, friendly, and charming instead. Open up

your heart and be more creative.

2nd House: Your confidence can easily be wrecked if you don’t feel

you’re in a good position financially, and you can focus on trying to

impress and come across as bigger than life, but you’re only trying to

mask your insecurity if you do. Try to work on improving your


confidence apart from your financial situation, and resist splurging on

things you don’t need to try and make yourself feel more secure.

3rd House: You can be even more theatrical and dramatic in your

communications, and need to resist being gossipy or talking a big game

that you don’t back up, or even outright lying to make yourself look

better. You can dominate conversations, or may feel that other people

are trying to dominate your plans and ideas. Try to be more open with

your mind, listen more to others, and use a creative outlet for your mind.

4th House: You may be more theatrical and dramatic emotionally, and

when you get emotional, you can go overboard with your reactions

emotionally, like you’re putting on a show. You may be overly dramatic

at home or with family, and if you feel insecure, you can be shaky

internally. Work on strengthening your internal foundation, and focus on

being more secure and confident so you feel strong emotionally.

5th House: You may only want to focus on what you enjoy doing,

spending time on your hobbies or goofing off with friends and loved

ones, or you may feel you don’t have the time to do that or don’t have

the opportunities to at the moment, which can make you grouchy. Make

time for fun when you can, but don’t get pouty if you don’t get your

away, and avoid theatrics when you want attention.


6th House: You may want more attention and praise for work you do,

and if you don’t get the appreciation you feel you deserve, you may be

insecure about your work and lack love for it. This can, in turn, create

health problems for you. Try to strengthen yourself internally and make

yourself feel more confident in your abilities without external validation,

and infuse more love into your daily life.

7th House: You may completely avoid responsibilities in your

relationships, and want everyone else to do everything for you, but this

can lead to difficulties, so work on doing more work instead of pawning

it all off on other people. You may want more attention from the people

in your life, or have to deal with someone acting desperate for attention.

Try to be more confident if you’re the one who wants attention, and

more patient if you’re dealing with someone who does.

8th House: You may be overly controlling with the finances that impact

other people, personally or professionally, and can throw a fit when you

don’t get your way, going to a dark place. Try to be more open with your

plans for finances that involve other people, and view them as being just

as entitled to a say as you. It may be a good time for a transformation

that will help you feel more confident and secure.

9th House: You may want to push boundaries and get as far outside of

your world as possible, demanding more space and needing more time

away to get out into the world, but you may end up pushing people


away and regret that later. Try to find small amounts of space that give

you the room to breath and roam as you please, but doesn’t push away

everyone you care about.

10th House: You may want more attention for your career and

accomplishments, and seek the praise of people you admire, but may

risk making bad impressions, which makes you feel more insecure. Try

to develop more confidence in your abilities to achieve your goals and

experience success without external validation, and give yourself the

praise and recognition that you desire.

11th House: You may want more attention from your friends or groups

you belong to, or want more praise and recognition for the good you’ve

done in the world, but you shouldn’t be motivated by praise to do the

right thing. Try listening more to your friends and the groups you belong

to. You may also be more insecure about your dreams, especially if you

experience a setback, but try not to let that get you too down.

12th House: You may run away from the spotlight as much as possible

and be even more uncomfortable with attention, but you may get

attention you don’t want, or the spotlight may find you while you’re

hiding, so try to keep calm. You may want more attention behind the

scenes or praise in the background. Try to work on subconscious issues

or issues from the past that have made you feel insecure or lack

confidence.


Here are interpretations for Mercury retrograde crossing over a house

cusp:

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 1st house cusp, this can bring

about a major setback or delay, something important needing to be

redone, a big miscommunication or fight, or almost anything else since

the 1st house rules you. Try to focus the energy of something you want

a second shot at to mitigate it.

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 2nd house cusp, this can bring

about a major financial development, and you have a financial issue to

work out, a major transaction to perform, or a loss of money in some

way. Work on your budgeting and stick to it to try to avoid difficulties.

You can also be extra lazy, extra stubborn, and may lack confidence.

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 3rd house cusp, this is one of the

houses Mercury naturally rules and governs communications, so there’s

usually going to be a fight or misunderstanding, lacking attention and

focus, or difficulties over your ideas and plans. You may need to make

adjustments with your plans and be more open to new ideas.

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 4th house cusp, the house of

home and family, you may experience a development at home (those

leaking faucets and broken appliances!), or with family (some sort of


setback or issue with them, or a fight or misunderstanding). Emotionally,

you can be quite spent as well. Work on trying to give yourself more

support and comfort. You may also experience a bottoming out of

something or hitting a low point, requiring adjustments.

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 5th house cusp, you may end up in

a situation where you get attention you don’t want, make a bad

impression in the spotlight, or lack attention you’re looking for. You can

get into fights or misunderstandings with loved ones, especially anyone

you’re dating (if you’re dating someone at the time), or your children (if

you have any), and a development can come about with them. Make

sure you have creative outlets.

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 6th house cusp, you can

experience a development with your work, needing to do a project over,

missing a deadline, or getting into it with employers/employees. There

can be an issue in your daily life, or you can experience a health issue, or

feel sudden extra stress.


experience a development in your relationships, with someone in your

life, or see the re-emergence of an old enemy. You may feel

unbalanced (sometimes literally) and indecisive. Work on maintaining

some peace and harmony to manage it.


If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 8th house cusp, this can trigger a

development that stirs up something deep inside of you, some deeply

held issue that you’d rather avoid, and you can be suddenly rageful.

Work on small transformations and take baby steps. There can also be

financial developments that impact others.

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 9th house cusp, you may

experience sudden space you don’t want/need, or experience sudden

restriction. There can be an issue with learning, speaking, or writing, and

you can experience travel issues, though this is good for traveling

somewhere you’ve been before.


experience developments with your career, goals, and ambitions, and

experience setbacks or delays, make a bad impression, or are in the

public eye, but not in a way you’re comfortable with. You may be kicked

down from a high place and experience a long fall (sometimes literally,

so maybe avoid a ladder).


experience developments in your friendships, in a group you belong to,

or with your dreams. You may give up on a dream or friendship, or leave

a group. Most often, this aspect triggers some sort of sudden,

unexpected development or change you need to adjust to.


If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 12th house cusp, this can trigger

an ending of some sort, or you may need to let go of something or get

rid of something. You can also become privy to a secret, expose a

secret of your own, or something from the past can come back into your

life. You can also experience an event or situation that feels a little like

karma catching up to you.

Your second challenge:

Determine which house(s) Mercury retrograde will occur in for you.

Track the date Mercury retrograde will cross over a house cusp, if it

occurs. How may Mercury retrograde impact the house(s), and how can

you handle it? This was originally an article I wrote for Astrology Weekly

about the different ways you can do positive things with Mercury

retrograde based on the house he's retrograde in your chart; I

expanded it for more ideas for you to play with to make your Mercury

retrograde experience a positive one!

1st House: This is the house of the self. When Mercury retrogrades in

your 1st house, you can manifest the Mercury retrograde energy purely,

so redo anything and everything, revise like crazy, and do the one thing

you’ve always wanted to get a second chance at. It's the ultimate

second chance period when Mercury is retrograde in your 1st house - if

you can manage the wonkiness, at least! It's also good to become

independent and a pioneer again.


2nd House: This is the house of money, so you can revise your budget,

review a financial agreement, buy items that are used or refurbished, or

resell something. This can also be a good time to make money in a way

that you’ve made money before. Rethink the way you approach your

finances, your values, what you get your self-worth from, or what you

feel is worth something in life. It's also good to reconnect with your body

and senses again.

3rd House: This is the house of the mind, so it’s good for having a

conversation over again, reviewing documents, revisiting the details,

and relearning something you learned before. Take a class for a second

time, say what's already been said in a different way, or take up old

projects again. It's also a good time to revisit your old neighborhood or

neighbors, or reconnect with a sibling. It's good to reconnect with your

mind again as well.

4th House: This is the house ruling home and family, so you can do

renovations to your home, redo home improvement projects, move

back to a place/area you lived before, or reconnect with a relative.

Rethink what you need to feel emotionally secure, and work on

strengthening your internal foundation so nothing can shake you. It's

also good to reconnect with your emotional self again.

5th House: This house rules love and your hobbies, so you can

reconnect with an old love, fall in love all over again, or pick up an old


hobby that you’d given up on. Reconnect with your inner child, and give

yourself plenty of time to goof off. It's also good to reconnect with your

children. It's good to become creative again as well.

6th House: This is the house of work and health, so you can go back to

work at a place you work at before or at a position you worked in before,

review and revise at work, pick up old work projects and do them over

again, try a health treatment that you want to give another chance, or go

back to an old doctor. Re-examine the details, or go back to an old

routine. It's also good to become practical again.

7th House: This is the house of relationships and commitment, so you

can reconnect with someone you were in a relationship with in the past,

recommit yourself to your partner, reevaluate your relationships, or

recommit yourself to a project. Re-find balance in your life again, and

give compromises a second chance. It's also good to regain your

charming side or become fair again.

8th House: This house rules other people’s money (taxes, debts, loans,

inheritances, joint finances) and transformations, so you can review a

business agreement, reconnect with an old business partner, revise

financial arrangements that involve other people, or try to transform

something in your life you’ve transformed before and needs to be

worked on again. This is also an excellent time to come back from

failure, or to become serious again.


9th House: This house rules higher learning, travel, and the law, so you

can go back to school, revisit a place you’ve traveled to before

(especially if it’s far), or review legal documents. This house also rules

your beliefs, so you can reconnect with old beliefs, and strengthen your

passion for them. It can also be good to become optimistic again.

10th House: This is the house of career, life path, and goals, so you can

go back to working in a career you’ve worked at before, review a goal,

pick up an old goal or get a second chance with a goal, or revise the

direction your life is taking. You can reconnect with an elder (parent,

boss, mentor) as well. It's also good to become responsible again.

11th House: This house rules your dreams for your future, friendships,

and causes you champion, so you can work on a dream that you had

previously given up on and want another chance with, reconnect with

an old friend, or recommit yourself to an old cause. You can reconnect

with your unique self, and embrace old quirks. It's also good to become

a rebel again.

12th House: This house rules your spirituality, subconscious, and

endings, so you can refocus on your spiritual self, revisit subconscious

issues that you want another stab at, or end something for a second

time if you weren’t happy with it the first time. Take time for extra rest,


and reconnect with your imagination. It's also good to become

whimsical again.


Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #2: Hard Aspects

Mercury retrograde can be very difficult when he’s making a hard

aspect to your chart - a conjunction, square, or opposition to a natal

planet or house cusp. These aspects can be difficult energy, so paired

with Mercury retrograde, you may have great difficulty. With the Sun,

you can feel super off or experience a problem; with the Moon, you may

feel insecure and emotionally unstable; with Mercury, you may have

difficulty with focus, extra anxiety, and lots of misunderstandings; with

Venus, you may have trouble getting along with others or are extra

stubborn; with Mars, you may get into fights and are easily annoyed;

with Jupiter, you may be prone to excess and super laziness; with

Saturn, you may feel extra restricted, overwhelmed, or scared; with

Uranus, you may experience a sudden change or feel extra restless;

with Neptune, you may have difficulty with sleep, bad dreams, are extra

sensitive or easily misled; and with Pluto, you may have extra rage,

struggle for power or control, or have to face something you don’t want

to.

Here are ways you can positively use the hard aspects during

Mercury retrograde:

With the Sun, plan to have extra time to get things done, be extra

patient with yourself and others, and take it easy on yourself if things

don’t go well. Since the Sun rules your physical body, this can be a good


period to tend to your physical self and treat your body better. Get

moving, eat well, or get a massage.

With the Moon, tend to issues that are impacting you emotionally and

making you feel shaky internally. Tackle whatever it is that’s made your

internal foundation shaky, and work on being more confident. When

you’re feeling extra emotional, give yourself comfort and support. A pint

of ice cream can go a long way! (unless you’re diabetic or lactose

intolerant or just hate ice cream - insert your preferred comfort food

here)

With Mercury, give your mind a break now and then (or for the whole

period!). If you try to force yourself to focus on what you’re not

interested in or what your mind just doesn’t lock on, it’ll become more

and more difficult. If it takes you forever to get simple tasks done or you

lash out irrationally, this is a clue you need to give your mind a break.

Focus on other stuff, mindless stuff, stuff that doesn’t stress you out and

doesn’t require a serious approach. Let your mind take it easy. This may

be a good time for journaling as an outlet.

With Venus, this can be a good time to work on issues in your

relationships. Often, Mercury retrograde in hard aspect to natal Venus

will bring out the issues so we can’t act like they don’t exist, and this

gives an opportunity to work on them. You may need extra patience and

understanding with your loved ones, but you can work to make the


relationship emerge stronger. You may also want to pamper yourself a

little bit, as well as work on being better balanced.

With Mars, this is usually where we get into trouble with lots of fights,

being overly defensive and impulsive, so it’s imperative that you have an

outlet with these aspects. It should be a physical outlet that also allows

your mind to kind of shut down and use up the extra energy you have.

BUT you do need to be careful about accidents and injuries, so while

you should be active, you don’t want to push yourself too far, otherwise

body casts might ensue.

With Jupiter, give in to the laziness. Really, just give in. Pushing yourself

to try to do something might make you get a tiny bit more done and

that’s it. These aspects are really about you getting a break. Take time

for naps, for lazy days, for spending the whole weekend playing video

games or binging on old movies. If you’re on a diet, yeah, that’s probably

out the window, so plan to break it temporarily.

With Saturn, we often try to push ourselves to the limit, but we just end

up pushing ourselves over the cliff. Then we get mad that the car

explodes when it lands. Totally irrational! It can be good to focus the

energy on something productive, on a goal or plan, but you need to

have realistic expectations for yourself, and plan for time away from

work so you’re not getting that overwhelmed feeling. It can be a great

time to focus again on an old goal.


With Uranus, it usually goes, we experience a change we don’t want, or

we’re restless and want change we can’t have right now. SO work on

implementing small changes to appease the restless energy, if it’s the

latter. If it’s the former, work on being more open and flexible so you

don’t get knocked around by the energy. It can be a great time to work

on making a change over again.

With Neptune, you first need to schedule lots of time for sleep. Hard

Neptune aspects usually equal exhaustion! Even if you get plenty of

sleep, you still may feel tired, so don’t push yourself physically too

much. Your dreams may be highly active. It can be a great time for

connecting to your intuition, though you need to be careful of

interpreting messages wrong. Your imagination can be extremely active,

so give yourself lots of time to get lost in daydreams and fantasies. And

don’t fall victim to anyone who sounds too good to be true - they

probably are now!

With Pluto, Pluto's energy is always great for a transformation, no matter

what the aspect, so pick some aspect of your life or part of yourself that

you want to transform for the better, and get going. It can be great if it’s

a transformation you’ve tried before and want to try again since

retrogrades are great for those second chances. It can also be a good

time to dig deeper inside of yourself and tackle issues you’d normally


try to avoid. And if you feel rage starting to surface, work on giving it a

healthy outlet. No exploding!

Your third challenge:

Track the Mercury retrograde and find the dates he will conjunct,

square, or oppose any of your natal planets or house cusps. You’ll

usually feel the impact for 3-5 days before and 2-4 days after. How may

each aspect impact you, and what can you do to handle the aspects?


Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #3: The Start & End

If Mercury retrograde starts or ends conjunct, square, or opposite a natal

planet or house cusp, this can also show difficult energy you may need

to manage. It doesn’t have to be an exact aspect at any point during the

retrograde, and the planet or house cusp can be within 3 degrees.

The Turn Retrograde:

Mercury retrograde begins this go around on August 12th at 9PM ET,

and begins at 11 degrees 38 minutes of Virgo. If you have a planet or

house cusp between 8 and 14 degrees Virgo, this retrograde is starting

conjunct, or joined with it. That gets lots of energy, lots of attention, and

you may struggle with something related to whatever that planet or

house rules.

Struggles may also be seen with planets at 8 - 14 degrees Pisces,

because this creates an opposition, and you may experience

developments that feel out of your control or that seem brought on by

other people, and you need to be more flexible. Planets at 8 - 14

degrees of Gemini or Sagittarius are square the start of the retrograde,

and this can create more friction that feels very uneasy, but can be

channeled into something productive if you can harness it. Difficulties

can also be seen with planets and house cusps at 10 - 12 degrees of

Aries and Aquarius, which are quincunx, a minor aspect of erratic


energy. Quincunxes require you to be adjustable and not get stuck in

your place.

You get some easier energy with planets and house cusps at 8 - 14

degrees of Cancer or Scorpio (sextile), or Taurus or Capricorn (trine).

These are the easy aspects, and so you can get continuous beneficial

energy to the planets or house cusps making these aspects at the start.

You can also experience some easier energy with planets and house

cusps at 10 - 12 degrees Leo or Libra (semisextile, a positive minor

aspect, but since it’s a minor aspect, the energy isn’t as strong).

In general, the start of the retrograde is opposite transit (moving)

Neptune at 13 degrees Pisces, who is also retrograde at the time. We all

may be feeling an extra dose of haziness and confusion because of this,

and if you’re experiencing a conjunction, square, or opposition at the

start of the retrograde, this is even more so the case. Do what you can to

stay grounded.

The Turn Direct:

The retrograde ends on September 5th at 7:29AM ET at 28 degrees 25

minutes of Leo. If you have a planet or house cusp between 25 and 29

degrees Leo, this retrograde is ending conjunct. That gets lots of

energy, lots of attention, and you may struggle with something related


to whatever that planet or house rules as the retrograde is coming to an

end.

Struggles may also be seen with planets at 25 - 29 degrees Aquarius,

creating an opposition, and you may experience out of control

developments of issues brought on by others requiring flexibility.

Planets at 25 - 29 degrees Taurus or Scorpio are square the end of the

retrograde, bringing friction that can be used if harnessed. Difficulties

can also be seen with planets and house cusps at 27 - 29 degrees

Capricorn or Pisces, which are quincunx and require adjustments.

You get some easier energy with planets and house cusps at 25 - 29

degrees Gemini or Libra (sextile), or Aries or Sagittarius (trine), the easy

aspects, as well as at 27 - 29 degrees Cancer or Virgo (semisextile,

minor positive aspects).

Since the retrograde ends so late in the sign of Leo, you may also

experience some of these aspects in different signs, which are

out-of-sign aspects. They may be:

Conjunct: 0 - 1 degree Virgo

Sextile: 0 - 1 degree Cancer or Scorpio

Square: 0 - 1 degree Gemini or Virgo

Trine: 0 - 1 degree Taurus or Capricorn

Opposition: 0 - 1 degree Pisces


In general, the retrograde ends conjunct transit (moving) Mars. This

aspect is exact during the retrograde on September 3rd (5:28AM ET) at

28 degrees 43 minutes in Leo. Mars is the planet of energy and drive, so

that can be heightened at the end of the retrograde for all of us. We can

be more driven, impulsive, impatience, take action, and use energy

enthusiastically. This is especially true for you if the retrograde ends

conjunct, square, or opposite a natal planet or house cusp, and it’s

important for you to use the energy in a positive, productive way, and

have an outlet for frustrations. Whatever aspects the end of the

retrograde makes to your chart, this conjunction also makes with Mars,

and you can really feel a boost in energy.

The retrograde also ends trine (positive aspect) transit Uranus in Aries,

also retrograde at the time, and this can help us to focus on change as

we come out of the retrograde, and be more open to trying something

outside of the box.

Your fourth challenge:

Determine if the retrograde will start or end conjunct, square, or

opposite any of your natal planets or house cusps within 3 degrees. You

can refer back to hot spots #1 & #2 for interpretations for how this may

impact you with the houses and planets. What potential impact may

these aspects have on you, and how can you work with the energy?


Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #4: In Your Sun, Moon,

or Rising Sign

If Mercury is retrograde in your Sun, Moon, or Rising sign, this can have a

general impact on you while Mercury is retrograde in that sign. The Sun

and 1st house rule you and the Moon rules your emotions, so you can

feel really, really off when Mercury is retrograde in your Sun sign, Moon

sign, or 1st house, even if it doesn’t conjunct your Sun, Moon, or 1st

house cusp. It can be a feeling of, if it can go wrong, it does wrong, and

you have to be extra patient with both yourself and others. It’s generally

not a good time for starting anything new, but it can be a great time for

second chances.

The August-September 2017 Mercury retrograde is in Virgo and Leo, so

if you have a Virgo or Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising, this retrograde has some

extra energy for you. In general, plan for extra time to get things done,

hold off on the big stuff if you can, and have an outlet for stress. Also try

to plan to give yourself a second chance with something to make the

retrograde really positive. Pick something you’ve been thinking about

trying again and work on a plan to make it happen.

If you’re a Virgo Sun, Moon, or Rising, you get a double punch with the

August-September 2017 retrograde because Mercury rules Virgo, so

you can feel more than extra off - you can feel a LOT off! It’s even more


important for you to give yourself extra time, extra patience, and work

on those second chances. Virgo is a sign that likes to focus on the

details, so make sure you don’t get lost in them. Virgo is also prone to

anxious energy and lots of stress, so make plans for an outlet before the

retrograde starts, otherwise you can become a ball of anxiety and

stress. Make a plan - Virgo loves a plan! - and give yourself little things

to do to help stay calm and grounded. And please avoid Virgo

perfectionism. If you experience a setback, failure, or things just don’t go

your way, that’s no reason to put yourself through the ringer. You’re only

human and we all have to fall at some point. Clean yourself up and

move along. Keep yourself moving and this can help you not dwell on

the things that don’t go well. Mercury is retrograde in Virgo at the start

August 12th until August 31st.

If you’re a Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising, you’re not hit quite as hard as the

Virgo people since Mercury is not your ruler (the Sun is), and Mercury is

retrograde for a shorter time in your sign (August 31st - September 5th).

But you can still feel pretty off when Mercury is retrograde in your sign.

Leo likes to get dramatic, so try to avoid the theatrics if you’re feeling

stressed or overwhelmed. Focus on the creative side of your Leo

energy, and use creative outlets to manage the retrograde. Draw, sing,

dance, mime - whatever tickles your fancy! Make time to do the things

you love to do or be with the people who remind you how to have fun

and connect to your heart in positive, healthy ways. This can help make

the short time Mercury is retrograde in Leo zoom by a bit faster. You


may also find you want more attention during this period, but make sure

you’re not acting desperate and clingy to get it. If you do want more

attention, ask yourself why. What is it that feels lacking in your life that is

making you want attention? While getting the attention you seek may

satisfy your desire in the short-term, it’s only a quick fix and will be sure

to return the next time Mercury is retrograde in Leo in 2018. So work on

the core problem and put yourself in a better position next year!

Your fifth challenge:

This one only applies if you’re a Virgo or Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising for the

August - September 2017 Mercury retrograde.

If you’re a Virgo Sun, Moon, or Rising:

- Make a plan

- Keep moving

- Don’t be hard on yourself

- Don’t dwell

If you’re a Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising:

- Have a creative outlet

- Avoid theatrics

- Do what you love

- Be with fun people


Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #5: The Eclipse

The August-September 2017 Mercury retrograde comes with a special

astrological event - an eclipse! A solar eclipse occurs on August 21st at

2:30PM at 28 degrees 53 minutes in Leo. What’s special and ties these

two together is Mercury ends at 28 degrees Leo, and actually crosses

over the eclipse point on September 2nd in retrograde and September

7th once the retrograde ends, so it’s right at the turn direct. This actually

triggers the eclipse, and anything that the end of the Mercury

retrograde is doing to your chart is also happening with this solar

eclipse, and will be triggered at the end of the retrograde. On top of

which, Mars crosses over the eclipse point on September 3rd, also

acting as an eclipse trigger. So this eclipse is activated in a BIG way to

start September!

The solar eclipse occurs at 28 degrees 53 minutes of Leo, and eclipse

aspects have an orb of 5 degrees for major aspects and 2 degrees for

the minor aspects of semisextile and quincunx, so the aspects are:

Conjunction: 23 degrees 53 minutes Leo - 3 degrees 53 minutes Virgo

Semisextile: 26 degrees 53 minutes Cancer - 0 degrees 53 minutes Leo;

26 degrees 53 minutes Virgo - 0 degrees 53 minutes Libra

Sextile: 23 degrees 53 minutes Gemini - 3 degrees 53 minutes Cancer;

23 degrees 53 minutes Libra - 3 degrees 53 minutes Scorpio


Square: 23 degrees 53 minutes Taurus - 3 degrees 53 minutes Gemini;

23 degrees 53 minutes Scorpio - 3 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius

Trine: 23 degrees 53 minutes Aries - 3 degrees 53 minutes Taurus; 23

degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius - 3 degrees 53 minutes Capricorn

Quincunx: 26 degrees 53 minutes Capricorn - 0 degrees 53 minutes

Aquarius; 26 degrees 53 minutes Pisces - 0 degrees 53 minutes Aries

Opposition: 23 degrees 53 minutes Aquarius - 3 degrees 53 minutes

Pisces

Because this eclipse occurs so late in Leo, you can experience aspects

in a different sign but still within orb. The aspect may not be as strong

out of sign though, so you may want to focus more on the aspects that

are in sign (conjunctions in Leo, semisextiles in Cancer and Virgo,

sextiles in Gemini and Libra, squares in Taurus and Scorpio, trines in

Aries and Sagittarius, quincunxes in Capricorn and Pisces, oppositions in

Aquarius).

The orb for eclipses is also wider than what you’d normally use for the

start and end of Mercury retrograde (3 degrees), so the aspects the turn

direct makes can be considered up to 5 degrees instead of just 3

degrees (but again, the aspects in sign can be stronger).

Solar eclipses are enthusiastic, energetic, and a time for new

beginnings. That’s not usually the case with Mercury retrogrades

though! Putting them together, combined they may be showing a


combo that’s potent for second chances. The focus will usually be on

the house it occurs in, any conjunctions, and the closest aspect by

degree and minute.

For general interpretations by house and aspect, check out the New

and Full Moons page on The Dark Pixie Astrology (new moon

interpretations apply).

Your sixth challenge:

Determine what aspects the solar eclipse will make to your chart, and

how this may impact you with the end of the Mercury retrograde. What

can you focus on to use the energy to your advantage?


http://www.thedarkpixieastrology.com/the-new--full-moons.html

http://www.thedarkpixieastrology.com/the-new--full-moons.html

To Recap: The Parts of Your Battle Plan

One: Determine if you’ll feel Mercury retrograde during the shadow

or the storm. You can feel the shadow period if:

- Your Sun, Moon or Rising is in a sign ruled by Mercury: Gemini or

Virgo

- Your Sun, Moon, or Rising are in the sign Mercury will retrograde

in: Virgo or Leo

- You have a strong natal Mercury: You have a strong natal Mercury

if it’s the most or least aspected planet in your chart, it’s on the 1st,

4th, 7th, or 10th house cusps, it’s closely conjunct your natal Sun or

Moon, it’s a singleton, the apex planet of a yod or t-square, it’s

anaretic or at a critical degree

If none of that applies, focus on the storms.

Two: Determine which house(s) Mercury retrograde will occur in for

you. Track the date Mercury retrograde will cross over a house cusp,

if it occurs. How may Mercury retrograde impact the house(s), and how

can you handle it?

Three: Track the Mercury retrograde and find the dates he will

conjunct, square, or oppose any of your natal planets or house cusps.

You’ll usually feel the impact for 3-5 days before and 2-4 days after.

How may each aspect impact you, and what can you do to handle the

aspects?


Four: Determine if the retrograde will start or end conjunct, square, or

opposite any of your natal planets or house cusps within 3 degrees.

What potential impact may these aspects have on you, and how can

you work with the energy?

Five: If you’re a Virgo Sun, Moon, or Rising:

- Make a plan

- Keep moving

- Don’t be hard on yourself

- Don’t dwell

If you’re a Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising:

- Have a creative outlet

- Avoid theatrics

- Do what you love

- Be with fun people

Six: Determine what aspects the solar eclipse will make to your chart,

and how this may impact you with the end of the Mercury retrograde.

What can you focus on to use the energy to your advantage?


c r e a t e y o u r m e r cu r y r e tr ogr a d e i n · 2019-12-02 · when mercury retrograde...

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