Mercury goes Retrograde

November 7, 2024. Mercury/Budha enters Retrograde Arc (Shadow).

Tropical. 6° Sagittarius 23’. Sidereal. 12° Scorpio 17’. anurādhā

November 26, 2024. Mercury/Budha stations Retrograde (vakra). 

Tropical. 22° Sagittarius 40’. Sidereal. 28° Scorpio 33’ jyeṣṭhā

December 6, 2024. Sun-Surya Mercury-Budha Inferior Conjunction.                                  

Tropical. 14° Sagittarius 27'. Sidereal. 20° Scorpio 20'. jyeṣṭhā

December 15, 2024. Mercury/Budha stations Direct.

Tropical. 6° Sagittarius 23’. Sidereal. 12° Scorpio 17’. anurādhā

January 3, 2025. Mercury/Budha leaves Retrograde Arc (Shadow).  

Tropical. 22° Sagittarius 40’. Sidereal. 28° Scorpio 33’ jyeṣṭhā

The following is adapted from past descriptions about Mercury retrograde since its meaning does not change, but what does change is the sign it is in, and where it will be in relationship to other planets in the sky and in your chart. Since Mercury stations retrograde every 3 1/2 to 4 months, it has become widespread in social media, books, films, and television productions. It is mentioned in commercials and even newspapers publish articles about it when the dates draw near. Still, it is a time to take note especially if the retrograde span of degrees hits something in your chart as I explain below.

In the first place, Mercury retrogrades for 20-24 days, every 3.5-4 months per year. These are periods to REview, REvise, REstructure, REbuild, REvitalize. For that reason, you might want to look back at the last time Mercury was retrograde, which was August 5-28, 2024. Was there a project you began that was left unfinished? Was there an argument you had with someone close to you that did not get resolved? It is important to go back to that period, and see if there is something that occurred that you want to resolve, revisit, or revise.

Because Mercury retrograde occurs every 3.5-4 months there is no reason to panic, or think that the world will come to an end, or that everything you begin will ultimately fail. It simply means we have to be more aware about what occurs around us, and especially be more conscious of how we communicate, since that is one thing Mercury represents. Be sure that you are clear in what you wish to convey, and even if you must repeat yourself to be understood, be patient and just repeat yourself. Conversely, if you do not hear or understand what someone else says, especially if that person is your partner, boss, colleague, or friend, whose relationship you value, do not hesitate to ask them to repeat themselves in order to be clear.

If you must do something on a retrograde station, or during a retrograde period that relates to the activity you engage in, please do not panic because sometimes we have to sign a contract, or take a trip, or teaching a class, and look how many times during the year you would have to do nothing if you truly let Mercury retrograde affect your judgment. If you are more sophisticated about your astrology, you can always create a good electional chart, or chart of the moment that will be more positive, and will balance the slow motion of Mercury when it retrogrades. You can do affirmations, prayers, and think ahead since planet will eventually go direct.

Communicate clearly, focus rather than disperse your energy, expect transportation and communication delays as usual, but you will just have to concentrate and maintain patience more than ever. Do not be reactive to what others do and say since everyone is feeling the same energies. During these times even little annoyances can interfere with our usual schedules, plans, and even emotions, so it is most important that you do any mental or physical exercise that helps you stay calm and focused. Do not get rattled by little things since you can easily turn something minor into something major. If you suspect your devices are acting funny, or slowing up, do not wait until they break down, but give them a check up. If a project gets delayed, then just call up your patience since getting flustered and impatient are not going to change the situation, but your attitude will. And if communication with someone close to you turns into a disagreement, just pull away and change the subject. Nothing gets resolved during Mercury retrograde.

Remember that if you keep on top of things, and tackle them before they occur, Mercury retrograde will not be that awful. Mercury retrograde always brings the same general uneasiness, even though much of it is unwarranted. Sure, there will be the mild annoyances and disruptions, which may include communication snafus, scheduling conflicts, misunderstandings, and transportation slowdowns, and if you are prepared and figure these things are possible, they will not throw you off your center when they occur.

Think before you speak, do not overreact to what others say and do, and refrain from juggling your usual array of activities. Mercury multitasks well when it moves forward at a steady pace, and not when it appears to slow up, which is what retrogrades are all about. Retrogrades are a great time to look inward and revise and fix something you have previously worked on since once it goes direct you will be able to move forward with something new that you have incorporated in a project, relationship, move, or just with your own appearance, attitudes, and goals. Be quiet, meditate, and look inside. Be more alert than usual, develop more patience, and generally take things slower. Look inward and you will be able to problem solve. Retrogrades are always a time for reflection and revision. 

Scroll down to read whichever zodiac you use. 

Read if you use sidereal Indian astrology. If you have a planet, point, or angle in your chart between 12° Scorpio 17’-28° Scorpio 33’ where Mercury retrogrades, this is what may be slowed down, reviewed, revised, and ultimately reinvigorated and reinvented during this retrograde arc period of November 7, 2024-January 3, 2025, but is especially significant during the actual retrograde period between November 26-December 15, 2024. If you have a planet, point, or angle on the actual degree of the retrograde or direct station, Mercury will cross that degree twice. If you have a planet, point, or angle between those degrees, Mercury will cross the span of those degrees three times. While Mercury transits may not linger like transits of Saturn through Pluto, it can still be annoying especially if plans do not work out, or the vacation you wish to take gets changed or delayed. General descriptions of the grahas (planets) are as follows:

Sun. power, vigor; Moon. maternal, mind; Mars. strength, courage; Mercury. speech, learning; Jupiter. knowledge, wealth; Venus. love, happiness; Saturn. sorrow, fear; Rahu. intensity, compulsion; Ketu. extremes, spirituality; Lagna. destiny, vitality. If you want to use Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the angles you can look below at tropical Western astrology for their keywords.

Mercury stays in Scorpio from October 29, 2024-January 4, 2025. The bhava (house) that sidereal Scorpio occupy are the areas that may be slowed down, reviewed, revised, and ultimately reinvigorated and reinvented. If you do not know which house sidereal Scorpio occupies, look at your ascendant (lagna), or Moon, or even your Sun (if you do not know your ascendant or Moon), and just count from there. General descriptions for bhavas (houses) are as follows:  

1. appearance, destiny, temperament, personality, constitution; 2. Money, family life, food, speech, early childhood; 3. Siblings, Fine arts, courage, desires; 4. Mother, happiness, real estate, vehicles; 5. Children, romance, investments, speculation; 6. Open enemies, work, competition, obstacles, illness; 7. Marriage, partners, contracts, passion; 8. Life and death cycle, research, accidents, other's money, inheritance; 9. Father, teacher (guru), religion, higher learning, opportunity; 10. Career, status, public recognition, reputation; 11. Profits, rewards, gains from work, awards, older siblings; 12. spiritual practice, secret enemies, foreign travel, debt, confinement.

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Read if you use tropical Western astrology. If you have a planet, point, or angle in your chart between 6 Sagittarius 23-22 Sagittarius 40 where Mercury retrogrades, this is what may be slowed down, reviewed, revised, and ultimately reinvigorated and reinvented during this retrograde arc period of November 7, 2024—January 3, 2025, but is especially significant during the actual retrograde period between November 26-December 15, 2024. If you have a planet, point, or angle on the actual degree of the retrograde or direct station, Mercury will cross that degree twice. If you have a planet, point, or angle between those degrees, Mercury will cross the span of those degrees three times. While Mercury transits may not linger like transits of Saturn through Pluto, it can still be annoying especially if plans do not work out, or the vacation you wish to take gets changed or delayed. General descriptions of the planets are as follows:

Sun. vitality, individuality, ego; Moon. emotions, habits, conditioning; Mercury. communication, intelligence; Venus. love, beauty, creativity; Mars. physical energy, aggression, courage. Jupiter. expansion, abundance; Saturn. limitation, disciplined, fear. Uranus. originality, independent, rebellious; Neptune. spiritual, immaterial, imagination; Pluto. intensity, power; North Node. power, place where you must strive; South Node. place where it is easy, habits; Ascendant. personality, destiny; IC. home, family, mother; Descendant. partnerships, contracts; Midheaven. career, father

Mercury stays in Sagittarius from November 2, 2024-January 8, 2025. The house that tropical Sagittarius occupies is the area that may be slowed down, reviewed, revised, and ultimately reinvigorated and reinvented. If you do not know which house tropical Sagittarius occupies, look at your ascendant or Sun (if you do not know your ascendant), and just count from there. General descriptions for houses are as follows:

1. personality, body, appearance; 2. finances, possessions, values. 3. communication, siblings, short journeys, learning; 4. family, mother, home; 5. children, recreation, entertainment; 6. health, service, pets; 7. marriage, contracts, partnership; 8. business transactions, sexuality, life and death matters; 9. higher education, travel abroad, publishing, law; 10. profession, status, father; 11. gains, friendships, hopes, dreams; 12. compassion, spirituality, limitations, solitude.