Natal Mercury retrograde can cause early learning and communication problems but, eventually, a brilliant and beautiful mind. More detail about Mercury retrograde in the natal chart follows the general meaning of Mercury retrograde in transit.
Mercury Retrograde Meaning
Mercury appears to move backward in the sky (retrograde motion) three or four times a year for about 24 days. While this is more frequent than any other planet, Mercury is still only retrograde 19% of the time. This is far less than Jupiter outwards but more than Venus and Mars.
Retrograde Mercury is generally a problematic influence. It can bring challenging news, confusion, communication problems and travel disruptions. Nervous anxiety, disagreement, arguments, technology breakdowns, and lost items are possible. Business negotiations may be in a state of flux. Some crucial details may not yet be available, and others may be unreliable or dishonest.
The riskiest times for decision-making, negotiations, communication, and transport are the few days on either side of the exact retrograde and direct stations.
Mercury appearing to reverse is not all bad news, though. You may experience déjà vu, reminisce about happy times, unexpectedly meet up with an old friend or lover, or recover suppressed memories or skills from your childhood or past lives.
The retrograde phase is just one part of the retrograde cycle. Mercury travels direct, retrograde, and direct again over the same degrees, or “the retrograde zone.” The two direct phases are called the shadow periods. The illustration below shows the apparent retrograde motion of Mercury as seen from Earth.
Retrograde Motion
Each retrograde phase of Mercury has more specific effects depending on the planetary aspects and fixed stars associated with the moment Mercury stations retrograde. More individual effects depend on the aspects that Mercury stationary retrograde makes to your chart. See Mercury Transits for details.
Mercury Retrograde Natal
Natal Mercury retrograde suggests there may have been a problem with how you thought and communicated in an earlier life. Perhaps you gave someone bad advice that had critical repercussions. Perhaps you were prone to making costly mistakes. Maybe you wrote defamatory material about someone in a book or newspaper or verbally teased and abused people.
Whatever the circumstances of the previous significant incarnation, you come into this life with those bad memories etched in your soul. You probably don’t recognize them as memories but as déjà vu or unexplained guilt. A repeating theme of challenging events related to your past is likely, especially when young.
Natal Mercury retrograde can cause mental confusion, learning difficulties and misunderstandings. Difficulty in self-expression can cause missed opportunities, social anxiety and poor self-esteem. You may have been shy, quiet and introspective, and suffered from teasing, verbal abuse, criticism, slander and lies.
However, being born with Mercury in reverse is not all bad news. Early learning and communication problems would have forced to to master that which you were not good at. Perfecting those areas improved your reasoning ability and communication skills, and helped repay any karmic debts.
Lighting fast, non-linear thinking can make you a creative and innovative genius. You can become an entertaining, informative and inspiring communicator with a magical intuition and brilliant memory.
Progressed Mercury Retrograde
Retrograde Mercury lasts only three weeks, so Mercury will turn direct at some stage in your progressed chart (where one day equals one year). After a couple of years, you will notice that your communication style improves, and you can express yourself more freely. However, the opposite can also occur, and someone with Mercury direct in their natal chart may experience progressed Mercury in retrograde motion later in life. I experienced this from age 13 to 37, which was very profound. I even stopped reading books.
If Mercury is retrograde in your natal or progressed chart, you can expect to make more rapid progress during Mercury retrograde transits. Use this ephemeris to see if Mercury changes direction in your progressed chart.
Wonderful, clear communication, Jamie..! Thank you..!
Thank you Brett!
May10 Mercury Retrogrades the Magi chart Betelgeuse 00Gem55, at the April 30 Solar Eclipse Mercury location 00Gem48.
https://i.postimg.cc/5Nssy4G1/astro-2at-magi-leo-stellium-50940-78671.png
I’ve tweaked the Magi chart by placing it in the Taurus mountains, Turkey, and adding 20 minutes. The Sun aligns with the Ascendant, 00Vir34 and current Algol transits the Mid Heaven. Thus we have a perfect set up to examine the Mercury Retrograde over the key Energy points; Magi Saturn and Betelgeuse, and April 30 Solar Eclipse Mercury. For the perfectionists, please note Jupiter transit Aries Point, and Moon align with Regulus at the ASC.
I humbly propose we are heading to the Big Show.
Moments ago, 00 UTC, May 10
Luna dances on the Ascendant, touches 30 spikes to 35, and then back to 30
A humbling experience, I’m touched and a little overwhelmed. It’s been a lonely road the last few days. I see.. I see what you are doing, running with the horse..
A total convulsion of Crypto Coin around the Magi fix.
Proud Centurion moment, never give up the fight.
Although Mercury is rx in my natal Mercury isnt in my progressed chart and I what I have been finding more challenging with it, is that often accused with over thinking, over researching or over analysing in my younger days, I became more disciplined in using this skill for self analysis and research to be then help be more understanding in the world around me, so no I havent found it to be a curse or punishment at all for possible past discrepencies in my thinking,choices and communications and if so, then I am actually very thankful and appreciative for that? Also, and yes I do understand the very detrimental properties of algol and quite aware of the story of the Medusa, but what seems to go unnoticed, which is very apt with what you have written, is that Medusa became this evil snake haired being, because of constant repetitive cruelty & abuse of her better nature and is more representative, to me of how the victim when pushed to extremes, wound up to much by constantly being teased or mocked, also has a breaking point like everyone else and yet, will be punished for her evil nature. This unfortunately still happens to this day and often ignored by the general public, who simply are not the target, thus dont have a problem with it. So yes I do feel this will be a very interesting & quite revealing Mercury rx, the truth will out eventually type scenario and the month of May one of “all change” or suffer the consequences ourself. I also feel there will be more evidence of lawyers finding that they too are trapped by them blocking any loopholes that may have other wised allow the innocent a genuine & reasonable way out of a genuine grievance, and as I watched recently a lawyer objecting to hearsay and needed to be reminded by the Judge (Saturn) that it was he who asked the question?? The real challenge for me could have been that my mercury rx is in Cancer, and Cancer being the sign of the mother is inclined to be a foreward thinker because of their solid forewarning, intuition, fortunately, I have valued, appreciated and practiced using my intuitive foresight as much as possible as a teenager, so it has remained a blessing. I have to also say though, Jamie, that I do think it was very unwise for the Australian Primary Election to have been called 21/5 during mercury rx and the day of his inferior conjunction…a hung parliament or a complete temporary breakdown of the political machine & structure anyone? Definitely possible, I would think…. sadly, civil wars have started for less, so hopefully that is not on the agenda 😉
May 13, Mercury retrograde, Cerus conjuncts Betelgeuse.
Cerus, 01Aqr46, if activated in the Magi chart, rounds out a Hexagram. The purists may not agree with Pars Fortuna as a standalone point on the Star, but considering its degree and house, on the cusp of beauty, 01Lib48 and given to art and perfection… I suggest they elevate this point, as the historic records now prove.
https://postimg.cc/w3mnYBwm
The Magi chart – Betelgeuse and Cerus, all these posts. Like a storm that seemingly comes up out of no-where, but that is how the Semi-Square aspect works. Mundane Jupiter 45° Uranus, nearing critical degree; and in my own natal chart, Ceres 45° Betelgeuse, to combine for that Hard 90° Square, triggered, May 1- May 7.
X 1.5 Flare. May 10, 13:55 UTC
Geocentric view, Chicago, Illinois. https://postimg.cc/RNhxTxdS
Mars conjunct Mid Heaven,
Mercury Rx 12th house cusp
The last 24 hours or so ‘Chaotic CME bursts from different quarters.
X Flares are relatively rare and provide #25 Solar Cycle. storyline at astrologyking that has become popular. The X flare coincides with Mercury rx, and a celebrated fixing of the Magi alignment.
“The Planet manages to get into the game here with its usual array of fighting and signalling that extends to the heavens.”
US Berkeley Commencement Grad.
May 14, 10:00 am PST with January 12, 2020 transit.
The mass formation saluting the mass formation? The commencement was an unruly affair. A little out-of Synch than in previous years to put it mildly. 2 years of decay already! Participants not staying in their seats, speakers unable to command the microphone. You had to buy tickets online, many at inflated prices. People arriving late, line up choke points, people leaving early. Why miss an opportunity to study the graduate student body? Well done Berkeley.
In my humble opinion the topic thread theme can be traced to Charles Fourier natal.
https://postimg.cc/21pR4BTz
Fourier inventor of the expression Feminist, was also a critic of what passed for Civilization. He has Moon Venus Uranus in the current Merc rx Wheelhouse, that also includes a Taurus sign Moon, Uranus transit and Venus at 0 degree Taurus transit.
The Moon-Venus and sometimes Uranus, numerology 2,6 digs down a little further. A quality of inventory that now extends into fixed signs.
Mercury is stationing direct on my AC. Is this why I’ve been so depressed lately?
Mercury Direct at 26°05′ Taurus, Conjunct Fixed star Algol
Moon Sextile Mercury (1°20′)
Mercury Square Saturn (0°50′)
Mercury Sextile Neptune (0°48′)
Mercury Trine Pluto (2°14′)
I think it is quite balanced
I’ve never had too much trouble with mercury retrograde until this one. I’m 76. Even got in an accident in my wheelchair. This time I’m holding my breath hoping when it goes forward things will improve. But in a way good things came out of it. The retrograde mercury 26 degrees is conjunct my sun Helping me with the “hard mental work “you mentioned. As always thank you for your perspective/advice.
Thank you so much Trina.
Your interpretation agrees with my experience. Natal Mercury retrograde, and painfully shy as a child, to the point my parents were concerned about me. Progressed Mercury stationed direct when I was 14, and I remember becoming more comfortable about speaking out in class and communicating in general. It probably also helped that I had progressed Sun conjunct progressed Jupiter just before that Mercury station.