Here comes Mercury retrograde! The next Mercury retrograde occurs entirely in Taurus, pumping the brakes on all of this wild energy. What will this retrograde do for us? The Basics - What is Mercury retrograde?
A retrograde occurs when a planet appears to be moving backwards from our vantage point here on Earth. It isn't actually moving backwards, it just appears that way. Mercury turns retrograde most often, about 3-4 times per year, and lasts for several weeks. When a planet retrogrades, what that planet rules tends to be thrown off, along with what the sign it's retrograding in rules.
With Mercury retrograde, we experience a shadow and a storm. The shadow period starts when Mercury first hits the point in the Zodiac it will turn direct at, and ends when it last hits the point in the Zodiac it will turn retrograde at. Most people don't feel the effects of Mercury retrograde until it enters the storm period though. The storm period of Mercury retrograde is when Mercury is moving at its slowest, less than 40 minutes per day. Mercury is a fast-moving planet and hates it when it's moving slowly. There's usually two storm periods, one around the time Mercury turns retrograde, and one around when it turns direct. Mercury Retrograde in Taurus 2023 Key Dates:
Mercury Retrograde Effects:
The Taurus Mercury retrograde can make us extremely slow. Slower than a turtle! We're in absolutely no rush with a Taurus Mercury retrograde, and we can resent anyone or anything trying to push us to go faster. That only makes us dig in our heels and go even slower!
We're extra stubborn with a Taurus Mercury retrograde, and this adds to the slowness. We think we have it right, and we won't be told otherwise. We can stick to our positions no matter what, and inflexibility is a big problem. We need to open our minds and stay willing to adapt, otherwise we dig ourselves into a hole we can't get out of so easily. Mercury retrograde in Taurus can also impact our stability and security, and we may be insecure with something, and extra focused on chaotic areas of our lives. This makes us lack confidence, and it can be a cycle that keeps going. If looking for external validation is normally a problem for you, that can be elevated now, and you have to work to give yourself the confidence you need without seeking it from others who have their own issues. Mercury retrograde in Taurus can also impact our finances and resources since Taurus rules these. We may struggle to have enough of what we need when we need it, but is this reality or is it pessimism and fear? Sometimes we interpret it as being worse than it is, and only focus on lack instead of what we do have that can be of use. On the other hand, we can also be extremely indulgent, and may spend too much or recklessly on things we don't need or that we didn't do enough homework with before purchasing. This isn't exactly the greatest time for moderation, though we could definitely use some! Mercury retrograde in Taurus can be great for making money in ways you have before, saving or investing in ways you have before, reusing old resources, restoring stability to chaotic areas in ways you have before, and reconnecting with the moment. This is an excellent time for grounding, so try to make some time to remember to ground yourself. The retrograde starts with a bang as the day before, on April 20th, we have an Aries solar eclipse. This eclipse is crazy strong and super focused on new beginnings, new ventures, and new chapters in life. Kind of counter to the Taurus Mercury retrograde, right? What this may be showing is that what we begin with the solar eclipse may not accelerate right away, and we have to have some patience. This can be lacking though, and we become frustrated when things don't go as fast as we'd like them to, which can cause us to lash out and become stubborn about it. We need to exercise patience, and be open with ways to approach what we want. Thanks to the retrograde, we may need to think outside of the box with our approach, especially since Uranus is also in Taurus. Though Uranus doesn't exactly align with Mercury retrograde at any point, the retrograde does start closely aligned with Uranus, so this is important at the start. We need to be willing to do things differently, otherwise we may get nowhere fast. Then as we come out of this retrograde, Jupiter moves into Taurus on May 16th 2023, 2 days after the retrograde ends. Jupiter is the expansive planet governing opportunities, and this means if we play our cards right, we can come out of this retrograde in such a great position that opportunities to create exactly what we want are plentiful. We just need to have patience and avoid inflexibility. Then we can get everything we want and then some once this retrograde ends! So there is a light at the end of this retrograde tunnel. Stay focused on that and keep going :) Mercury Retrograde in Taurus 2023 Aspects:
During the retrograde, Mercury will make 4 major aspects to the other transit (moving) planets. They are:
- Sextile Mars on April 23rd 2023 @ 15 degrees Taurus/Cancer: This can help bring beneficial energy, and we can feel ready to take action with something. This may be something that we're taking a second chance with, redoing or revising, or that we've wanted to do before. How we find this energy may be different, or how we use it may be done in a different way than usual. - Conjunct the Sun on May 1st 2023 @ 11 degrees Taurus: This is the Inferior Conjunction, a positive point in the retrograde for starting something that can be a focus for the next 6-8 weeks; find where it falls in your chart, and that may be where you can start something. - Sextile Saturn on May 12th 2023 @ 6 degrees Taurus/Pisces: This helps bring discipline and focus, and we can make strides with something. We may have more discipline in new ways or using a different approach than usual. This can help us stay on track and not get lost as we're trying to keep going forward. This is in effect coming out of the retrograde. - Sextile Venus on May 12th 2023 @ 6 degrees Taurus/Cancer: This can bring pleasant energy for dealings with others, and we may benefit from our connections. We can work well on compromise, and we can reconnect with people from the past, or find different ways of connecting with current partners and allies. The Moons of Mercury Retrograde:
The Moon travels through both signs Mercury naturally rules during this retrograde. Very quickly, the Moon is in Gemini (ruled by Mercury) April 22nd 2023 (6:11AM ET/3:11AM PT) to 24th (2:59PM ET/11:59AAM PT), which can increase scattered, unfocused energy and a need for a mental outlet, so we can go into the retrograde feeling quite off.
The Moon is in Virgo (ruled by Mercury) April 29th 2023 (3PM ET/12PM PT) to May 2nd (2:09AM ET/May 1st @ 11:09PM PT), and this increases anxiety and stress. The Moon doesn't tour Taurus while Mercury is retrograde in Taurus (woo hoo!), but does enter Taurus 2 1/2 days after the retrograde ends, which can keep our attention focused on whatever passed during the retrograde. Final Notes:
The retrograde starts at 15 degrees Taurus, so those of you Taurueans born May 3rd - 9th may feel the start of the retrograde most. The retrograde ends at 5 degrees Taurus, so those of you Taureans born April 23rd - 29th may feel the end of the retrograde most.
For the rest of you, check the house(s) Mercury will be retrograding in your own natal chart, and any aspects Mercury will make during its retrograde to your natal planets, to fully understand how it will impact you personally. If you have Mercury retrograde in your natal or progressed chart, you may not feel the worst of this. Those individuals generally don't experience the difficulties of the retrograde because it feels more natural to them. Of course, chances are everyone else around them doesn't have the same aspect, so they can still experience difficulties brought on by others. If it's in your natal chart, check out this article about Mercury retrograde in the natal chart. Suggested Reading: The Mercury, Venus, & Mars Retrogrades page for interpretations Comments are closed.
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