Here comes the second Mercury retrograde for 2024! It begins in detailed Virgo and ends in active Leo. 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 Virgo & Leo 2024 Key Dates:
Mercury Retrograde Effects:
This Mercury retrograde begins in Virgo, and Virgo is one of the signs that Mercury naturally rules (along with Gemini). This increases the impact of the retrograde energy, and it's extra strong for our daily lives, work lives, and health. We can be super stressed out, picking apart the details to the max, demanding way too much of ourselves, and taking on way too much work.
This is especially strong at the start with Mercury retrograde beginning at a critical degree, 4 degrees Virgo. There are 30 degrees in every sign, 360 degrees total, and some placements are called critical degrees (linking to the Lunar Mansions). These placements have charged energy, and we have to work at managing them in more productive ways, especially with this one in Virgo. Mercury is at 4 degrees Virgo starting August 3rd (before the retrograde begins) to August 7th. We need to go easy on ourselves, and not demand perfection that is attainable. We need to have healthy outlets for stress and frustration, otherwise we can get overwhelmed, break down, and fall apart at the seams. This can be good energy for picking back up old work or projects, for reconnecting with old coworkers or employees, or for reorganizing, changing your routine or regimen, or improving your schedule. But this retrograde doesn't occur entirely in Virgo, and Mercury goes back to Leo on August 14th, and spends the rest of the retrograde in this fire sign. In Leo, this can bring more attention to love, both who and what we love, and we can become aware of issues in our love relationships that we need to work through, and may want to reconnect with old flames. We may want more time to enjoy ourselves, to have fun and let loose, and to avoid any work, but we either don't get that and have a hard time with focus, or we avoid work completely and it piles up. We go from overworking to slacking big time! We need to find some balance with this retrograde, balance between work and play, the mundane and fun, the details and the joyful. While in Leo, creative energy can surge, and this can be channeled into everything we do. It can be a good time to pick back up a creative project, reconnect with an old hobby, or restore inspiration. It'll be especially important when Mercury first goes back to Leo to try and use the energy well as Mercury will be at the anaretic degree (29 degrees of any sign) August 14th - 16th, which is extra supercharged and might bring out some difficulties, selfish behavior, being taken advantage of, stubbornness, pride getting in the way, inflated egos, or all talk behavior. But the retrograde also ends at a critical degree, 21 degrees Leo, so we're charged coming in and going out. Add on the Moon in the signs Mercury naturally rules at the start and end (see the Moons section), and we're riding some major emotional highs and lows and might not be making the best choices! And oh yes, while in Virgo, we'll have a temporary mutable t-square going on. T-squares occur when two or more planets oppose one another, and they square a third (or more) planet. Neptune and Saturn are in Pisces, and Mercury retrograde in Virgo opposes them as they all square Mars and Jupiter in Gemini. We have a mutable t-square cooking as soon as Mercury first enters Virgo on July 25th, and lasts until Mercury comes back to Virgo and exits on September 26th. Mutable t-squares can send energy zinging around haphazardly, and this can be difficult to control so we're all over the place. T-squares focus on the squared planet(s), which is Mars and Jupiter in Gemini in this case, so we might be overthinking things, communication can be out of sorts, and we're not correctly paying attention to what's really important. There can be a lot of talking but not much listening. The way out is through the missing sign that opposes the squares planets, which is Sagittarius in this case. We need to take a step back, see the big picture, and not get lost in the weeds. We need to be more optimistic and gregarious, and open our minds. Mercury Retrograde in Virgo & Leo 2024 Aspects:
During the retrograde, Mercury will make 5 major aspects to the other transit (moving) planets. They are:
- Conjunct Venus on August 7th 2024 @ 3 degrees Virgo: Mercury conjunct Venus often denotes pleasant communication and expression. We can be more understanding, and we may find that communicating in new, different ways is more effective. We can also reconnect, recommit, and find new ways of coming together and benefiting from alliances. This can help us in our daily lives or with our work in Virgo. - Square Uranus on August 18th 2024 @ 27 degrees Leo/Taurus: Mercury square Uranus is a challenging aspect, and we may struggle with impatience, impulsive energy, and are most prone to lashing out around this time. We can jump into things without thinking, and this leads to more problems. We're itching about something, and we need to get to the heart of it in order to find a solution. This can be a good time to get unstuck with something that has been too stagnant for too long, but we do need to be smart about it. - Conjunct the Sun on August 19th 2024 @ 26 degrees Leo: 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. With this one in Leo, we can make use of creativity. - Trine Chiron on August 23rd 2024 @ 23 degrees Leo/Aries: Chiron is the wounded healer in astrology, governing our great wounds but also healing abilities. This aspect can highlight existing wounds in the world and in ourselves, and it can be easier for us to take care of ourselves and others. We can find relief, and we can get a better understanding. Chiron also rules health so there can be greater emphasis on health matters. - Sextile Mars on August 24th 2024 @ 22 degrees Leo/Gemini: Mars is the planet of energy and drive, so this aspect can bring more mental energy and a drive to take action with ideas and plans. This might involve old ideas we pick back up, old plans we want to try again with, or we might make some tweaks to new ideas or plans to get better traction. The Moons of Mercury Retrograde:
The Moon travels through both signs Mercury naturally rules during this retrograde, and in fact, it starts and ends with the Moon in its home signs. The Moon enters Virgo (ruled by Mercury) shortly after Mercury retrograde begins on August 5th (5:17PM ET/2:17PM PT) to August 8th (5:31AM ET/2:31AM PT).
Virgo is also the sign the Mercury retrograde starts in, so this increases anxiety and stress, as well as brings strong focus to the retrograde. We're likely going into this retrograde with a lot of little issues worrying us to death, and we need to be better at taking care of ourselves and having healthy outlets for stress. Mercury also being at a critical degree isn't helping, and we need to be much more mindful of our actions and choices. The Moon is in Gemini (ruled by Mercury) near the end of Mercury retrograde, from August 25th (11:03PM ET/8:03PM PT) to August 28th (4:48AM ET/1:48AM PT), which is the same day the retrograde ends (is ends just over 12 hours after the Moon exits Gemini). This can increase scattered, unfocused energy and a need for a mental outlet, and we're likely pretty harried and ready to move forward coming out of this retrograde. Emotions can run quite high as this retrograde starts and ends - be careful! Final Notes:
The retrograde starts at 4 degrees Virgo, so those of you Virgos born August 24th - 30th may feel the start of the retrograde most. The retrograde ends at 21 degrees Leo, so those of you Lions born August 10th - 17th 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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