What does Mercury Retrograde (Rx) represent?
Mercury is the planet that governs the in-between of our conscious and subconscious. It is our intellect, mind, communication, and the key to the divine essence of choice and understanding. When Mercury goes retrograde, it is a time of reflection on the area of life it is activating within our charts and its collective embodiment.
Think of Mercury as a story you have been writing, and when it goes retrograde, you get to see how far you have come within this story's evolution. You are the editor of your book, and each mercury retrograde is like a chapter or volume of that particular series. It's so beautiful that Mercury goes retrograde so often, allowing us to shift and evolve each chapter or book within our story to cultivate our minds and express ourselves in the most aligned way as we continue our spiritual evolution.
Key Dates:
The pre-Shadow period started on 8/4/23
Mercury Stations Retrograde 8/23/23 @ 12:59:33 pm pst
Station Direct 09/15/23 @ 1:21:33 pm pst
Post Shadow period ends 9/30/23
How does Virgo play into this Retrograde?
Mercury is the planetary ruler of Virgo and has its exaltation in this sign. What does that mean? It means that Mercury is in one of its home signs, but it's even happier than it would be in Gemini. This extreme happiness is beautiful for Mercury because that means it can have its highest expression at the core, and that can hopefully ripple out to the other planets that it is speaking with so the communication, if rough at first, may become more clear and detailed to understand what the cosmic medicine is trying to teach us. Virgo is yin in polarity and a mutable earth sign. Virgo is very keen on little details, organization skills, the ability to be of service, examining situations, dedication, and coming up with practical solutions for the changes and challenges one may face. Virgo is also a lover of the earth, the plants, and the land, allowing the harvest time to be upon all.
What key lessons is Mercury trying to share with us through this Retrograde?
Stop self-sabotaging with new shiny ideas and stay committed to the sparks of ideas that have already been wanting to be nurtured by you.
Allow this Venus Retrograde that's taking place simultaneously to move you to the heart of the matter and reclaim mental clarity and trust within yourself.
Remember, consistent hard work does not go unnoticed, and things take time to build. Share what you know and are learning as you continue to grow.
It's okay to rest. This Mercury Retrograde is a time to reflect on how your mental body is affecting your emotions and your physical body. Is it working for you or against you?
Patience is the key to success! Calm down your mind and know it will all happen in divine timing, so enjoy the ride.
Let's dive deeper into the astrology of this Mercury Retrograde in Virgo!
My spiritual team gave me the analogy that we can see this present Mecuruty Retrograde in Virgo as if we have three puzzles in front of us, and we may want to try and put together all three simultaneously. However, trying to do all three takes more work, and we can accomplish more by focusing on one at a time, allowing us to simplify and bring more focus and intention to working out all the little puzzle pieces of just one puzzle instead. So, what does it look like to obtain more direction and purpose in the house of your astrology chart that Mercury is having its Retrograde within? It's asking you to get intimate with the details so you can co-create your story more consciously. That way, you can find more structure and discipline in consistent action with the finer points of execution, especially since Mars is within Virgo when Mercury stations retrograde and represents how we assert ourselves or initiate giving to others within the area that Virgo roles within our chart. How can you tweak and refine to change your thought form or belief in this area of your life or bring more clarity to accomplish your bigger goals, allowing you to open up to giving from your heart and pouring into the collective group?
Mercury and Saturn
This Mercury Retrograde in Virgo is in opposition to Saturn in Pisces. Saturn in Pisces does not have much structure or foundation because it's its water, which makes it more fluid. It is like it's in the middle of the ocean, and it's just floating around. This aspect is a beautiful invitation for ourselves if we feel the call to understand what it means to flow and be patient. What does it feel like to loosen the grip of the control you might try to attach to daily? Allowing you to bring about a little bit of mystery and also feel into what is the container you've been holding your intellectual body within and whether it is balanced and working for you or noticing if it has been fighting against you.
Mercury, Jupiter, and Uranus
We will also have communication from Uranus and Jupiter within Taurus that we'll be making a trine to Mercury Retrograde in Virgo. This aspect is essential if we return to our puzzle piece analogy. If you have decided, okay, I'm just going to focus on one puzzle now, there is this opportunity during this Mercury Retrograde to get to find the finite details that you may have overlooked, allowing these action steps, these baby steps to become crystal clear so that they can enable you to propel forward because of the change, expansion, and growth that Uranus and Jupiter want to make within Taurus. This area of Taurus within our chart is a clear pathway to carry us forward for many years to come. We have hopefully already figured out the frictions and the different struggles that are laying upon our house of Taurus, and now Mercury and the Sun in Virgo are here to support us with getting to enjoy the resolutions that we've come up with already and make slight adjustments or helps you with being open to receiving solutions. That way, eventually, when Mercury stations Direct, you can see, okay, I see this is how I'm going to implement "insert your plan here."
Questions for contemplation:
What fruitful ideas have you been neglecting and not nurturing to allow them to bloom fully?
Have you been so wrapped up in your mental body that it has been detrimental to your physical and emotional bodies?
How can you show gratitude for the experience and move more into
What would it feel like to loosen the grip on control of the outcome?
Does the mystery of life scare you or allow you to feel freedom?
When you receive guidance and support, do you take action on the insight or leave yourself feeling hopeless?
How can you make more effort to shift and change your paradigm?
I hope you enjoy the medicine of this Mercury Retrograde. If you would like to book an Intuitive Astrology session to get more guidance on working with this medicine through the lens of your natal birth chart, you can book a session here.
With Love and a Pure Heart of intent,
Lisette