Astrology
The Year’s First Mercury Retrograde Is Hitting These 3 Signs The Hardest
It’s not you, it’s the sky.
As if Venus retrograde and eclipse season weren’t already mixing enough signals this month, the year’s first Mercury retrograde stepped onto the cosmic scene on March 15 (or late-night on March 14 for people on Pacific Time). Let the games begin! Until April 7, Mercury will be retracing its recent steps through the zodiac, causing delays, disagreements, and other dramas that could throw a wrench in your day-to-day groove. Sometimes these backspins come and go without too much chaos, but if you’re one of the signs most affected by spring’s Mercury retrograde period, you might be in for a doozy.
Chatty and logical Mercury is the planet that governs mental tasks — whether it’s having conversations or making calculations. So when it turns retrograde intermittently throughout the year, it can slow things down or bring about misunderstandings in these Mercury-ruled realms. Communication can get wonky, details can get overlooked, and schedules can easily slide off the rails.
Mercury kicks off its retrograde in the driven and self-starting sign of Aries, so you’ll want to beware of acting too hastily or accidentally saying something you don’t mean out of impulsivity. Aries energy can quickly pull the trigger on things, so having patience is important. On March 29, Mercury will backspin into emotional and sensitive Pisces, where it’ll stay until its retrograde ends on April 7. Logic and clear thinking will be harder to come by now, so communication can get confusing — especially when Mercury crosses paths with the illusive planet Neptune at the end of March.
Mercurial mix-ups are never easy, so if you’re one of the zodiac signs most affected by spring’s Mercury retrograde, you may want to take things a little extra slow for the next few weeks.
Aries (March 20 - April 18)
Asking an Aries to slow down may seem like asking for the moon, but with Mercury kicking off its retrograde in your sign, it’s probably the best thing you can do — especially given that love planet Venus will be backspinning in your sign at the very same time. During the first two weeks of the retrograde, it might be challenging to represent yourself in a way that makes you feel understood as if everything you’re saying is coming out wrong. Be extra diligent about thinking before you speak, especially if you’re feeling impatient or testy.
The first stretch of the retrograde might bring forth a lot of frustrating mishaps or roadblocks to your goals, but you’ll have a slight reprieve from the intensity during the last ten days of Mercury’s backspin. With Mercury in your quiet and solitary twelfth house, you’ll be doing more revision internally than anything else, making outside drama much less likely.
Gemini (May 20 - June 19)
Your ruling planet Mercury kicks off its backspin in your house of community and friendship, which means that dynamics within your social squad could feel a little wonky for a couple of weeks. From March 15 through March 29, miscommunications in your group chat could stir up drama, and you may struggle to people together due to clashing calendars. This could also affect the synergy of your team at work, as collaborating with colleagues could prove to be more difficult than usual and you may not feel like you’re on the same page with the people around you.
During the latter stretch of the retrograde, from March 29 through April 7, Mercury will backspin into your career zone, making potential work-related snags more pronounced. You may not feel much momentum when taking initiative on projects or pursuing new professional paths, and you’ll want to be meticulous about communicating with clarity to avoid people misconstruing your emails or meeting invites.
Pisces (Feb. 18 - March 19)
It’s time to start double-checking the details and thinking before you spend, because from March 15 through March 29, Mercury retrograde is hitting your finance zone. Confusion around money could cause issues during this time if you’re not careful, so keep a close eye on your bank account balance to avoid an oversight (or overdraft). If you’re doing any shopping, save your receipts, as purchases made during this time might not feel as necessary or useful once the retrograde ends.
From March 29 through April 7, Mercury will be retrograding in your sign — so the mix-ups might start feeling a lot more personal. Expressing yourself clearly could be challenging, and you may even feel out of touch with your point of view. Hold off on making big announcements and allow yourself to explore your goals from a new perspective. Things could look a lot different once the retrograde ends.
For more, check out your tarot reading.
