In astrology, Mercury retrograde is a recurring phenomenon that often causes confusion and disruption. But what does it mean if you were born with Mercury in retrograde? This article delves into the intricacies of Mercury retrograde in your natal chart, exploring its impact on your communication style, thinking processes, and overall approach to life.
What is Mercury Retrograde?
Mercury retrograde is a period when the planet Mercury appears to be moving backward in the sky from our vantage point on Earth. “Appears” is the key word here, because, technically speaking, no planet actually moves backward in their orbits around the Sun. In fact, they don’t even slow down. This happens when Mercury is physically as close to the Earth as it can get (as is the case with all retrograde planets), a fact that beautifully illustrates how intense and immersive a planet’s essence can feel when that planet is retrograde. Mercury, the cosmic comedian, infuses that intensity with a bizarre punch of humor.
Mercury turns retrograde more frequently than any other planet. Mercury is retrograde approximately three times a year for approximately three weeks each time.
Because Mercury is the planet of communication, its retrograde periods tend to breed a certain level of confusion. All of these areas of life are affected when Mercury is functioning in a sluggish state. Needless to say, it is not advised to sign contracts, engage in important decision-making, or launch a new business while Mercury is retrograde. Delays and challenges are more likely to occur during these periods.
While Mercury is retrograde, we might rethink a previous opinion or idea. There is absolutely a positive side to Mercury Retrograde. This period is best suited for reorganization and reflection. We look at the world a little differently - through different filters - and can uncover some significant inner revelations.
Read also: Dates and Effects of Mercury Retrograde
Mercury retrograde periods can be times of heightened inner awareness, when meditation, benefiting from keeping a journal, reworking old plans, and reviewing past work are favored. It is important to note that there is no reason to suspend projects or anything of the sort during a Mercury Retrograde cycle. It’s not an ideal time to start new ones or to sign contracts, simply because a change of mind is quite likely once Mercury turns direct.
However, it’s a fabulous time to do some “outside of the box” thinking. If you are itching to make a point with someone, especially, or if you are planning on “signing on the dotted line,” try to hold off. You will likely have a change of mind once the station passes, and you can do some damage in the meantime. When a planet stations, its energy is particularly strong in our lives. When Mercury stations, communications have more impact, so that negative ones could have long-term implications at this time.
Note that the shadow period begins before Mercury turns retrograde-when Mercury first passes over the degree that Mercury later returns to in retrograde motion. Note also that Mercury’s post-retrograde shadow is generally better for new long-term endeavors than the pre-retrogrades shadow.
Mercury Retrograde In the Birth Chart - - Astrology Natal Chart Rx Planets
Natal Mercury Retrograde: A Different Perspective
Not everyone feels the more potent effects of Mercury retrograde. When Mercury is retrograde in the natal chart itself-in other words, when you’re born with Mercury retrograde-the thinking processes are generally acuter, and the sense of humor is rather quirky. People with Mercury retrograde take in information differently than those with Mercury direct in their natal charts. How many people are born with a retrograde Mercury?
People with this placement help us all to free our minds and think - and live - outside the box, making space for all of us to wander through worlds untethered. You’re able to follow or help guide our minds to the shadowy bottom + back up to the visible world again, creating new maps with your intuitive sense of direction. You are the power of Mercury at its strongest; you are learning to navigate the immense, frenetic power of Mercury, eventually becoming fantastic communicators and innovators.
Read also: Intellect Meets Intuition
As illustrated by its proximity to Earth, Mercury’s retrograde phase is like putting Mercury under a microscope, and going over Mercury-related things again and again and again. That’s what people with Mercury retrograde in their birth chart are doing. The power of Mercury is felt deeply and themes of expression, communication, thought, understanding/being understood, and exchange are major lifelong focuses. Natal Mercury Rx emphasizes the presence of Mercury so much so that it can even make an otherwise not-so-Mercurial person (with no planets or angles in Gemini or Virgo, no Mercury in the 1st house, etc.) feel and appear much, much more Mercurial than they otherwise would.
The Brilliance of Mercury Retrograde in a Birth Chart
People with natal Mercury retrograde think in ways that are different. Thought patterns may feel chaotic or spiralic. Linearity is foreign. The mind is open and deep (like the ocean, or a mine). For some people with Mercury retrograde, the mind works lightning fast-unstoppably fast, even-and for others, the mind feels hazy or sluggish. They are able to think way outside the box and zigzag through conversations and thoughts to come up with incredibly unique solutions to complex problems. Their sense of humor is unmatched because they think so strangely, so outside of the box; their minds are spontaneous and bizarre in the most fascinating, glittering way (again, like lightning - fast and bright; something we can rarely capture but are always awed by). They often have an incredible amount of mental and/or emotional energy, impressive ability to multitask, and many have found ways to use humor to connect with people.
Whether it’s skills, knowledge, or conversations, people with Mercury Rx in their birth chart can often pick things up very quickly, often with little honing needed.
The Blockages and Challenges
Mercury retrograde is Mercury to the max; its power is immense and often overwhelming. For people born during Mercury retrograde, there is a lot to learn about Mercury. Its lessons are often difficult, and come in stages. For people with natal Mercury retrograde, the planet that acts as the liaison between the sun (self) and Venus (relationships with others) is behaving differently from what we expect. Strangely, even. These people simply express themselves differently. They take a different approach to communicating, translating the inner world into something the outer world can understand, and processing information from the outside world. This can be beautiful, and it can be challenging.
These people are the dictionary definition of the word “mercurial.” They are naturally inclined toward a state of movement and flux, and during childhood in particular that may show up as a being hyperactive and visibly restless, or bored and anxious, because the world around them is not meeting their different and varying needs. Oftentimes, the people around them are overwhelmed by their mercurial energy.
Read also: Weddings and Mercury Retrograde
As time goes on, many people born during Mercury retrograde are taught by the systems around them that their energy and fluctuations or simply their different ways of thinking are something of an ‘inconvenience’ to others, and many learn to keep it inside. As a result, many Mercury retrograde people feel a frustrated, anxious restlessness running through them, like there is something that badly wants to be let out but they cannot get it out. As a result, that brilliant Mercurial energy can become anxiety. Sometimes this shows itself in a purely psychological way where one struggles to speak their mind and externalize their thoughts, feelings, and desires; other times this shows itself in not-so-conscious ways or as physical issues, through things like speech impediments, dyslexia, or even disorders of or issues with the mouth, throat, or vocal cords.
Throughout life, people with Mercury retrograde in their birth charts are learning to allow that electric internal current to manifest outwardly again, or maybe even for the first time, and creating flow between inner world and outer world in all kinds of ways.
People with Mercury retrograde natally are asking, again and again:
- Am I being seen? Heard? Understood?
- Am I making my inner world visible to the world around me? Do I want to? Am I safe to? How can I take my inner world and share it with the external world in the clearest way possible?
- How can I prevent misunderstanding, and therefore protect myself (sun) relationships (Venus)?
- What information is most important? Does what I have to say actually matter? Is it important? Is it clever enough, smart enough? Have I worded it eloquently enough?
- Is the way that my mind works okay?
It’s interesting to think about where all natal placements came from. They didn’t sprout up out of the ground from nothing - they were created and built through life experience. Something either overtly or subtly taught us to become the people we are. Mercury retrograde often comes from being censored. People born during Mercury RX tend to have stories of being told to shut up and settle down, and how it’s fucked them up long-term. But this isn’t a flatlined, stagnated life experience. It’s an ever-evolving plant that does eventually flower, and there are phases that many people with natal Mercury retrograde go through.
Mercury Retrograde and the Houses
Where is Mercury Retrograde transiting by house in your natal chart? Is it conjunct a natal planet, your Ascendant, or Midheaven? Now, let's explore how each sign and ascendant is affected by Mercury retrograde:
- Aries and Aries Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications in general and job or health-related communications because Mercury rules these areas of your life in your solar chart.
- Taurus and Taurus Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications with lovers or children, and regarding financial affairs, because Mercury rules these areas of your life in your solar chart.
- Gemini and Gemini Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of your personal presentation or image to others and communications with family because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
- Cancer and Cancer Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of personal communications in general as well as communications about the past because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
- Leo and Leo Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of personal finances, as well as communications with friends or groups, because Mercury rules these areas of your solar chart.
- Virgo and Virgo Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of your own body language and personal manner (you may feel that others misunderstand you), as well as communications involving the career or public, because Mercury rules these areas of your solar chart.
- Libra and Libra Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications involving legal affairs, travel, and education, as well as communications about the past, because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
- Scorpio and Scorpio Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications with friends or groups, as well as intimate communications and shared financial resources, because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
- Sagittarius and Sagittarius Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications with bosses or in your career in general, as well as communications with a close partner, because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
- Capricorn and Capricorn Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications regarding travels, legal matters, or opinions, as well as communications on the job and with co-workers, because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
- Aquarius and Aquarius Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications with loved ones, shared resources, and sexuality, as well as communications regarding your values, because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
- Pisces and Pisces Ascendant: All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of intimate communications, communications with those you share resources with, and communications regarding beliefs, travels, and legalities, because Mercury rules these areas of your life.
Retrograde Planets in the Natal Chart
When astrologers describe a planets energy as being turned inwards, what they are trying to get across is a slightly more complex idea in simpler language and that idea is this: Retrograde planets, karmically speaking, are places where we subconsciously know the consequences of using that planet’s energy. All of our actions have consequences both good and bad whether we realize it or not. People with a planet retrograde are likely to have an uneasy feeling about using their retrograde planet’s energy because they can feel the consequences. This doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences from acting with a direct planet, but when we do that, we often aren’t conscious of what could go wrong. For example, a person with a Mercury Rx will tend to think twice before saying anything or may opt not to say anything at all because they are painfully conscious of the weight their words carry. This can lead them to being labeled as “awkward” in the way they communicate. In transit form, this often looks like communication chaos, but in reality, Mercury Rx is trying to remind us to slow down and think twice about what we say, both verbally and nonverbally, because even small acts of communication can have a big impact on our lives and the lives of others.
How can retrograde planets be hidden talents, you may ask? Well, karmically, people tend to learn through trial and error. They do something, they learn the consequences either good or bad from what they can see. They watch the effects of their actions. That being the case, people with retrograde planets can tap into their planet for a ridiculous amount of talent, but they also tend to be very aware of the cost of doing so and will not do it unless they have a very, very good reason. Again, using Mercury as an example, somebody with a Mercury in retrograde likely knows EXACTLY how to communicate what they’re feeling, they just choose not to because they don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings. Saying how they feel could result in a lot of emotional fallout, so while they have the talent to really get their point across when provoked, they’re often sorry later if they do.
Personal Interpretations for Each Planet Retrograde When in the Natal Chart
Mercury Rx: Natives with this placement often get a reputation for being quiet, not having a lot to say, or not being able to get their point across. The truth is, they often know exactly what they want to say but are more aware of the consequences of speaking their mind and would rather stay quiet than deal with that. They also tend to process information more thoroughly than people with direct Mercury placements do because they know the consequences of spreading false information or assuming something is correct right away.
Mars Rx: Natives with this placement may be labeled as weak willed or apathetic since they tend not to be self-starters or have much drive to compete. Often times, the gentle placement of Mars Rx simple doesn’t like the collateral damage of competition. While people with a Mars direct may enjoy activities that require competing, Mars Rx knows that for as high as the winner gets, the loser gets equally low. This may lead them to forgo participation in anything they must do alone, so they may get run over by more competitive types. The upside is they’re generally pretty good at waiting and are very patient people although their lack of a rush can frustrated more ambitious people. While they can be exceptional competitors under the right circumstances, you’re unlikely to find Mars Rx using that ability.
Venus Rx: Natives with this placement tend to shy away from the material side of life. As a result, they often get labeled as having poor financial management and eating disorders when in reality, they tend to not need a lot of physical objects to be happy. It’s not that they don’t like stuff, they are just aware of how it can complicate things. The stereotype about being unloving is absolutely not true, as Venus Rx can know a love beyond what physical needs dictates, but they often question WHY someone loves them and for what reasons. They can get whatever it is that they want or need, but typically that isn’t much because that’s all they want, not because that’s all they can get in whatever house Venus is in. They don’t want to deal with the burning questions of why they do something if material investments are involved, so they keep it simple.
Ceres Rx: Natives with this placement may lead hectic, disorganized lives because frankly, they know how boring a routine can be. People with Ceres Rx are completely capable of running a tight ship but would prefer to let things be loose. They likely frustrate those around them with their apparent lack of discipline and routine, but if they absolutely have to they know how to get themselves back on track just in time to go back to a messy, surprise-oriented way of living.
Juno Rx: Natives with this placement may avoid partnerships and seem to be very “independent” instead. These lone wolves, however, are just trying to avoid dependence on somebody. It’s not that they can’t have partners, it’s just that they often don’t because they don’t want to use another person to compensate for what they can’t do; they want to be able to do it themselves! Juno Rx people typically won’t settle down until they can be for themselves what they want in a partner. This can lead to their partner feeling useless since Juno Rx tend to have a “If I want it done right I’ll do it myself” mentality but they can and do depend on partners once they’re satisfied with their own capabilities.
Jupiter Rx: Natives with this placement may avoid questioning things too deeply or be uneasy about learning too much about topics like politics and religion. These people often have the ability to pull off miracles of luck in their given houses, going much further than their Jupiter direct counterparts but they tend not to because they’re aware of how bad the crash from going too high is. As a result, Jupiter Rx natives tend to be more low key and avoid situations where they learn too much too fast. People may think of them as ignorant or as “killing the vibe” but it’s because Jupiter Rx knows subconsciously about the come down of a good time all too well.
Saturn Rx: Natives with this placement often have a lack of outside structure and as a result get very, very good at structuring themselves. Often, these people are disillusioned with the true cost of achievement and may choose to live life as free spirits rather than submitting to “the system”. Saturn Rx can work remarkably hard and know all the steps that go into making something big happen, but because they can see all the steps and work ahead of time, they tend to abstain. People with Saturn direct may think of them as downers but that’s just because Saturn Rx people know the grim reality of ambition.
Uranus Rx: Natives with this placement are often labeled as old fashioned or unable to keep up with the times because they’re not excited by new ways of doing things and technology. Uranus Rx, however, is very aware that anything that claims to solve a problem is likely to just create another in its place, even if it isn’t obvious. These people may find comfort in tradition because at least then they know what the consequences of the actions that have been tested over generations are and they don’t have to deal with figuring out new solutions to the new problems.
Neptune Rx: Natives with this placement are often labeled as grim and being downers when they feel they’re just being the voice of reason. Neptune Rx knows subconsciously the consequences of getting one’s hopes too high and they know that life is rarely as magical as we build it up to be. While these people may seem to move through life without a sense of wonder since they keep their expectations low, it’s because they don’t want to ruin a truly beautiful moment by making it more than it is in their head.
Pluto Rx: Natives with this placement are often labeled as “chill”, or more frequently, unpassionate. People with a Pluto Rx are usually pretty good at letting things go, especially in their house/sign that Pluto Rx is in, because they know the consequences of obsessing over something. They generally avoid pain because although they are very capable of gritting through rough situations when they need to, they don’t like how those types of experiences shape people. Pluto direct people are more likely to accredit their strength to a hard event they overcame while Pluto Rx people are more likely to wish such events never happened. Inside, they know they have the strength to survive hardship so the appeal of proving that they can isn’t readily present. While they may seem to lack a bond that drives them, they’re quite happy living life in its more gentle manifestations.