Mercury retrograde in Scorpio
Did you have an irritating week last week, especially Thursday and Friday, that may well have been pesky Mercury beginning to slow down before going retrograde on Saturday at 08.13.
There is often a lot of noise, but not much light posted online about Mercury’s retrograde cycles, disaster does not beckon, but it does often herald a time for patience, detail and checking and double checking.
Mercury goes retrograde three times a year for around 3 weeks. What this means is it appears to move backwards in the sky1. This time Mercury moves back from 21′ Scorpio to 5′ Scorpio when it turns direct on November 14th.
If you have any planets between those degrees or the Ascendant, Descendant, MC or IC the retrograde will affect the area those planets relate to and any aspects those planets make to other planets in your chart. For example, if you have Saturn at 21′ Scorpio conjunct your Sun at 22′ Scorpio, both planets will be affected by the retrograde.
Half way through its retrograde cycle, Mercury, which is never more than 30′ away from the Sun, conjuncts the Sun, we call this Cazimi. Often, this half way point heralds the beginning of a resolution of issues which have occurred in the previous week and a half. Mercury will be Cazimi the Sun on November 4th at 12′ Scorpio, look out for what we call in astrology ‘showings’ or things that happen, especially if you have planets or angles at that degree.
Otherwise, Mercury things, which rules all form of communication, including the internet, short distance travel, things like keys, phones, paperwork of all kinds, may be delayed, lost or misplaced. Be super clear in any discussions, put things in writing, check and double check your facts. Keep a close eye on things like phones, remember Mercury rules thieves, watch your stuff. When travelling, allow flexibility, don’t be booking those narrow transit plane or train interchanges, be mindful of tickets, passports, logins and all kinds of necessary, everyday data.
That’s the negative, but I like to see the positives. Mercury is the psychopomp, the only planet that can traverse the three planetary realms, the heavens, the human world and the underworld. Retrograde Mercury is for me, a time to dig deep, to meditate, to astral travel, to take a breath (Mercury rules the breath) and slow down and explore in your mind and imagination, in other words, places you would not normally visit. If you rush, mistakes will be made, so go slow, be careful and thoughtful. I find it a relief to mute social media, to stop doomscrolling, turn off the TV and all ephemeral input from outside and instead read books, listen to music, learn poems, walk in nature.
Mercury retrogrades are sometimes when the past comes to visit. It may be unfinished business pops up or people from your past reappear in your life, there may be reconnections or final parting of the ways.
Mercury is the trickster, when it goes into a retrograde cycle it will transit the same degrees three times, once when it was direct, once when it goes retrograde, once when it goes direct again. So if it passes over any planets of angles there will be three opportunities to explore the issues it highlights.
The most crucial times are when Mercury goes retrograde, the Cazimi and when it goes direct.
Mercury is currently in Scorpio, and will reenter Libra later. Here is an extract from my upcoming Beginners Astrology course, on natal Mercury in Scorpio, coming soon! Register your interest here: elisabethbrooke209@gmail.com .
‘Mercury in Scorpio is deep, dark and powerful. Scorpio keeps her secrets, Mercury here is the investigator, the psychologist, the occultist and the truth seeker. Diving deep into Scorpios waters, Mercury reveals what is hidden and taboo, explores power. They are often silent, watching and listening as others reveal themselves, while they remain hidden. As a child they may have been frightened into silence if they uncovered family secrets or saw cruelty or abuse and learnt that speaking was dangerous and punished. They can be suspicious and sarcastic, super competitive and often ruthless, winning is everything, they collect enemies and frighten people all to protect that wounded soft centre. Understanding their own psyche can bring more openness, and compassion learned makes them excellent healers and guides into darker realms. Their thought processes are forensic and penetrating’
Expect secrets to be revealed, taboos, exposed, corruption and lies uncovered, Scorpio has no problem digging deep and revealing hypocrites and con-men. Sexual crimes and misdemeanors may be revealed, also money crimes, especially using other people’s wealth may be brought to light, bribery and corruption come to mind.
This retrograde period coincides with the US mid term elections, on November 3rd. In 2020, when Mercury was retrograde in Libra, Biden beat Trump with 81 million popular votes, the highest total in election history. Trump claimed it was ‘rigged’ although no evidence was forthcoming. Remember, the Cazimi in on November 4th. There are fears Trump will try to fix the result as his party is expected to lose badly, but it is likely this will be revealed under Mercury in Scorpio.
Which is a reminder to keep on the straight and narrow, Mercury also rules spies and snitches…
Another viewpoint on Mercury can be found in my Goddess Astrology where I give Mercury to the bee goddesses, the Melissae who brought souls into incarnation and were there at death, they were priestesses of Demeter and initiates in her chthonic rites. The bee with its busyness, community and dancing nature encapsulates Mercury energy.
- Mercury does not actually move backward in its orbit; its apparent retrograde motion is an optical illusion caused by the relative speeds and positions of Earth and Mercury as they orbit the Sun. ↩︎
