For the past few weeks, Mercury, the Planet of Communication, has been in retrograde. Our texts went haywire, emails haven’t been sent, and our exes popped back up out of the blue — all of the classic chaos to be expected of Mercury retrograde. But now, on February 3, Mercury will finally station direct, bringing all of this month’s pandemonium to an end.
Retrograde is a kind of transit that puts the planets in snooze mode, according to Madi Murphy, co-founder of The Cosmic RX and The Cosmic Revolution. “Now that Mercury has stationed direct, it’s as if it is waking up again,” she says. “While it’s not in full on ‘go mode’ just yet, we can expect the frustrations to ease up. Take stock of what this retrograde taught you, especially around your business plannings, financial health, or the foundations you are laying for the year ahead.”
Thanks to Venus retrograding at the same time as Mercury, this period was a little tough on us. Retrogrades aren’t all bad, though — they often offer us a time to reassess and review what’s going on in our lives. Use these next couple of weeks to do just that, which will in turn help you to move forward after this celestial spin.
This Mercury retrograde started out in Aquarius and moved into Capricorn mid-transit, a move that Yana Yanovich, an astrologer at Nebula, says is uncommon, although not unheard of. This same mid-Rx move will happen for the rest of the Mercury retrogrades of 2022. “Mercury will repeatedly change signs and elements, each time starting in an Air sign but turning into direct motion in an Earth sign,” she says. “This brings out a recurrent theme of taking the thoughts, ideas, and intentions brought to you by the Air signs and turning them into something real, solid, and substantial, which is what the Earth signs are focused on.”
This is actually good news for us. These Mercury retrogrades will be able to push us to make real change in our lives where we need it most. We were asked to have an open mind and a more go-with-the-flow attitude for the past couple of weeks, so continue on with that mindset to make the most out of the shifting tides.
On December 29, Mercury was conjunct Pluto. “This can be an aspect that is somewhat obsessive in nature or we can be digging for information of some type,” says Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com. “If you remember being affected in December it is likely you will be again when this aspect makes its last pass on February 11. Repeated themes from the last time can re-occur now and conclude.” Think back to where you were at the end of 2021 — ask yourself, is there any unfinished business that needs taking care of? What can you do to tie up any loose ends? We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: Sometimes to move forward, you must first look back.
The end of this Mercury Rx comes with a special shot of good energy. “As it stations direct, Mercury will also be forming a trine with the Lunar North Node of Destiny — so even though the energy will be intense, whatever happens around this time, it seems to be fated and positive,” says Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com and author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power. “Our mental capacity will be boosted, and we will be able to see previously annoying or shocking situations from a detached and refreshed perspective.”
The retrograde vibes don’t leave us the instant that Mercury begins to move direct again, says Lisa Stardust, author of Saturn Return Survival Guide and The Astrology Deck. According to her, Mercury won’t fully be moving at its normal speed until February 23, which means that we have some time to reassess and reflect upon what happened during the planet’s backwards dance. So, sit back, relax, and head into this fresh astrological period with your newfound clarity.
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