Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

Last year, Mercury retrogrades (when the planet traces a backward movement in the sky) occurred in signs of the Water element: Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio.

This year, the retrogrades happen in signs of the Air element, starting with our first of the year today in Aquarius: January 30-February 21, 2021.

Whereas Water signs tap into emotions and feelings, the elemental energy of Air signs is primarily on the mental plane.

Mercury as the messenger of the gods, rules daily motion (including transportation) and daily communication--both speaking AND listening.

Mercury is concerned with the results of our word exchanges--so commerce and education. In its association with Gemini and Virgo, it rules the intellect, how we come to know things, how we take in the world , and how we are interconnected on a mental level.

As such, Mercury also rules communication devices--so smart phones, laptops, and the like.

Retrograde motion suggests that all of these things are somehow inverted during this time--the emphasis is not on outward expression, but inward reflection. We may experience things bigger, more deeply, and we may experience them as going wrong--in order to provoke a "going over" of a particular area in life in greater detail.

As Mercury can show us how things are interrelated, symbolically, when Mercury moves backwards in the sky, we're being asked to place extra time and attention on exactly HOW we are connected.

With Mercury in Aquarius, this will be very much perceived on the mental plane, and within communities we are both inside and outside of--Aquarius energy is that of community building and systems architecture.

So watch out for areas in your life where you are being asked to reflect and perhaps 're-do' how groups and communities you are a part of are structured.

Take time to drill down into what your personal philosophy is and how you communicate this to those around you. Our thought processes shift--sometimes imperceptibly--over time, and it is good to dust off what we actually believe in and articulate it in a way that is aligned with our current values.

Finally, during this Rx (retrograde) period, we will see 6 of the 7 visible planets ALL in the sign of Aquarius. I will address this in a separate post, but this will add additional layers to how Mercury presents. This is also a fabulous time to find out where Aquarius is in your natal chart in order to understand how Aquarian energy operates within you.