Mercury Retrograde Is Back. Here's What You Need to Get Through It.
It’s that time of year again! Mercury Retrograde begins on August 5. This time around, Mercury Retrograde starts out in Virgo. Then, it slides backwards into Leo on August 14, where it remains until the retrograde ends on August 28. Earth signs Taurus and Capricorn are having an easier time with this retrograde until August 14, then the fire signs Aries and Sagittarius get a break. Virgos and Leos are feeling the impact of this retrograde the most (sorry!).
The good news: Virgo is Mercury’s favorite sign to hang out in, so even when it’s retrograde, things aren’t going horribly awry. Mercury in Virgo makes your mind faster and more agile. No matter your zodiac sign, you're more capable of doing complicated work, and you're able to think of solutions to any problems you face. But when Mercury slides into Leo on August 14, the retrograde drama starts happening in full force. Mercury Retrograde in Leo makes you more stubborn and self-centered, so miscommunications can very easily lead to arguments and fights.
When Mercury is retrograde, life gets a little glitchy. You're missing calls, your texts have tons of typos, and your important emails are getting lost in your spam folder. This is the time of year when losing items, car trouble, and scheduling mishaps occur. However, these Mercury Retrograde-isms have a purpose. They're teaching you to slow down and review your choices, behaviors, and habits, especially when it comes to Mercury-ruled areas of life like communication, technology, and transportation. That way, you can assess what isn’t working and fix the problems.
People from the past also tend to come back around during Mercury Retrograde. And yes, this means you’re likely to bump into an ex or two over the next few weeks. Use this as an opportunity to find closure and move on—or maybe even re-introduce them into your life if it feels right. An old job or project that you never finished may come back around, too, giving you the opportunity to complete it. This also applies to friends or family members you haven’t talked to in forever. Go ahead and enjoy the nostalgia!
Mercury Retrograde's effects are going to hit you at some point over the next few weeks, and it’s up to you to deal with them correctly. If you keep missing appointments, maybe you should manage your time better. If your car breaks down during Mercury Retrograde, maybe you should start getting regular inspections. All of these mishaps can become huge inconveniences, but they’re also almost all completely preventable. Mercury Retrograde wants you to learn that if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready!
Read your Sun/Rising sign horoscopes for Mercury Retrograde:
Aries
Work is becoming a total drag. Like, it’s sucking your soul out, and every time you clock in, you just want to bang your head against the wall. It’s that bad. Over the next few weeks, take note of what it is exactly that peeves you so much. Is it your POS boss? Are all of your coworkers are lazy? Is it the customers/clients that are the problem? Or are you woprking in a field you have zero interest in? If you can pinpoint the problem, you can absolutely find a solution, and then you can start bringing fun back into your life.
Taurus
The first portion of this retrograde is pretty easy on you—the worst symptoms include a lack of creativity, plus you might have some trouble getting laid. But once Mercury slides into Leo, the drama really starts. Home appliances are likely to break down, so if you have a shaky washing machine or a squeaky door hinge, be proactive and get them maintenanced now before you have to buy an expensive replacement. Also, it’s a bad time to move. Don’t let the retrograde stop you from moving if you must, but you better make sure you read all the fine print before signing that lease.
Gemini
This first part of this retrograde finds you feeling introverted. For once, your social battery is totally drained. You need rest, relaxation, and time at home to recharge. Take it easy, and you’ll feel good as new before you know it. The second half of this retrograde will include missed messages, scheduling issues, and transportation mishaps, so it’s important to double-check your inbox, make sure you hit “send” on important messages, and do your best to show up early everywhere you go.
Cancer
There’s a little drama happening in your circle, Cancer. Casual friends and friendly acquaintances are shuffling in and out of place, and it’s a little disorienting. Rumors are spreading and nobody’s stories are matching. “I heard Melissa said she hates you.” “Who told you that?” “John did.” “Well John was talking shit about you yesterday!” Listen to the tea as much as you want, but don’t spill any of your own, otherwise it will come back to bite you in the ass. Let the cards fall however they fall, and you’ll see who was right, who was wrong, and who your real friends are.
Leo
This Mercury Retrograde is making you feel very self-conscious. Every time you make a mistake, you beat yourself up over it. Whenever you don’t get positive results at work, you may feel the urge to punish yourself for it. When you focus on everything going wrong, you have no time to appreciate what’s going right in your life. If you say, do, or try something you don’t like, don’t put yourself down. Pick yourself up, say you’ll do better next time, and carry on. There’s nothing wrong with being self-aware and wanting to improve yourself, but when all you do is hyper-fixate on the negative, the bad vibes start to ooze out of you.
Virgo
This Mercury Retrograde starts in your sign, which means you’re feeling the symptoms stronger than anyone. Miscommunications, technology glitches, and missed appointments are happening, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Once Mercury moves into Leo, however, things can start to get messy. Mercury Retrograde in Leo is all about bringing exes back around—good, bad, romantic, platonic, any kind of ex—and you’re being urged to deal with them. Whether that means moving on, getting closure, or reintroducing them into your life is up to you.
Libra
This retrograde has you focusing on all of your exes. The first half is the worst—you’re facing ex-partners, frienemies, and associates who did you dirty in the past. Try to be nice and use this as an opportunity to find closure. The next half of the retrograde is way better for you. You’re still bumping into exes, but ones that you don’t have beef with—a friend from high school, an ex-coworker that you'd love to catch up with, or even an ex-situationship that you parted with amicably. This is your chance to bring them back into your life, if you’d like.
Scorpio
Your squad is playing a big game of musical chairs right now. One friend leaves, two new ones hop in, then one of them leaves, and the old friend is back, and so on. It’s confusing, and being caught in the middle of your friends’ shenanigans is really doing a number on you. You can play the role of the mediator and try to resolve this really enormous conflict, but then you run the risk of neglecting other areas of life—your relationship, your job, your home life. Your mission right now is to deal with the drama and find out who your real friends are, while maintaining a healthy balance between your work life, your social life, your love life, and your life at home. Good luck!
Sagittarius
Life at work is getting stressful. Your higher-ups are watching you extra closely. On one hand, that means that the successful work you do will certainly be rewarded, but on the other hand, that means that your shortcomings and mistakes are defs getting noticed, too. There’s no avoiding the speed bumps coming your way, but instead of letting them disrupt your work and ruin your progress, show your boss that you can be creative and think outside of the box to get around these obstacles. You may not do the work perfectly the first time, but your ability to adapt and overcome will impress your higher-ups.
Capricorn
If you have any travel plans this August, it’s absolutely imperative that you double-check your tickets, show up to the airport early, triple-check you’ve packed everything, and be absolutely sure to stick to your schedule, because this retrograde is waving a huge red flag for missed flights and delays. Also, check your bank account—once Mercury moves into Leo, surprise bills and unexpected expenses are more likely to happen, so it’d be good to have a little cash handy, just in case.
Aquarius
The first half of this retrograde wants you to focus on how you allocate your resources. Are your investments—financial and emotional—giving you the returns you deserve? If not, symptoms of the imbalanced situation are starting to balloon out of control. The second half of the retrograde happens in your chart’s relationships zone, so you need to be extra patient, understanding, and cooperative with your friends and partners. Starting new relationships is a bad idea during this retrograde, and breakups that happen now are easily reversed once the retrograde ends. My advice: Try to avoid making any major decisions in your love life til after August 28!
Pisces
Mercury Retrograde starts off in your chart’s relationships zone, so you and your boo are butting heads more than usual. You’re also more likely to bump into an ex or two, and as much as you’d love to connect with them again, I urge you to wait a beat before hitting them up. Mercury in Virgo wants you to be practical, pragmatic, and reasonable. If your ex was a real piece of garbage, I know you're thinking, “Maybe they've changed!” but let’s keep it real—unless they prove otherwise, they probably haven’t. If they show up and they really are different, sure, invite them back! But don’t hold your breath.
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