The planet Mercury has been wandering through the zodiacal sign of watery Pisces since Feb 23, 2024. Astrologically, Mercury represents the mind-state, communication, commerce, and the ability to travel. When it transits through the sign of Pisces, the subjects of Mercury tend to experience adversity as it attempts to make sense of the intense emotions of the collective…not an easy task.

Tonight at 9:03pm MST, Mercury will enter fiery Aries, which could shift the collective mindset toward independent thinking, fresh ideas, and flashes of inspiration. Aries is a sign of The Fool, boldly going into new territory, throwing caution to the wind. Aries is cardinal, which represents the start of new things or young people. Pay attention to these themes as this transit unfolds.

Mercury will transit Aries until May 15, 2024. Utilize this time to explore the realm of new possibilities. How can you create new strategies for success?

At regular speed, Mercury takes approximately three weeks to travel through any given sign. The upcoming retrograde period in Aries will extend this transit to nine and a half weeks. Mercury will reach 27º Aries, station retrograde, and travel backwards until it reaches 15º Aries again. This range of degrees in Aries determines who or what will be most affected by this retrograde period. Check your birth chart to see if you have any placements near 15º-27º Aries.

In astrology, planetary retrogrades represent periods of time when reversals may occur. During the pre-shadow period, a certain series of events will unfold only to be interrupted by a key event that happens close to retrograde day. In this case, Mercury will be retracing its steps through the path it just took. Symbolically, we could find ourselves retracing our steps as well. This often causes uncertainty and frustration until Mercury stations direct, which tends to bring some sort of resolution to the story. Once Mercury is direct, it will pass through this range of degrees a third time during what is called the post-shadow period. During this period, it’s common to experience tying up loose ends and seeing the effects of the retrograde reach a conclusion.

This is your official heads up to schedule things with caution, double check details, and expect anything that promises a brand new start to experience delays during this time. When we are aware of the planetary forecast we can be more prepared to deal with it.

If you’d like more information on the upcoming planetary retrogrades of Mercury and all other planets, visit my store to purchase the PDFs I created summarizing the most important dates and when each planet will change signs.