General meaning of Mercury Retrograde for Astrology

Mercury is the planet of communication. Therefore it speaks about human creative expression, that is, how we inform our feelings and emotions, how we share with others what we think and what vibrates inside us.

However, when it is retrograde, it means that this communication is reversed. People tend to be more concerned with the forms of feelings, i.e. the showcase of emotions, than with the deep, inner self.

In addition, Mercury is composed of a triad between Soul, Spirit and Matter, which symbolizes human wholeness. When retrograde, this triad goes out of balance and relationships can get a little complicated as communication becomes unbalanced together.

Personality and Karma of Mercury Retrograde

Mercury retrograde is a serious matter for astrology. It can define a specific personality when it appears in a person's birth chart, as well as being responsible for dictating some directions of the collective life. Below, you will discover the best way to deal with Mercury retrograde!

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury is the planet of communication and its retrograde state can result in a time of plenty of disagreement, failures and conflicts between people, especially in their interpersonal relationships.

In this sense, the main tip for the Mercury retrograde phase is: be calm, think before you act and, above all, don't make big decisions. Mercury retrograde makes everything more complicated and dense, so that it reverses our communication, as well as our technical and rational ability to deal with situations.

As this planet reverses the clear thinking capacity, we are unable to perceive all the nuances of a situation, which can lead to wrong decisions that can generate future regrets.

The Personality of Mercury Retrograde

The Mercury retrograde personality tends to be a little confused about the ideas communicated. When this planet is in an inverted state in the birth chart, the individual has many innovative ideas, but finds it difficult to express them to other people.

So they are usually people who don't do well in meetings and work presentations, especially when the room is full of evaluators. The work or project itself may be amazing, so the flaw lies in how it is expressed to others.

People who have Mercury retrograde in their chart have an easier time with drawing and writing, because communication through speech can be truncated, confused and lost, and it is difficult to insert others in the same line of reasoning.

The feeling of estrangement with Society

A sense of estrangement with society is another possible effect on the personality of someone who has Mercury retrograde in the birth chart. Unlike someone who has Mercury in direct motion in the birth chart, the retrograde state creates an idea of forced individuality, which usually results in people who are introverted and learning to be self-sufficient.

It may happen that the individual eagerly seeks to feel (re)inserted in the collectivity. This happens through an overemphasis on his own ideas, trying to show others his personal value through thought and the things he is capable of creating.

In other words, it is the person's way of proving his relevance to society as a whole. However, this gesture tends to create more discomfort and ends up not solving the situation. Other people, being almost bombarded by the ideas of someone with Mercury retrograde, feel anxious and lost, not knowing what to do with so much information received together.

The Concentration on Mercury Retrograde

Concentration on Mercury retrograde is a positive point for this personality type. These people tend to be excellent students, especially in areas of study which demand rational, logical and mathematical thinking.

It can happen that the person may take time to understand more difficult ideas, due to the planet of communication being inverted in his chart, but this will be easily resolved once the barrier of truncated expression is overcome.

For this to happen, the individual just needs to feel comfortable with the other person and establish trust. Then, communication can flow in a more dynamic way, facilitating learning.

Mercury Retrograde and Karma

The combination of Mercury retrograde and Karma results in a difficulty in dealing with relationships, in which case the person concerned tends to project facets of old and past relationships onto others.

It is as if there is an attempt at representation which in fact does not correspond to reality, so this factor can make relationships difficult with people who have Mercury retrograde in their chart, because their karma from old relationships comes back and is reactualized in contemporary relationships.

Each person is unique and therefore each relationship will also be special, having its own peculiarities, difficulties and strengths. Therefore, focus on living the present and seek help to resolve past situations that did not have an end point.

Mercury Retrograde in the Signs

Mercury, the planet of communication, is reversed when it is in retrograde in the birth chart. However, these effects also change according to the sign it is in. Below you will discover how this planet influences the 12 signs of the zodiac!

Mercury Retrograde in Aries

Mercury retrograde in Aries presupposes anxious, hasty and sometimes unnecessary judgments, taken on the basis of something that does not match reality.

In fact, people who have Mercury retrograde in the sign of Aries tend to make bad judgments, so they always expect the worst from the people they live with. In this case, when they think they have perceived a bad side in someone, it is extremely difficult to reverse this perception.

Mercury Retrograde in Taurus

Mercury retrograde in Taurus has a key word: caution. People who have this planet retrograde in Taurus tend to think very carefully before acting or making a decision. They ponder, make lists, thoroughly evaluate a situation until they decide something.

Even after having already made a decision, it is common for these people to keep reliving the moment in question, constantly (re)evaluating the choice.

This is also a personality that values long and arduous paths, because they think that in this way it is possible to achieve more concrete and consistent results. The famous phrase "all that comes easy, goes easy" does not apply to this type of individual, since they prefer to fight hard and take the hardest path.

Mercury Retrograde in Gemini

Mercury retrograde in Gemini represents a personality with a great capacity for mutability, transformation and alternation between the thoughts that arise. There is an openness to experience different mental frequencies, which opens up for creativity, although the ideas seem a little confused in some cases.

In addition, they are also people with an incredible facility to capture the essence of others, which helps to compensate for the difficulty of communication imposed by Mercury retrograde.

Mercury Retrograde in Cancer

Mercury retrograde in Cancer presents a personality with ambiguous needs, where the search for balance and independence is a lifelong goal.

This is because, the person tends to need support to fertilize his ideas, at the same time that this relates to the great sensitivity towards other people.

Mercury Retrograde in Leo

Mercury retrograde in Leo presents a personality which is enterprising and has the main goal of transforming the world, but over-activity can result in someone who is authoritarian and lacks empathy.

They can be people with a tendency to envy, because when they see a great project that they were not part of, they end up feeling excluded and belittled.

Another important point is the tendency to pride, because the individual thinks that his ideas are always the best and hardly accepts working in a group, judging that the rest of the team does not have the same intellectual capacity as him.

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo

Mercury retrograde in Virgo opens to a personality highly decided and convinced of their ideals. People who have this planet of communication retrograde in their astrological chart usually bring strong positions about what they judge to be right and wrong, so that they rarely change their opinion.

This factor can generate a tendency to the cold and calculating side in relationships, being methodical and rational people. For this reason they like more open relationships, where they see the possibility of exercising their individuality instead of always being close to others.

Mercury Retrograde in Libra

The person who has Mercury retrograde in Libra, in the astrological chart, tends to mix the past and the present to build a perspective for the future. It is common for the individual to live the present intensely, at the same time that he/she thinks, at some moments, if people from his/her past would approve the decisions he/she takes at the present moment.

This expresses a karmic facet of Mercury retrograde, that is, one where old people and relationships continue to influence current relationships. In this sense, when this planet of communication is retrograde in Libra, this Karma gains strength and can dictate the rules of life.

Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio

People with Mercury retrograde in Scorpio are usually successful in the field of science, especially when it comes to Archaeology.

Instead of accessing a bad facet of the karmic order of Mercury retrograde, they can pull a positive side and find, in this metaphorical excavation, relevant aspects in the contemporary world.

In addition, they are also individuals with a positive individuality, as they can recognize their inner soul while exercising empathy with others.

Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius

Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius indicates a lost soul who needs constant help to find himself, but once found he can get lost again, and so the help he receives needs to be routine.

This is a lost soul because it wanders, aimlessly, searching for something that gives it value in life. In this case, they are people who have many difficulties in concentration, because they live with their head in the world of the moon and cannot focus on something specific.

It is not difficult to find someone with Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius who has changed jobs numerous times in a short period of time.

Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn

Those who have Mercury retrograde in Capricorn present a personality with great facility to find, identify, work and transform a mistake. Therefore, they are people who have high malleability and mature very fast.

When they realize they've made a mistake, they can humbly acknowledge it and quickly correct the problem. Instead of beating themselves up about the mistake, they internalize the possibility of learning and actually evolving with the situation.

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

Mercury retrograde in Aquarius signifies a high capacity for evolution through empathy. These are people who seek self-transformation, but know how to do it on their own, without leaning negatively on other people.

For this reason Aquarius is considered one of the best signs for Mercury to be retrograde, as it is where there is a greater chance of balance and compensation.

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces

Mercury retrograde in Pisces opens to a great deal of mental confusion, where consciousness cannot establish its own parameters and ends up wandering between ideas.

Confusion arises, in this sense, due to the lack of focus and dedication on a single idea. The individual will only find peace of mind when he can work more deeply on one idea at a time, instead of continuing to try to embrace the world alone.

Another point to be taken into consideration is the openness to imagination and fantasy. This can be a positive thing, since it opens one up to creativity. However, in excess, it can aggravate the feeling of lostness and lack of focus.

Mercury Retrograde in the Houses

By now you have understood the relationship between Mercury retrograde and each sign of the zodiac.

However, another factor that affects each individual's personality is the house number they were in at the time of birth. See below how this says a lot about you!

Mercury Retrograde in 1st House

People with Mercury Retrograde in the 1st House become a great receptacle of energies and people, not knowing how to impose a filter in the relationships they build. In this sense, it can happen that the person is linked to other very young and immature people in a kind of "Mary goes with the rest".

In other words, he or she is highly influential, and this can lead to problems in the personal sphere by putting yourself in delicate situations and ambushes. This is also because this is someone with an eternal childish spirit, being needy and demanding constant attention from those around him or her.

Mercury Retrograde in the 2nd House

Mercury Retrograde in the 2nd House is quite ambiguous, you can be very creative in solving personal problems, but you can also get lost in these ideas, because they are very deep rooted and this hinders the apprehension of other perspectives.

In this sense, it is common to find them seeking to have a life of luxury and comfort, without having to go through financial difficulties.

Mercury Retrograde in the 3rd House

The personality of those who have Mercury Retrograde in the 3rd House is highly communicative, as it is common for the planet of communication. However, being in inverted position, this form of expression can happen based on fear and insecurity.

People who have this trait in their personality, from the astrological chart, have a lot to talk about, but fear of not being understood. Nowadays, we know that misinterpretations are a reality, and this context is quite scary for Mercury retrograde in the 3rd house.

Mercury Retrograde in the 4th House

Childhood is very important in the personality of Mercury retrograde in the 4th house. The karmic factor acts from this childhood experience, indicating that in this phase the person had access to his most important thoughts.

This can open up creativity, but it can also be negative in the sense that it hinders the maturation of thought. After all, it is one thing to value old ideas, from the time of childhood, and another to not shift this thought to the present moment and its respective conditions.

Mercury Retrograde in the 5th House

Mercury retrograde in the 5th house creates many ideas in the mind of the individual, but they are such crazy ideas that sometimes they become impossible to get off the ground. For this reason, these are creative and innovative people, but with great difficulty in the execution of projects.

They are better managers and mentors than they are responsible for putting their hand to the wheel. They are also introverted people, feeling comfortable to be themselves only within their circle of trust.

Mercury Retrograde in the 6th House

When the planet of communication is in the 6th house of an astrological chart, it means that the individual recognizes his internal faults and seeks to improve them by helping others. They are usually people who enjoy doing good, with a tendency for humanitarian and volunteer work.

However, it is important to take care that this help to others is not based on selfish aspects, because the impulse comes from the need to solve personal issues. Therefore, the ideal is to keep therapy as a routine so that the good to others is done in a humble way and with a focus on collectivity.

In addition, people with Mercury retrograde in the 6th house also tend to be very critical with themselves, judging their mistakes as end-of-the-world and unavoidable. In fact, this factor is another aggravating factor that must be worked on with the help of a professional, during therapy.

Mercury Retrograde in 7th House

The individual who has Mercury retrograde in the 7th house, in the astral chart, usually faces many difficulties during life, since this house is the most complicated to have the planet of communication.

Not infrequently, these people judge themselves too much by the looks of others, which makes it difficult to be emancipated from what others think. They are always concerned with pleasing and being well-seen, and for this reason they end up living trapped in the opinions of others.

They are also prone to frustration in marriage, but also in other love relationships they may have before choosing the ideal partner. This frustration extends, in some more serious cases, to family and work, and may comprise a sad and purposeless life.

This dependence on the opinion of others also appears strongly at the moment of decision making, because the person who has Mercury retrograde in the 7th house, ends up waiting for others to tell him or her the best path to follow, without having the capacity to choose alone and with the independence needed in adult life.

Mercury Retrograde in the 8th House

Sexual problems can arise in the context of those who have Mercury retrograde in the 8th house of their birth chart. This is because they are easily embarrassed and sometimes do not see the meaning of physical relations.

In this context, they end up prioritizing emotional and affective relationships between people, not prioritizing physical and concrete contact, that is, the sensitive touch on the skin.

A negative point is that, even valuing relationships that remain in the immaterial order, these people have a huge difficulty to expose what they really feel and think. In these cases, they can not be sincere and frank and this ends up leaving the exchange truncated and not very deep.

Mercury Retrograde in 9th House

If you have Mercury retrograde in the 9th house, you may consider studying philosophy or working with something that allows you to create innovative and different insights. An interesting point is that this philosophical vein tends to focus on the trivialities of everyday life, that is, it is in the banal that you find the power of life. This is not necessarily bad, because it is just the place where you find space to becreative.

In that sense, creativity doesn't need to be in a highly potent and deep space. For you, all it takes is a brief glance around for an insight or a surprising understanding to pop into your mind.

Mercury Retrograde in the 10th House

The search for a meaning in life is part of the personality of those who have Mercury retrograde in the 10th house. They tend to look at the future from the past, that is, they use the planet's inversion in their favor.

It is common for these people to be seen as too old for their age, because they actually live in the Mercury inversion. When young, they assume characteristics and tastes of older people. When old, they like to have fun like young people.

The liveliness of this inversion makes these people love to share wisdom with others. This is how they recognize their personal identity, their distinctiveness, and their ability to communicate.

Mercury Retrograde in the 11th House

Practicality and technique are key words when it comes to Mercury retrograde in the 11th house. People who have this aspect in their birth chart are usually highly rational and logical, with a number-oriented thinking.

However, this is also mixed with a tendency towards loneliness. These are people who love to spend time alone, in their favourite corner of the world, and preferably undisturbed.

In this context, such loneliness can result in sexual neglect, that is, sexual relations are not a priority and it can happen that these people spend their entire lives without having a single skin-to-skin contact.

Mercury Retrograde in 12th House

People who have Mercury Retrograde in House12 are deeply respectful and empathetic, but they are intelligent, independent and self-reliant, so they can fend for themselves and identify their sensitivities very clearly.

Even though they have this aspect of independence as a very strong trait, they are people who also know how to recognize this intelligibility in others, which allows for a very beautiful empathy in the relationships they build.

The Retrograde Planets

We have seen how Mercury retrograde influences the personality of an individual through the astrological chart, according to the number of the house where it is. But, after all, what are retrograde planets? You will discover, now, the definition and the influence they have on the signs of the zodiac!

What they are

The word "retrograde" literally means something that goes backwards, which is why many astrologers say that the planets in retrograde are "inverted", that is, they are not flowing in the correct order.

In the astrological chart, the retrograde planets are those which were moving in the opposite order when you were born, after all your astrological chart is the drawing of the sky at the exact moment you came into the world. In Astrology, this is important because it is unusual.

In this sense, the retrograde planets are important in the reading of a chart because they are exceptions. They are planets capable of showing that step outside the curve that says a lot about someone's personality.

The retrograde triple process

The retrograde process has three main phases, these are: trying to bring the future into the present moment (phase 1); thinking that current feelings belong in the future (phase 2); and reliving the first phase (phase 3).

In this sense, the retrograde aspect means that this threefold process is closed in on itself and the personality that is built up from the reading of an astrological chart tends to repeat itself to infinity.

Retrograde and Karma

Retrograde planets, as is the case with Mercury, tend to be seen as highly karmic. This is because by making the indirect and opposite motion, a planet relives and reinstates aspects of the past.

In doing so, he brings into the present moment elements of ancient and ancestral life that need to be resolved, so that the individual is forced to deal with problems that belong to him alone.

Influence on the signs

The influence of the retrograde planets in the signs points to an extra and delicate care that needs to be taken at a given moment. Mercury, the planet of communication, when retrograde, affects interpersonal relationships and the way we share our feelings and our ideas.

However, everything changes depending on the sign where the planet is, either in the birth chart or in a more collective scope. Astrologers say that Mercury goes retrograde around 3 times during the year, and it has already happened that it is in an inverted state in the sign of Libra, for example.

In this example, we need to be careful how we communicate, especially in relation to how much time we devote to each speech, thought or sharing of ideas.

Influence in the Houses

Another factor that changes the possible interpretation of the sky at the moment is the influence of retrograde planets in the Houses.

When any planet is in an inverted state, people tend to feel that something is missing, that is, they feel incomplete and dependent even on material objects that serve to fill the void.

How to overcome Mercury Retrograde Karma

It is possible to overcome the Karma of Mercury Retrograde, as long as the person is willing to become aware of its performance. An important tip is to clean your mind as well as your home. Take a day of the week off and clean everything, very carefully and attentively, mentalizing positive energies. The same goes for you: change your look, take long baths and enjoy a moment moreintrospective. That's the starting point.

Then, something that can help overcome this Karma is to write or find some other form of expression. Since Mercury is the planet of communication and its retrograde state hinders the interconnection between people, a good tip is to exercise other ways of expression to compensate for the difficulty of speech.

Finally, strike a balance between valuing yourself and recognizing the importance of other people. Remember that empathy is the food of the soul.