Taking center stage this month is Mercury, turning retrograde on the 2nd. Pay extra attention to details, double check paperwork, beware of miscommunication… All the usual retrograde advice applies throughout the month, as Mercury won’t turn direct again until the 26th.

Be especially careful of forming bad habits, or losing good ones. Prepare for routines and schedules to be disrupted.

The best strategy for successful navigation of this retrograde:

1. Details, Details, Details – This Mercury retrograde is occurring entirely in the sign of Virgo – the sign of meticulous attention to detail. During this retrograde, extra attention to those seemingly insignificant details will prove to be more than worth the time and effort.
2. Keep an Open Mind – While it’s not advisable to make important decisions, or wholly embrace new ways of thinking during a Mercury retrograde, it can be an excellent time to consider and explore such things. With Mercury opposing Neptune, this retrograde can be an opportunity to purge old worn out ways of thinking, and open blocked psychic channels. However, the opportunity comes as vague and incomplete ideas, concepts, "feelings", etc. Just keep an open mind in such matters – once the retrograde has passed you may realize some very important seeds were planted.
3. Have some patience- Expect a few extra glitches, delays, and extra details to deal with. When Mercury retrogrades in Virgo, the biggest problems are often the littlest things. It’s the frustration of too many little things that make it seem big.
4. Good Habits – Virgo is the sign of habits and routines. During this retrograde it can be all too easy to break good habits. Be extra vigilant to maintain the habits and routines you want to keep, and make an effort to break bad ones.
5. Health Matters – Of all habits to maintain vigilantly this month, those connected with health and well being are most important. Not only poor diet and exercise, but lack of attention to emotional, spiritual, or psychological health will take more of a toll than you expect.

What does Mercury Retrograde mean?

You may well be familiar with Mercury’s retrograde cycle. It is one of the best known, least understood astrological cycles. In reality, most planets go retrograde every so often. The retrogrades of Mercury get the most attention, because they cause the most problems. It doesn’t have to be this way.

A bit of preparation, and a little different approach can make all the difference in how troublesome – or helpful – a retrograde can be. To summarize the standard warnings: be extra careful with paperwork; avoid making final plans/decisions if possible; don’t be quick to jump to conclusions; be extra careful of accidents.

The above is just a short list of reminders. If you are unfamiliar with Mercury retrogrades, or would like a deeper understanding of how to prepare for and make use of the cycle please visit the MERCURY RETROGRADE section of this website.

This retrograde will last from March 30 – April 15th. He entered the retrograde shadow zone on March 16th so the effects have been gradually building. He will leave the retrograde shadow zone on May 11th, taking with him the last lingering effects.

It’s time for a retrograde

These are tricky times. In fact, Mercury is the mythological ‘trickster’ and he plays that role happily while retrograding. One of the reasons is, like any retrograding planet, the energies are turned more internal. Because Mercury is the ruler of attention itself, and all things mental, it’s easy to see why this is so problematic – and important.

We all get caught up in the external world of deadlines, details, demands, obligations, information, communication, schedules, meetings… Sometimes we get caught up in it to the point we neglect -or even forget- everything else. And everything else is what really matters.

All those things that can’t be defined, measured, and penciled into an appointment book can fall by the wayside far too easily. The internal, emotional, spiritual, and psychological aspects of existence often get neglected, as the external consumes our attention.

When Mercury retrogrades, attention is turned inward – it’s not so easy to ignore the spirit and soul. This is actually one of the reasons Mercury retrograde gets a bad rap. When the external and mundane can’t captivate your attention, you find yourself daydreaming not working; your mind wanders; it’s hard to track details. Maybe it’s not helpful in the office. It’s a reminder there is more to life, more to you, than dates, details, and deadlines.

Mercury retrograding in Aries

This particular retrograde occurs in Aries. This is the sign of fire, vitality, life force, spontaneity – it is the Ram, charging forward into spring. There is a bit of warrior in all of us. As attention turns inward, under this fiery sign, that warrior is stirring.

To start with the warnings, this is a sign associated with accidents – especially when angry or irritated, so don’t bypass safety precautions. As Aries is ruler of machinery, prepare for some mechanical malfunctions along with the electronic ones this retrograde. Short patience and/or temper is often a side-effect of this retrograde so try to keep it cool. Don’t jump to conclusions or assumptions too quickly – this is a recipe for arguments resulting from misunderstandings.

Beyond the warnings, there is much good to say about this retrograde. That awakening warrior means a lot more than temper and impatience. When we say ‘warrior’ or ‘fighting battles’ it doesn’t have to mean literally. In fact the most important battles are fought without violence or harsh words. These are battles with yourself, facing the challenges before you, and overcoming the obstacles in your path.

Inner fire is a strong theme of this retrograde. Wherever Aries falls in your chart there is passion, energy, fire and drive. Unfortunately, the mundane demands of daily life may not do much to spark this inner fire. As Mercury retrogrades through Aries, the fire gets a little closer to the surface, the spark a little easier to find.

When you find yourself feeling all out of tune, fed up with your life in general, or sick of the monotony – consider it a sign. Retrogrades are a time of review. This one is a good time to review a few things in your life.

Pay attention to what catches your attention. What are you craving new and different, or pining for from the past? What in your life brings out pure anger and frustration? What sparks a feeling of enthusiasm?

The life we lead is rarely an accurate reflection of what we need and want. To some extent this is out of necessity. To a greater extent it is out of uncertainty. We draw freely from inner wells of energy, strength and drive. Yet when these resources are spent on things that don’t matter – deep down – we aren’t fueling the fire we are using up.

As Mercury retrogrades through Aries, he will draw attention inward, toward the fire. He will point out what is smothering it, what is consuming it, and what fuel it is calling out for. All we have to do is listen.

The Virgo New Moon has a contemplative, thoughtful quality. This is a sign of purification and refinement. It is also a Mercury ruled sign, making it highly susceptible to the retrograde. Although New Moon is typically a good time for beginning new projects and endeavors, it’s not advisable this time.

The focus of this Moon lies in it’s ruler, Mercury. The general advice for a Mercury retrograde is review, look at things from a different angle, see what you’ve been overlooking. This is a Virgo retrograde, and that energy is enhanced by the New Moon in Virgo. This is a rather analytical sign, known for fault-finding.

The aim of Virgo is improving, refining, perfecting and purifying. The method is an efficient and practical one – beginning with exposing all that is less than ideal. With Mercury retrograding in Virgo, it sometimes feels as if Murphy’s Law ("if it can go wrong it will") is in full effect. And it is, for a reason. If it can go wrong, there is a flaw allowing this to happen, and exposing this flaw allows you to fix it.

New Moon brings the seeds of a new cycle; a new vision is beginning to form. The vision of this critical Virgo Moon is not likely a pleasant one. Throughout the waxing Moon – especially with new clarity after Mercury goes direct – there is an increasing awareness of imperfections. There is a restless discontent building. The vision forming is one of all that we have been settling for, making do with, letting slide, putting up with…

From the time Mercury goes direct on the 12th, the overall energies are shifting. Subtle undertones begin building – a sense of something heavier, darker, more potent. It is a time for facing inner struggles as well as outer ones. There is a strong sense of the need for purging or releasing.

Pluto follows Mercury, ending his retrograde cycle the very next day. It may mean some serious glitches around the 12th and 13th, so expect this retrograde to end with a bang. However, after a few days, when the energies begin to settle, clarity will begin to return. After the confusion of Mercury retrograde, heavily infused with vague Neptune aspects near the end, it may seem a sharp contrast. There is a sense of being snapped back to reality, like a fresh breath of startlingly cold air after exiting a hot, stuffy room

The highlight of the waxing Moon comes as Jupiter conjoins Neptune on the 18th. It is a whirlwind of chaotic and exciting energy passing through just as we are coming out from under the retrograde spell. Avoid making spontaneous decisions around this time, especially important ones. There is a sense of urgency, of "act first, think later". Anything to break out of a rut may sound appealing – and may be just what the doctor ordered, but not without a little grounding thought first.

This Waxing phase is building towards a powerful series of events. On the 21st the Sun reaches opposition with Uranus and Jupiter, on the 22nd Mabon, and on the 23rd Full Moon. Waning Moon, waning year, and waning Sun-Jupiter/Uranus cycles mark a powerful time of endings, release, purification… Spiritually of otherwise, it is a time for decrease and elimination of that which has completed it’s cycle, or has became detrimental rather than constructive. This Waxing Moon is painting a painfully clear picture of just what that is.