Mercury retrograde, August 23rd

Mercury Retrograde, 23 August to 15 September

The sun enters Virgo on the 23rd in the morning followed by Mercury stationing retrograde in the evening…this will be fun! So hold onto your hats peeps.

Now, Mercury retrograde gains a bad rep, BUT he’s not all bad in fact the messenger of the Gods is helping us to connect to our inner worlds. When he travels retrograde he is allowing us time to slow down and reflect, focus on details and our admin both professionally and in our personal lives. 

He is the communicator of the underworld, communicating between realms of the mortal and immortal, communicating between the Gods and humans. 

Mercury is known as an inner planet within the solar system, meaning we feel his presence more often as he retrogrades about three-four times a year. These retrogrades are caused by a slowing down movement that feels like the planet is going backwards. We can often find this presence a little challenging, however knowing what to expect and accepting it’s a time to slow down helps. Using the time for reflection and going inwards and looking for our inner knowledge that is within your underworld and bridging life to it. 

Using the energy of Mercury Retrograde is powerful, rather than pushing forward and doing, surrender and go within, focus on details, admin tasks, and your creativity. Continue working on your craft, your plans, and your ideas, noticing they may change or adjust.

Generally speaking, a launch of a new project is never ideal, but life does happen, and being aware that there might be a few hiccups and being prepared can empower you for this move. 

There are the usual effects he is known for and that is causing mischief regarding communication, technology, travel, and contracts and that ex popping back into your life or sliding into your DM seemingly out of nowhere.

Historically Mercury retrograde dates back to the mid-18th century when it was written about in astrology circles. Mercury Retrograde was noted in British agricultural almanacs, that farmers would read to sync their planting schedules to patterns of the stars.  During the spiritualism craze of the Victorian era, interest in astrology boomed, with many believing that the stars affected the Earth in a variety of ways. Late 19th-century publications like The Astrologer’s Magazine and The Science of the Stars connected Mercury retrograde with heavy rainfall. 

By the 1970s, Astrology became so popular that horoscopes were a newspaper regular column with Mercury retrograde a recurring event. As the Roman god Mercury was said to govern travel, commerce, financial wealth, and communication, in astrological circles, Mercury the planet became linked to these.

Thus how Mercury retrograde has become very prevalent in society and is often blamed for miscommunications, broken appliances and many other issues. 

In Astrology, Mercury is known as the planet of communication. It embodies all aspects of communication, from conversation to social media, public speaking, songwriting, and anything that communicates one person’s ideas to another person. It is also the planet of information and the mind, contracts, opinions, and rational thought. Mercury rules the parts of our lives that are connecting with others and how we communicate.

So when Mercury, the planet of communication is retrograde, all forms of communication are likely to fail at different times and this is why meaning what you say is important and if you are unsure of anything ask.

During this Mercury Retrograde in Virgo who are known for their sensibility, logic, hard work, and meticulous attention to detail, it could cause some of your plans to come to a halt. Attention to detail will be key as this is what Virgos represent, as an earth sign that is practical, grounded, and detail-oriented. So be mindful of the language we use to speak to our partner, or friends, as something meant as a joke or innocently may be taken the wrong way, and misunderstandings may occur. That email we sent our boss could be lost in the ether, or include a typo that changes the meaning of the whole communication.

Social media may experience a technical glitch when Mercury reverses, and even non-verbal communication is at risk…so if it goes down be patient and take it as a digital detox. When submitting on the computer, make sure your work is backed up and that you have patience as this could be a little pragmatic also.

Also, note that this Mercury Retrograde will overlap with the Venus Retrograde from August 23rd - Spetmerb 3rd which means the beginning could be challenging. But going with the flow and staying open to any changes will make it easier and who knows what could unfold for you.

The post-retrograde shadow will last until the 30th of September 2023, so prepare to breathe a sigh of relief from October, until the next Mercury reversal on the 13th of December 2023 (love that for the lead-up to Christmas).

Go strong, have faith and patience, if you understand and appreciate the Mercury Retrograde works and that often this time is for reflecting, organising, and going inwards then it will make it much easier for you.

Much love and gratitude to you,

Assunta