Mercury Retrograde Is Over! What To Expect For Each Sign

Mercury retrograde is undoubtedly astrology’s most dreaded and well known event. Relationship confusion, botched business deals, broken phones, canceled flights–the planet of communication and technology caught in the illusion of a backwards orbit claims all sorts of trouble from minor inconveniences to major mess. General wisdom will have you not leaving your house during Mercury’s retrograde phase, but the truth is, if you simply dot your “i”s and cross your “t”s you can avoid a lot of headaches without putting your life on hold for a month.

Of course, the nature of the confusion is affected by the sign in which Mercury is spinning. Since September 27, Mercury has moved from Virgo to Libra and is now stationing direct in Libra again. Virgo season (the time of the year in which the Sun is in the house of Virgo) was very Virgo-heavy this year: a full moon, a new moon, Mars, and Mercury (which, by the way, is the planetary ruler of the house of Virgo) all in the mutable earth sign. Virgo is the sign of critical thinking, precise action, harvests, and service. In general these concepts in reverse will show up with certain events or trends in society; but how this retrograde showed up in your individual life depends on your chart. Looking back over the period between September 27 and October 18, there may have been strong themes of feeling overworked, of redefining your work/life balance, and wondering if your efforts will ever come to fruition. There were also major technological issues. Facebook’s now-infamous six-hour outage affecting Instagram, Facebook, and Whatsapp was right on point for Mercury’s signature communicative chaos, and you may have had delays in travels, problems with your work/life balance, or you may have hit a snag in your relationships.

But what about the END of a transit? Many of us are looking towards the end of this retrograde with relief, without stopping to understand exactly how the chaos of the past month will lead us to balance in the next. This season’s Mercury Retrograde is nearly over, and will be stationing direct on October 18 in the sign of Libra. While Mercury remained in Virgo for much of the retrograde phase, the Sun moved into Libra just a few days after Mercury began its retrograde phase. Now Mercury is following suit, and the energy is shifting.

Mercury Stationing Direct and You

The sun sign is the biggest influence on a person’s chart, which is why most horoscopes tend to focus on sun signs only. Many astrologers, however, recommend that you read the horoscope for both your sun sign and your rising sign (the sign of your first house) to get a more complete understanding of how a transit will affect you.

ARIES

Your one-on-one relationships have taken quite a tumble this time, but if you can apply what you’ve learned from the chaos, you will find yourself enjoying better times with healthier boundaries—and less defensiveness about it.

TAURUS

The delicate balance between self-care and self-indulgence are at the forefront of this era for you. Step out of retrograde and retail therapy and into the relief of balancing your checkbook. Remember, caring for your future IS caring for yourself.

GEMINI

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Putting yourself first is a necessity these days, and understanding what aspects of yourself you have been neglecting will illuminate why this is so important to you now. It should come easier now that Mercury’s not spinning backwards–and due to the fact that your personal planet always hits home.

CANCER

You may have realized recently that there is plenty more to communication than expressing your emotions. There is also, as the Buddha put it, Right Speech and Right Action. Put simply, you must have an intention in your communication. It is not always simply about the other person understanding how you feel. Diplomacy will come easier now, with Mercury under the dominion of Libra.

LEO

Stretching yourself thin so everyone can get a piece of you–does that sound familiar? You don’t owe the world a performance, and sometimes it is most helpful to remember that one-on-one communication is the most effective tool in enriching your relationships. Rationing your energy will be a major theme of this new direct station, as will the discernment that comes from more intimate communication.

VIRGO

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This season has caused plenty of shakeups, especially in your career and finances. You’ve been asking yourself if all this hard work is really taking you where you want to go; now that the storm has passed, the changes you need to make to alter the direction of your life to align with your actual goals will be much clearer now.

LIBRA

You’ve made it through something of an existential crisis this past month, questioning everything from your worth to your identity and how people perceive you. Now that the Sun and Mercury are both in your sign, you will be able to go deeper and find the core of what you seek–that you were right there all along.

SCORPIO

It hasn’t been an easy time for you, and out of all the signs, you may have the most trouble getting back on your feet as Mercury leaves its retrograde. You find it natural to go deep, deeper than probably anyone else is willing to go–but this time you lost your footing, questioning your intuition which is normally rock-solid. Have patience. Discomfort is a great teacher.

SAGITTARIUS

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Old friends showing up, new entanglements appearing; if you’ve managed to escape this retrograde without any new and confusing relationships, you’ve emerged the winner. If not, be prepared to say goodbye: these retrograde whirlwinds usually do not last, serving instead to reinforce a lesson we were hesitant to learn in softer terms.

CAPRICORN

Unphased by the inevitable hiccups, this retrograde has affirmed your famous horizon mentality and given you peace of mind. Settle in! You know the pace you’re most accustomed to, and it is a healthy one.

AQUARIUS

The way you communicate your knowledge has everything to do with how it is received. You have learned many things this past month, but now is the time to balance communicating yourself and learning from others. Be inspired by those who are different from you, and not only how different you are from others.

PISCES

The compulsion to continue out-dated habits was strong this past month. It is not always comfortable to outgrow the child’s bed or your favorite sweater, and it is no less disconcerting to outgrow an unhealthy emotional support crutch. Libra energy will help you rebalance your energy, bring it back where it belongs, and resist the urge to give too much or leech on others.