Mercury Retrograde in Aries: Rediscovering the Truth About Self

I’ll start by airing out the truth…Mercury Retrogrades are not a bad thing! Keep that in mind during these times of possible delays and miscommunications. It serves a necessary purpose in the cycles of life. Mercury Retrogrades are among the top astrological topics that are misunderstood and misconstrued (even by many astrologers…but consider that each person has our own natal makeup coloring our views)…though the dreaded Mercury Retrograde has been recently outdone by the Ophiucus debacle that is for some silly reason still hanging around. If I had time to address that misunderstanding fully, I would, because even my aunt…and even the bagger at the grocery store…have mentioned in conversations with me that they don’t understand why their signs have changed. That’s just it, I keep explaining, they haven’t. But anyway…maybe this Mercury Retrograde will provide me with some time to write a further review.

More important now is that Mercury is stationed in the 25^th degree of Aries and is turning retrograde today at 3:48pm CST.

First let me paint a picture of Mercury in Aries, before we revise that energy in retrograde. Mercury rules the mind, communication, and transportation (just to name a few) and, in Aries, Mercury dons the cloak of the warrior, leader, pioneer and initiator…impulsive, fearless, and active. Mercury in Aries people (yes, I am one of them) tend to speak their minds…and at best, desire to champion the causes of those whose voices are not being heard. At worst, they can be hot-headed, quick-tempered, and tactless argument-starters. The Mercury in Aries mind moves full-speed ahead, which can result in appearing to speak before they think. But it isn’t that (though many times they find their foot in their mouth), it’s a willingness to speak the truth that can often find them in trouble.

As Mercury has been travelling through Aries (since March 9^th), you may have noticed a tendency (in you and those around you, and particularly in the world as a whole) to fight for what you believe in. There is more aggression in our communication, and less ‘beating around the bush’. And there is decidedly a lot less patience. But for those who are usually indecisive or timid with their communications, this placement boosts your ability to act bravely and quickly on your ideas. There is greater self-confidence and more self-expression, as Aries has a focus on self.

As Mercury stations (from our earthly point-of-view, of course…planets don’t actually stop or change directions), the above-mentioned qualities come to the forefront. The focus is on our mental state and the actions that respond to it. Then, when Mercury starts moving retrograde, we are in review mode…picking up things we may have sped past through the month of March. This is why these retrogrades are a good time to rethink, revise, and rediscover. In Aries especially, our minds have been quickening with the change of seasons…and many of us (including Mother Nature, it seems from a Northern perspective) need an adjustment period to prepare for the growth and activity that Spring will bring.

Now is the time to meditate on who you are, how you think about things, and how you want to express yourself this year. Mercury is having us all step back for a moment and reassess how we are coming across and what actions we should take in moving forward. For those who need a wake up call about these things, this retrograde can be a very trying time…causing delays and miscommunications if we haven’t taken the time to review our thought processes and ‘be the change we wish to see in this world’. For those who are already aligning with their goals and direction, this is a time of preparation and revision…crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s before we move along at the end of April.

It’s always best not to plan a busy schedule that relies on big decision making and timely travel during these times, because you may find the universe giving you grief for not allowing yourself a chance to calm your mind and learn the lessons that Aries has to offer. But don’t be afraid of it either…a travel delay gives you time to prepare, and the aftermath of a hasty decision can clue you into how you really feel about something…or how it effects others.

There is a boost in Aries energy from the cosmos right now, and not just from Mercury. The bigger picture in the following weeks shows Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus giving focus in this sign as well…with a necessary balance point of Saturn in Libra to remind us about others while so much energy is focused on the self. The New Moon this weekend is also in Aries, ushering in even more attention to bold new beginnings.

With Mercury’s ideas, Venus’s charm, Mars’s decisiveness, Jupiter’s optimism, and Uranus’s brilliance (all grounded by Saturn’s lessons on relating to others)…April’s New Moon may prove to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship with ourselves and with the world around us. Here’s to fresh starts and new opportunities in all of our lives.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi