Astro Daily: August 6, 2024

Mercury is now retrograde in Virgo. As the planet of communication, ideas, movement, and choice, the next three weeks are a review. Can we make better decisions? Do we need to see a matter differently? Do we have other options to explore?

Despite Mercury Retrograde’s modern, pop-culture reputation, Mercury Retrograde isn’t a time to slam on the breaks or grind our decision making to a halt for a month. Yes, things can and will get a little wonky during Mercury Retrograde. Lines of communication may get a bit tangled. The news we’ve been waiting for may be delayed.

But it’s important to understand what, first, a retrograde is, and, second, what Mercury Retrograde is.

This is your friendly periodic reminder that all planets, except for the Sun and Moon, turn retrograde. Although a planet appears to go backwards in the sky, it’s an optical illusion. But, symbolically, it’s a time when a planet and its archetype is in a period of review which may last weeks or even months depending on the planet involved.

The retrograde is also a change in the symbolic energetic state of the planet. It is no longer in a yang or active phase. Instead, it’s in a yin or receptive phase. Yin energy is intuitive and feeling. It gives us time to integrate and rest after a yang phase.

Life is both active and receptive, yang and yin, day and night. Thus is the duality of life.

Mercury turns retrograde the most frequently — every three months for three to four weeks at a time. By comparison, the outer planets of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto spend five months out of the year retrograde. So, as you can imagine, if we stopped our lives for every retrograde, everything would grind to a halt.

What can we understand from Mercury Retrograde? That life needs reflection. We can’t always run on instinct and rapid decision making. That we are constantly bombarded with information and experiences that we need a three or so week period to collect our thoughts and listen to our intuition.

Of course, digitally back up your work and projects. Double check the fine print. And make sure you have a Plan B.

Mercury will be retrograde from August 5 at 4 degrees Virgo until August 28 at 21 degrees Leo.

If you are in AUSTRALIA or NZ, this forecast applies approximately for August 7, 2024.