Mercury Retrograde in Aries: Renewing Perceptions

Planetary Retrogrades: A Deeper Look

 

Astronomically, retrogrades are an optical illusion that causes a planet to appear to be moving backward from our perspective on Earth. What happens is similar to passing next to a train or a car that is moving slower than us: the planet appears to be at a standstill and then moves backward, before pausing again and resuming forward motion after some time.

Mercury retrograde tends to be a feared event in popular Astrology, and it is often a transit that even those who aren’t familiar with Astrology have heard about. It is commonly associated with technology glitches, miscommunications, forgetfulness, and disruptions to our plans, however, there is a much deeper meaning to this event from an evolutionary standpoint.

Astrologically, when a planet appears to be at a standstill and to move backward, the symbolism suggests that it is time to pause, slow down, and reflect rather than continuing to move forward on autopilot. It is said that retrogrades are evolutionary accelerators because they force us to question how things have always been done, be creative, and explore alternative solutions. 

 

Mercury Retrograde: Asking Better Questions

 

Mercury is the planet associated with the rational mind, with communication, commerce, and short-distance travel, as well as with how we think and perceive reality, making sense of it through a logical lens. This is the planet that goes retrograde most frequently: Mercury is retrograde three to four times per year and for approximately three weeks at a time.

When the Messenger goes retrograde, the invitation for us to ask ourselves better questions rather than believing we already know all the answers. This transit calls for a shift in how we think, communicate, and perceive reality.

Mercury retrograde is an opportunity to make changes in our mindset and become aware of the beliefs and assumptions we perceive as truth, but are actually a result of the conditioning we internalized in the past. Mercury retrograde reminds us of the value of critical thinking and invites us to think for ourselves.

Mercury Retrograde in Aries: Self-Observation before Self-Assertion

 

Mercury has been in Aries since March 9, encouraging us to practice assertive and spontaneous communication. During its retrograde, the invitation for us is to improve our ability to discern when it is appropriate to be unfiltered and when instead we should take time to think before we speak. Mercury in Aries quickens our mental processes, facilitates quick decision-making, and motivates us to express our thoughts, ideas, and desires clearly and directly. This transit instills courage in our words, thoughts, and deeds: Mercury’s retrograde period in the sign of the Ram offers us an opportunity to refine our ability to be consciously assertive and speak truthfully and authentically. 

When Mercury is retrograde in Aries, the invitation for us is to pause before we speak or share our opinions or ideas and be aware of when we feel tempted to be particularly impulsive with our words or actions. Mercury’s retrograde transit through the sign of the Ram invites us to reflect before we act, to question our habitual style of self-assertion, and to observe what is triggered when we feel drawn to react or talk back impulsively.

 

Mercury conjunct Chiron: Healing Wounds around Communication and Assertiveness

 

During its backward journey through Aries, Mercury crosses Chiron for the second time. Mercury crossed Chiron already on March 20, and the two are going to meet again on April 15, while Mercury is retrograde, and on May 6, when Mercury is going to be direct again. These conjunctions bring the spotlight on wounds surrounding communication, self-assertion, and appropriate expression of anger.

Themes that first emerged around March 20 will come up again during the next Mercury-Chiron conjunctions, which will give us opportunities to revisit them, see them in a new light, and integrate them.

The second conjunction between Mercury and Chiron occurs while Mercury is retrograde, at 19º of Aries. This alignment offers us chances to reflect on how our past experiences still impact our ability to assert ourselves and communicate truthfully, authentically, and confidently. It also points out how we can harness the power of our minds and thoughts to either empower or disempower us, inviting us to gain awareness of wounds that cause us to get stuck in disempowering thinking patterns or inner dialogue. 

The final Mercury-Chiron conjunction happens on May 6 and will offer us new opportunities for a better understanding of everything that happened in the past weeks and months.

 

Mercury Retrograde in Aries: Need for Drastic Shifts in Perception

 

We are right in the middle of the Eclipse window, the timeframe between one Eclipse and the next one, and Mercury is a key player in this Eclipse season as it’s going to be conjunct with the upcoming New Moon Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. 

A few days later, retrograde Mercury is going to cross Venus, also in Aries, which is the ruler of the Libra South Node. The Mercury-Venus conjunction, exact on April 19, is an opportunity to renew and redefine how we think about relationships, how we perceive the people in our lives, how we communicate with them and speak our truth within relationships, but also how we speak to ourselves and our beliefs about our personal worth. This alignment catalyzes a reconfiguration of our mindset surrounding our relationships, our values, as well as our finances, and invites us to release old ideas, perceptions, and ways of thinking that no longer serve us.

Mercury’s shift of motion during Eclipse season emphasizes the invitation for a drastic shift in how we perceive our reality, in how we think, in our mindset, and in our relationship to logic and rational thinking as we move through the Eclipse portal and integrate the changes that are taking place both internally and externally.

The prominence of Aries energy at this time emphasizes the need to recover our connection with our instinct: Mercury retrograde in the sign could be an opportunity to build new bridges between what we perceive through our instinct, our body, and our intuition, and our logic and intellectual processes.

 

Crystal Pick for Mercury Stations Retrograde in Aries: Blue Sapphire

 

This powerful crystal of the mental realms expands your awareness, improves concentration, and creates an understanding of expansive and spiritual ideas. It can help clear and calm your mind during this Mercury Retrograde, and open you to new ideas, possibilities, and perspectives you may have never considered before. 

Mercury in Aries energy can heighten our mental frustration, irritability, and impulsivity, and blue sapphire is a powerful balancer for these fiery energies, bringing cooling qualities that settle any heightened or stirred-up energy, stabilizing the mind and emotions to help you speak with more consideration, consciousness, and confidence.

It also opens the door for your psychic gifts to come through loud and clear, strengthening the channels of communication between you and your spirit team. It holds the keys to unlocking the dormant codes of your DNA, the wisdom you carry in your bones, and helps you express your truth and insights with clarity, integrity, and conviction.

 

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