The Universe Hits Rewind
It might just make you laugh at your own divine contradictions.
Mercury turns retrograde on November 9 at 6° Sagittarius, retracing its steps back to 20° Scorpio until November 29. Yet this story began earlier: Mercury’s setup phase started October 21, when it first crossed 20° Scorpio — the very degree where it will station direct on Black Friday. As you read, look back over the past two weeks; Mercury has already been establishing the framework for what is now unfolding. Stuff has been surfacing during the set up phase that you’ll have an opportunity to contemplate as Mercury retraces its steps. Than once Mercury is direct and in Sagittarius again, you’ll know right response.
As ruler of perception, connection, and short journeys, Mercury governs speech, writing, contracts, letters, and all forms of exchange — from neighborhood conversations to the intricate circuitry of your own nervous system. Think of Mercury as the Ambassador of Communication and Transportation, ensuring that all channels remain open and flowing. When Mercury shifts into reverse, those channels often ripple with delays, surprises, or delightful mischief.
Any retrograde invites us inward. It’s a time for the sacred re-words — reflect, review, rewind, recalibrate, renew, restore, re-imagine, reconsider, revisit. Because Mercury retrogrades three to four times each year, every cycle offers a quarterly check-in: How is your mind shaping your world? What direction has your life been growing since the last retrograde? Where do you need to ground in and stabilize? Any attachments that may be keeping you tethered to something you’ve outgrown? Each pause prepares the terrain for clearer movement once Mercury resumes direct motion.
When we resist this slowing, that’s when Mercury’s trickster side gets theatrical. The Divine messenger thrives in ambiguity and paradox, holding opposites in conversation — translator and prankster, pattern-finder and cosmic jester. Mercury reminds us that communication is a sacred art that flourishes when play and presence breathe together.
During Mercury’s retrograde, communication and listening become soul work. Are our words serving truth, or softening it into distortion? Can we be still enough to truly hear? With both Scorpio and Sagittarius activated, revelations are inevitable. Secrets that once hid in shadow now demand light. Confrontation brings freedom; confession opens new horizons.
From November 19 through December 11, Mercury revisits Scorpio’s depths. Here the Messenger becomes the Depth Decoder, fearless in facing what’s real and unafraid to cut through illusion. We are called to think for ourselves, trust our instincts, and discern truth from noise. Once Mercury re-enters Sagittarius, speech turns to pilgrimage — conversation as quest for meaning, mind as messenger of freedom.
This cycle is especially potent: Mercury will pow-wow with all the other planets and cross the degrees of the November 5 Full Moon three times. Transformation hums through every circuit. What chapters are you ready to close? Bless them and let them fall away. Are your beliefs aligned with the life you long to live? This is the moment for an honest dialogue with destiny.
Pause and ask: How wide is my bandwidth of perception? Can I witness without overlaying desire or expectation? Do I absorb group mind, or filter everything through my own inner compass? Remember — Mercury (mind) revolves around the Sun (heart).
We cannot transform what we have not first brought into awareness. Listen deeply; your inner voice will never mislead you. And if you wonder whether guidance arises from love or fear, note this: true guidance leaves you feeling expanded, even if challenged. Fear disguised as guidance leaves you contracted.
Spirit delights when we lace humor into honesty so that our truth sings instead of stings. The message is rarely as important as the music behind it. When Mercury dances nobly within you, silence listens for truth, words weave goodwill, and conversation becomes an art of unity.
May the Divine Messenger guide your thoughts, clarify your words, and open your ears to the laughter of the cosmos.