How to Handle a 2021 Mercury Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde 2021 is not a freak occurrence, much less the end of the world.
2021 Mercury Retrograde
To listen to Astrologer Kathy Biehl discuss the 2021 Mercury Retrogrades, click the player below.
If you’re familiar with the term “Mercury retrograde,” odds are you don’t have good feelings about it. “Oh, no, not again!” is the usual reaction to learning that one is coming up.
Take heart! It doesn’t mean the sky is falling. Mercury retrograde is not a freak occurrence, much less the end of the world. It’s a regular phenomenon that happens three or four times a year. We can’t stop it, but we can understand and work with it.
And this year, the phenomenon might not be as aggravating as in recent years. Read on for how and why.
What does Mercury Retrograde mean?
First, the technicalities: Mercury is retrograde when it looks from the earth as if traveling backward.
That’s an optical illusion, of course. It happens when Mercury’s orbital speed changes in comparison to the earth’s. It’s the planetary equivalent of speeding up on a highway, passing a car, and seeing it fall far behind after you in the rearview mirror.
How this works: When Mercury is retrograde (not in retrograde), the areas of life it governs do not play by the usual rules. Anything related to communication and Travel requires extra attention. This includes phones, computers, electronic devices, mail, cars, public transportation, and commutes.
Our information flow is always a casualty. Messages can go astray. Some misunderstandings are possible, confusion, half-truths, and deception are rampant. Both sides of a conversation may use the same words but give them different meanings. Unspoken expectations and assumptions may differ, as well.
Vehicles of communication also misfire. Anything with an inherent instability hits the breaking point—technology malfunctions. Websites and networks go down. Programs stop working. Tasks that should be ordinary may turn into a gauntlet of error messages and troubleshooting.
Getting around is also a challenge—traffic snarls, and even Travel gets delayed. Sometimes the Buses don’t arrive, the Cars break down, the detours pop up just to complicate your route.
What should you do for a Mercury Retrograde?
Postpone launching significant projects, signing major contracts, and buying big-ticket items if possible. (You may not have complete or accurate information; the subject or purpose may not be what you think it is.) Double-check fine print, backup your data, and allow lots of extra time when you’re on the road.
Watch for opportunities for a do-over, which may initially show up as unraveling or restructuring. Investigate and research, finish old business, clean up paperwork, and get in touch with people you haven’t talked to in a while. Pay attention to who surfaces from the past, in person or in thought. Their reappearance could help tie up loose ends or resolve lingering business. Organize and prepare so you’ll be ready to move ahead when Mercury does.
Mercury Retrogrades in 2021
First, the details. In 2021, Mercury is retrograde from:
January 30 – February 20, going from 26 Aquarius to 11 Aquarius;
May 29 – June 22, going from 24 Gemini to 16 Gemini; and
September 27 – October 18, going from 25 Libra to 10 Libra.
Look for effects before and after these dates. Communication and transportation matters usually start slowing (or growing complicated) a couple of days before a retrograde begins. The day of the retrograde station (when Mercury appears to be motionless, as it seems to change direction) can feel as if time has stopped altogether.
The same sensation returns when Mercury stations direct. Communication and transportation matters don’t suddenly speed up once the retrograde ends, either. Give the planet time to get moving again. Wait a few days after Mercury stations direct before resuming business as usual.
What’s Different About Mercury Retrogrades in 2021
All the 2021 Mercury Retrogrades are in air signs. Mercury is comfortable in the air element – one of his homes is in the air sign of Gemini – because it allows the freedom of movement he prefers. This has a paradoxical effect.
On the one hand, the retrograde complications and opportunities will feel familiar. They may come with the sense that we’ve been through something like this before.
On the other hand, snafus and complications may happen at a breakneck pace because Mercury (and everything he rules) moves smoothly. This possibility could also occur for investigating, reorganizing, and do-overs, though. Those matters could resolve with surprising efficiency.
The first two retrogrades will also draw attention to the role and use of technology and social media.
From January 30 – February 20, the first retrograde in Aquarius is heavy on abruptness, intellectual detachment, and technology issues. It occurs while the skies propel us away from the past few years’ disintegrations and into new networks, institutions, and realities. We’ll be gathering lots of information, with a scientific reserve.
Dates to watch:
Hearts and minds align on February 13, when Mercury joins Venus, goddess of love and desire.
The flow of information (accurate or confused) will mushroom when Mercury meets Jupiter on February 14.
Since late December snaps, Tension has been building when the two rulers of Aquarius, Saturn, and Uranus, pit the need for structure against the need for radical change on February 17. Awakening action ensues.
From May 29 – June 22. The second retrograde will bring a classic Mercury retrograde experience in Gemini. Gemini is home base for gab, gadgets, and getting around, all of which Mercury rules. Expect information and complications involving all of them to flow quickly, freely, and continuously.
This retrograde coincides with the start of a long and dramatic process of resetting what goes in and out of our minds and mouths. That is the outgrowth of the solar eclipse on June 10, in the sign of Mercury’s rulership and this retrograde. The eclipse is at 20 Gemini, with Mercury smack on that degree as well.
Social media and news sources will figure in this process, which has us revisiting our communications’ quality and nature. As we reboot and potentially upgrade information, this retrograde will assist by pointing out areas of confusion or deception. This stretch will also offer many opportunities for clearing up or finishing up.
This stretch has us rethinking and revisiting a lot because it coincides with several outer planet retrogrades. Saturn and Pluto are already retrograde when Mercury stations and Jupiter goes retrograde before Mercury turns direct.
Because the planet and the sign both carry a streak of the trickster, cosmic jokes could be rampant. Keeping a light-hearted attitude is advisable; laughter is, they say, the best medicine.
Dates to Watch:
Confusion and inspiration hit dazzling heights when Mercury squares Neptune on June 5.
Processing and assimilating the personal meaning of information occurs when Mercury meets the Sun on June 10, during the solar eclipse.
The final retrograde, from September 27 – October 18, in Libra, may involve issues of relationships, reckoning, balancing, and even litigating because Libra rules partnerships and legalities. Misunderstandings could come from Libra’s preference for graceful, harmonious approaches, which could make words so understated that the intent or meaning isn’t clear.
This stretch is even more inner-directed and complex than the second retrograde and leads to more excellent resolution. That’s because it overlaps with the year’s most retrogrades, which gradually clear up during this stretch. Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto are retrograde when Mercury stations, Pluto, then Saturn, and then Jupiter turns direct by the time Mercury follows suit.
Dates to watch:
Look for romance, escapism, and a heightened sense of love when Libra’s ruler Venus trines transcendent Neptune on September 29.
Indulgent tendencies may blow out of proportions and mushroom when Venus squares expansive Jupiter on September 30.
Demands for candor hit, and secrets will out when Mercury squares Pluto on October 1.
Optimistic and maybe unrealistic thinking increases when Mercury trines Jupiter on October 3.
Personal awareness is on tap as Mercury meets the Sun on October 9. We walk our talk with Mercury, also joining go-getter Mars that same day.
Stability is on offer when Venus sextiles Saturn on October 13.
Opportunities open to talking about matters close to our hearts when Mercury sextiles Venus on October 16.
Learn more about the cosmic messenger in Kathy’s downloadable Mercury Intensive.
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About the Author
Kathy Biehl is a professional astrologer with more than 30 years of experience. She has been translating astrology for the mainstream since high school and has a knack for combining humor and pop culture with her guidance. Visit EmpowermentUnlimited.net to sign up for her mailing list, listen to her forecasts, and book a session for her. Find her on Facebook at Empowerment Unlimited and the Astro-Insight Lounge, and on YouTube at the Professional Aquarian Channel.
