The Mercury Rx period, when the planet of communication will wobble back from 29˚ to 16˚ Pisces, commences on March 5th and will last until March 28th. Representatives of Virgo, Pisces and their fellow water signs Cancer and Scorpio, alongside Gemini, will bear the brunt of its retrograde motion. On March 15th Mercury will conjunct the Sun, thus impacting most strongly the fiery trio - Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. (This year, Mercury resides in Pisces from February 10th until April 16th). We ought to note that Mercury retrograde casts its shadow from February 27 until April 16, which means that the recommended precautions are valid throughout this extended period, albeit to a lesser extent.
And now on the specificities of Mercury retrograde in Pisces – it will lose its intrinsic astuteness, its grasp of fine detail and drive for efficiency. Instead, its attention will re-focus on the overall picture, on its ambience, and even on what lies hidden behind it. Nevertheless, flexibility and multitasking will still be its strong points, as long as they’re more introspectively oriented.
The rule-of-thumb precautions for any Mercury Rx should be applied now – do not buy any brand new items. If you must get something, opt for second-hands or heavy discounts. Do not sign any contracts; scrutinize the details, the small print, the reference notes. Do not share your private plans light-heartedly – listen to what others have to say. Ask questions. Now is the time when we may learn many secrets and unveil others’ deeply buried desires.
The first and the last day of any Mercury retrograde period are always the most critical ones when we should not embark on journeys. On the remaining days of the period, double-check your luggage, the vehicle, the timetable, the tickets, and so forth. Delays and cancellations, mix-ups and losses are quite probable.
This is an auspicious period for repairs and reviews, draft-making and data collection, checks and revisions.
Mercury aspects during its retrograde motion
During its journey back through Pisces, Mercury will repeat the aspects already made. The most significant hard aspect is the square with Jupiter on February 22nd, March 15th and April 12th. These are the dates when one should avoid all sorts of confrontations with the authorities. If you happen to cross somebody, do your best to apologize right away, even if this appears unjust or trivial.
Mercury also conjuncts Neptune - the planet of the broad masses and mysticism - thrice, on February 19th, March 24th and April 2nd. On these days, you should liberate and expand your thinking and be generous and charitable. You will be rewarded with flashes of creativity and lucky ideas – boundless imaginativeness is your key to success now. However, you should bear in mind that while communication with others flows smoothly on these dates, it is also ambiguous, confused, too broad and limitless, far too unspecific. This is also a period when all currents go haywire, from city traffic to water in household piping, river basins and rain. On the other hand, this is a most proliferous time for artistic and religious insights and enchanting musical events, and also beneficial for medical/healing returns to previous diagnoses and treatments.
At that, you may accomplish your plans during the Mercury-Saturn sextiles on February 20, March 20 and April 7. The Great Teacher will grant his student Mercury the chance to pass the deferred exam with flying colours. Your second attempt at something will be crowned with success.
Get ready to swim on your back not knowing in which direction you advance
The proverbial Piscean disorderliness, multivalence and imagination will be a trait of us all, especially in terms of communication… with ourselves! We’ll let ourselves reach farther, aspire higher, dream bigger. We’ll be more charitable to ourselves, we will forgive our own failures, we’ll reconsider our plans and innermost desires, even our secrets and dreams.
Any surgical procedures on the feet are to be avoided, unless they are meant to correct previous unsuccessful surgeries. Unfortunately, we will tend to be either chattier than usual, or very taciturn. In any case, sensitivity and absent-mindedness will be heightened. The fire signs will experience communication challenges at home, at work, or in their private dealings.
The best advice to all sun signs would be to be better listeners, to withdraw for a while and ponder over the situation, to consider all its aspects. This would be healing for themselves and for the situation encountered during this period.
The emphasis shifts by Sun sign:
Aries
For Arians, these few weeks will be a proper challenge – they need to AVOID all clashes and any rivalry! This will be your hardest battle, Aries. Try to find an outlet for all that energy, be it through an exhausting workout at the gym, a steep mountain hike or even through meditation, yoga or a spell of solitude. At some point after April 15th this might turn into your new hobby. We must pick our battles wisely – this is not the opportune time for any conflicts! Yet, if you manage to keep quiet, you will learn so many secrets that it would be tantamount to therapy.
Taurus
Your biggest challenge is the fact that everyone has suddenly become a ‘dreamer’! It will be hard for you to communicate in the good old way, so you’d better acknowledge the validity of dreams and ask your companion to name his aim. This might sober him up. Apart from your legendary tenacity, now you will have to resort to understanding, and then even show forgiveness. This is how reality works. You never know – some of these dreams may come true and then you might find yourself on the winning team.
Gemini
The time has come when the superficial (albeit very intelligent) Twins need to think DEEPLY. You’re in your element in this period of profuse chattering and dreaming away. This shouldn’t pose an issue, given your abundant daring and versatility. You will learn plenty of new things while discussing old projects and wishes. And since the retrograde falls in your house of social status and career, do your best to make the process work for you.
Cancer
Cancerians will expand their horizons and revive old travel or education plans. Now is the time to rationalise them and seek further information, new offers, second chances. This will repay handsomely. Out of the blue, new or “rehashed” ideas will occur to you, in a bolder and riskier format.
Leo
A power or inheritance contest will re-emerge during this retrograde. Don’t bite the bait! Better take a new look at it, seek an old path or a second opinion, take a step back and be more flexible. Once this period is over, you may act. You are not known as a backstepper, but now this is the key to accomplishments - spiritual and, quite possibly, material ones too.
Virgo
While you are efficient and adaptable, you always insist on having things done to your standards of fairness and purity. Well, now things will go south a bit, particularly in the sphere of personal relationships. You’ll need to take this into account and be as humane as possible, by always stepping into the other man’s shoes. Maybe your way would be to negotiate and outline the new terms. Go for a relationship ‘overhaul’, regardless if it’s your relations with a loved one, a business partner, an accountant, lawyer or your GP.
Libra
An old ailment may remind of itself, or an old problem with a colleague, a pet, an employee or anything pertaining to your daily routine. Stay open-minded! Seek alternatives – recycled or discounted, refurbished or renewed relations, projects, options. Let “rinse and reuse” be your motto, embrace challenges, hone new skills in your routine work. Shake off your stereotypes. After all, you frequently take decisions and initiate actions. Get ready to do that once the period is over.
Scorpio
Love, children and pleasurable pastimes will come to the fore with their old unresolved issues. These are the spheres where you should keep more than one solution up your sleeve. Give up your stagnant position of superiority and the “my way or the highway” stance! Try other ways for energy renewal in these spheres – after all, you Scorpios are the masters of rebirth and transformation. However, you need to make peace with the fact that old needs to die away to make space for new. Be philosophers and call upon your bottomless energy and imagination coupled with your watery intuition. You know how to lose in order to win.
Sagittarius
Expect changes on the home front – repairs or refurbishment, guests or relocation to a new place – this remains to be seen, but you need to be bold and accommodating. However, you should only risk once you have carefully considered and evaluated the whole picture, the context, the cost of this impending change. Do not dash ahead with fiery resolve during this retrograde. Collect all scraps of information, as you will need them, even when these bits of info pertain to relations with the extended family and their opinions. After all, we all need a sheltered, peaceful home. You go further in your demands – apart from making you feel well with your nearest and dearest, your place must also be exciting and welcoming. These are not incompatible hindrances – they’re just elements of the desired result.
Capricorn
Prepare for changes, possibly debates and conflicts with neighbours and siblings, or at your place of education, if applicable. Do not take sides – you’ll make the wrong choice and you won’t be respected for it. You better consider alternative options and solutions and put them to the test. You’re born strategists but now is not the time to adopt the cookie-cutter approach. Instead, keep all your options open and check which one will be the winner.
Aquarius
Your challenge boils down to making more money and managing more resources. You’d be best advised to find new options or remember well-forgotten old ones. Shake off the dust, test them and if they pass, go ahead with them once the Mercury retrograde is over. In the usual case, these would be long-forgotten golden standards that you appear to have neglected for quite a while. With some imagination and renovation, they will become the sharpest tools in your box.
Pisces
Pisceans will be preoccupied with their essence and identity. They will swim back in time and will ask a myriad of questions, while imagining two or three different outcomes of their stories. In this ‘collection’ of personal tales, they will get lost only to find themselves at the end. After all, this is the Sun sign that merges past and present in its all-forgiving nature of the ultimate wise man. A period for retrospection.
