Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius

December 29, 2022 to January 18, 2023

Please note that this and all my other forecasts are based on the sidereal zodiac used in both Vedic and Western sidereal astrology, not the tropical system used by most Western and some Vedic astrologers. All the astrological charts below are calculated according to the sidereal zodiac and Lahiri Ayanamsa.

Mercury will station retrograde at zero degrees of Capricorn on December 29. Its pre-retrograde shadow period began on December 12. During this time, we may have been given a glimpse of the themes that will be playing out in our lives during the retrograde period. Mercury will retrograde back through the last half of Sagittarius until January 18, 2023, at which point it will station direct at 14 degrees of Sagittarius. The post-retrograde cycle will extend from January 18 to February 6, when we will be adjusting to the shifts that occurred in the previous month or so.

As 2023 begins during a Mercury retrograde cycle, this can point to a slower than usual start to the new year. It may be difficult to commence new year projects and get our resolutions and plans into full gear until Mercury stations direct on January 18. It seems clear that we should instead enjoy an extended holiday period! Yet, this may be a frustrating proposition for some, as Mercury will be retrograding in the idealistic and striving sign of Sagittarius which is always ready to forge ahead to the next idea or adventure!

Retrograde planets can create confusion and a lack of clear understanding, even among some astrologers, because they are vakri, meaning they are making a conflicted movement as they appear to move backward from the point of view of the Earth (geocentric). Yet, they are actually moving forward from the viewpoint of the Sun (heliocentric).

This very fact is a secret for working with retrograde planets. We can get all hung up and worried about retrograde planets, but the truth is that when we follow the dharma, the path of the Sun, the lila (divine play) of retrograde planets is simply another marvelous phantasm within Mother Maya’s magical web of life.

Mercury retrograde can be a time when we experience maddening events like miscommunications, travel and transportation difficulties, and the breakdown of equipment. In my professional consultations with clients, I always note where in a natal or mundane horoscope Mercury stations retrograde. If it activates a natal planet or sensitive chart point, this may reveal where certain problems might occur. By becoming aware of this, one can be prepared to hopefully minimize any potential difficulties.

In general, during a Mercury retrograde cycle, we may have an opportunity to revisit and complete unfinished business. People or past events can come back to us to allow us to heal, and we may have to repeat our past actions or make them right somehow. Retrograde Mercury cycles are also an awesome time to reflect, regroup, reassess, and reconsider not only the past but also our plans and dreams for the future.

Whenever Mercury Retrograde happens, it’s like Hermes, when he travels through the underworld — putting to rest the dead, old energies, and clearing the way for healing…When Mercury is retrograde, it can feel like we’re traveling to the underworld with him. Many people see Mercury retrogrades as quite an underworldly experience, what with all the revision, remembering, reuniting, and so on. (Mercury Retrograde: When Hermes Travels The Underworld, by Astrea Taylor, February 25, 2019, Patheos)

Each year, Mercury retrogrades three or four times, and each time in a different sign within a particular element. In the past year or so, it retrograded in earth signs. I previously wrote an article about what this meant for 2022.

Mercury will be retrograding in fire signs starting in this new cycle and extending throughout 2023. The last time Mercury retrograded in fire signs was in late 2016 through 2017. These are the dates and signs of all four Mercury retrograde cycles in 2023 (dates shown for Eastern Time zone):

1. Mercury stations retrograde at 0 degrees Capricorn on December 29, 2022, and stations direct at 14 degrees of Sagittarius on January 18, 2023.

2. Mercury retrogrades in Aries: April 21 to May 14, 2023.

3. Mercury retrogrades in Leo: August 23 to September 15, 2023.

4. Mercury stations retrograde in Sagittarius on December 13, 2023, and stations direct in late Scorpio on January 1, 2024.

• Mercury is the planet of technology, commerce and trade, speech, travel, communication, learning, intellectual analysis, discernment, astrology, and the nervous system.

• Mercury in fire signs can be creative, courageous, enthusiastic, optimistic, aspiring, future-oriented, freedom-loving, and thirsty for knowledge and experience. In its lower expression, it can also be impulsive, impatient, overconfident, demanding, unrealistic, fervent, agitated, or stressed out. Since Mercury will be retrograding (and thus spending a lot of time) in the fire signs throughout 2023, these qualities will be intensely emphasized in the above-mentioned areas that Mercury governs.

• With Mercury retrograding in fire signs in 2023, it’s time to “think big” as we seek new perspectives and understanding that can lead to innovative solutions to our problems.

• In 2023, many people will be up for travel, learning, adventure, and exploration. We will see new trends in education, the travel industry, and in technology and communication, including significant changes in the areas of news and social media, global trade, e-Commerce/Web development, digital currencies, and blockchain innovation.

Mercury will transit in Sagittarius from December 2 to February 6. Because of its retrograde cycle, this period is longer than usual for Mercury’s transit in a sign, which is usually only around 25 days. In general, and because it will be favorably disposited (or ruled) by Jupiter in Pisces, Mercury in Sagittarius can express a good deal of wisdom, hope, faith, joy, open-mindedness, and compassion. May it be so!

“Mercury”—painting by Evelyn De Morgan, 1873