July 17 – August 11 (Leo)
Mercury governs the everyday mechanics of how we connect, think, and move through the world. It rules communication in all its forms; texts, emails, conversations, and even internal dialogue. It also oversees technology, from apps to laptops, making it central to how we share and process information.
Mercury influences schedules and routines, ensuring our calendars, commutes, and daily workflows run smoothly. It’s tied to contracts and decisions, guiding how we weigh options, make plans, and negotiate. At a deeper level, Mercury shapes our thinking patterns, how we absorb, analyse, and articulate ideas. It also rules commerce and the exchange of goods and ideas, making it important for business.
Traditionally, Mercury is linked with artisanship and craft, especially where skill, hands, and mind come together. And finally, it governs short-distance travel. Think commutes, errands, and quick getaways, the movement that keeps daily life ticking.
Mercury rules:
During retrograde, expect:
Where Mercury is retrograding tells you what area of your life is asking for review. Mercury’s qualities are quick, clever, and ever-shifting. It brings accuracy, adaptability, and even ambidexterity, reflecting its skill in handling multiple perspectives and tasks at once. There’s also an inherent androgyny to Mercury’s energy – it moves between polarities, blending logic and intuition, masculine and feminine, without needing to choose a side.
During Mercury Retrograde, these traits can skew sideways: expect tech hiccups, delayed responses, and misunderstandings that seem to come out of nowhere. You might notice old conversations, people, or patterns resurfacing for review, as well as general clumsiness or misplaced items. Energetically, there’s often a noticeable contrast between masculine and feminine dynamics, in yourself, in relationships, and in communication. It’s a time when Mercury’s usual precision turns inward, asking you to slow down, recalibrate, and re-communicate with more care.
How to find it in your chart:
Pull up your chart at astro.com or astro-seek.com
Look for which house your natal Mercury is sitting in ☿
Quick House Guide:
1st House: Revisit your identity, appearance, or how you show up
2nd House: Reassess money, spending habits, or self-worth
3rd House: Communication, siblings, short-term plans
4th House: Home, emotional stability, family
5th House: Creative projects, romance, fun
6th House: Habits, work routines, health check-ins
7th House: Relationship convos or boundaries
8th House: Shared finances, emotional depth, past hurts
9th House: Travel, big ideas, higher learning
10th House: Career, public image, long-term goals
11th House: Friendships, networks, your online presence
12th House: Rest, mental health, spiritual maintenance
Prompt: Which house is Mercury retrograding in for you? What would “revisiting” look like there?
The Mercury RX Career Girls Manifesto
You’re allowed to:
Reschedule meetings
Say “I’ll get back to you”
Ask for clarification (twice)
Change your mind
Take longer to reply
Turn off your notifications
And you’re definitely allowed to…
Not launch something right now
Pause a project that’s not flowing
Edit instead of initiate
Do less, more intentionally
Final note – I’ve noticed in my pattern recognition work, that anytime I start a new project during Mercury rx (which is usually advised against by most astrologers without personalised or tailored information), as soon as the retrograde is over, I lose interest, or it dies down, or something happens and I can’t work on it anymore. The next time Mercury rx comes up again, I’m back on it, in full swing again, motivated to keep working on it. Keep that in mind if you’re planning on starting anything in the next 3-4 weeks. It might dip after the retrograde, and then come back in 3-4 months. It doesn’t mean it’s not going to work long-term, I’ve seen ideas sprouted from Mercury rx actually work and be stable long-term. Do with this information what you will.