Mercury Retrograde in Virgo August 5 to 28, 2024

August 2, 2024 Michelle Karen

On Sunday August 4, Mercury turns retrograde in Virgo till August 28.
Its Shadow period, -the period of time after being direct when Mercury works his way back to the degree it started its retrogradation on, lasts until September 11. During the shadow period, we still feel in much milder ways what we experienced during the 3 weeks of retrogradation.

You have heard me say before how much I love Mercury retrograde, despite its horrible reputation. Indeed, Mercury retrograde is always blamed for a lot of chaos and confusion, lost…. everything, transportation problems, delayed flights, people changing their minds, misunderstandings, changes of plans, disrupted schedules, misprints, late shipments, technology breaking down, car issues etc…. But what I personally DO like is the element of surprise. Mercury retrograde also forces us to slow down, reflect, complete projects we had forgotten, revisit places we had not been to in a long time, and brings back people we hadn’t seen forever…..

This particular retrogradation being in Virgo, -which Mercury rules, is likely to be intense.

On the negative side, we could fall prey to inaccurate perceptions, have our reason distorted by emotional biases, experience extreme nervousness, leap ahead of ourselves, be overly critical, show little tolerance for disorder, need to physically distance ourselves from others, and express very strong opinions regarding what we consider to be right and wrong. This is NOT at all a good time to sign legal papers, make important decisions, or launch a new project.

But on the positive side, it makes us more introspective, draws out knowledge that was buried in our subconscious, reveals many hidden factors that help us make wiser decisions, and gives us the time to reflect on past decisions as well as devise new plans. Even if we are likely to experience some frustration, once this period will be over, we shall realize the bumps in the road were blessings in disguise.

Mercury retrograde in Virgo asks us to review our everyday routine, reassess our diet and exercise habits, do a medical checkup, take care of unfinished business, tie loose ends, research a topic of practical utility, and hone our communication skills.

So, let us enjoy this period!

Michelle Karén, M.A., D.F.Astrol.S.