On Friday, January 14th, Mercury will station retrograde at exactly 5:41 am CST and continue the motion until February 3rd. (Although we should wait until February 10th to start anything important.) It will move backward through Aquarius and into Capricorn during its retrograde cycle but maintain the same ruler in both signs - Saturn in Aquarius. As with any Mercury retrograde, keep in mind that anything you initiate during this time may not work out as planned, so proceed carefully and cautiously. Also, please go over any long-term contracts or commitments meticulously.
Saturn features heavily in this retrograde, letting us know that we need to consider how we communicate more seriously. We need to be articulate, say precisely what we mean to say, and stay on that message. We also have to get more realistic about our communication issues and what we need to do to overcome them.
Mercury makes several important connections, the first being on January 17th when it connects with Chiron. Around this time look may see something hurtful in a new light or how we could have handled it better.
On January 23rd, Mercury will join the Sun. This will be an important time to reflect and review what we are learning or realizing. Possibilities are still shifting, so use this time to see where things are.
Mercury will re-enter Capricorn on the 25th, helping us get more practical about the steps we need to take to improve our communication and move forward towards our goals.
Finally, on the 28th, Mercury joins Pluto. Around this time, words may carry a lot of weight, so use this moment wisely.
Mercury retrogrades are periods where we need to prioritize reflection, especially when it comes to how we communicate and see matters. I want us to seriously consider all the times: we didn’t listen, weren’t paying attention, didn’t feel heard, or said the wrong thing. There is something for us to learn in those experiences that can make us better people. We just have to be brave enough to be honest with ourselves.