Mercury retrograde 2018 starts on March 22nd at 16° Aries and ends on April 15th at 4° Aries. Mercury retrograde March 2018 increases the potential for communication and technology breakdowns, nervous anxiety, travel delays and lost items. Mercury retrograde 2018 conjunct Venus means more of your thoughts and communications will turn to matters of love and affection. There will be a focus on any communication problems you have with your partner or communication problems may arise if you are dating.
However, this is a good time for making new friends because of more more social interaction in your daily life. Mercury retrograde usually brings you into contact with old friends so Mercury retrograde 2018 conjunct Venus brings the possibility of meeting ex partners. New friends or lovers may trigger feelings of déjà vu because of your past life memories.
Mercury retrograde 2018 carries on a theme of sexual abuse and power imbalances in sexual relationships that began with the January 2018 lunar eclipse. Before more detail on Mercury retrograde March 2018, you will find information about natal Mercury retrograde and Mercury retrograde in transit.
Natal Mercury Retrograde Meaning
Natal Mercury retrograde means there was a problem with how you thought and communicated in an earlier life. Perhaps you gave someone bad advice that had critical repercussions. Perhaps you were prone to making costly mistakes. Maybe you wrote slanderous material about someone in a book or newspaper, or verbally teased and abused people.
Whatever the circumstances of the previous significant incarnation, you come into this life with those bad memories etched in your soul. You probably don’t recognize them as memories but as déjà vu or unexplained guilt. Especially when young, there can be a repeating theme of challenging events related to your past.
The aim of Mercury retrograde in your birth chart is for you to perfect those areas of thought and communication which once let you down. As your communication skills improve with experience, your karmic debt will be repaid and you can get off the roundabout.
Mercury retrograde in your natal chart can show as learning difficulties, especially with reading, writing and comprehension. You could be a shy, quite person whose thoughts have turned in. Hesitant to speak up for yourself, you may miss out on many opportunities in life. This difficulty in expressing yourself can make you feel awkward in company and lead to low self-esteem. You may experience teasing or verbal abuse, be nagged and criticized, or fall victim to slander and lies. Contracts may also cause problems and like so many things, lead to complications further down the track.
Mercury retrograde only last for about three weeks so Mercury is going to turn direct at some stage in your progressed chart (where one day equals one year). After a couple of years you will notice that your communication style improves and you can express yourself more freely. However, the opposite can also occur and someone with Mercury direct in their natal chart may experience progressed Mercury retrograde later in life. I experienced this from age 13 to 37 and it was very profound. I even stopped reading books.
If you have Mercury retrograde in your natal or progressed chart then you can expect to make more rapid progress during transits of Mercury retrograde.
Transiting Mercury Retrograde Meaning
Transiting Mercury retrograde is a regular cycle occurring three or four times a year for about 24 days. While this is more frequent than any other planet, Mercury is still only retrograde 19% of the time. This is far less than Jupiter outwards, but more than Venus and Mars.
The Mercury retrograde phase is just one part of the Mercury retrograde cycle. The whole cycle includes Mercury going direct, retrograde, and direct again over the same degrees, or the retrograde zone. The two direct phases are called the shadow periods. The illustration below shows the apparent retrograde motion of Mercury as seen from Earth.
Mercury retrograde brings communication and technology breakdowns, nervous anxiety, travel delays and lost items. There is a feel of a difficult Mercury–Saturn aspect about Mercury retrograde. You can also expect to dwell on things, reminisce about the past, or unexpectedly meet up with people from your past. While the Mercury retrograde period might be good for flicking through old photo albums, it is generally considered more of a nuisance than a benefit.
Mercury retrograde can play havoc with your thoughts, communications, travels and electronics. Take extra care with your words and try not to react too quickly in any arguments or if provoked. Take some time out if you start to feel overwhelmed by the hectic pace. Double-check all of your emails and posts on Facebook before hitting the send button.
Business negotiations will be in a state of flux during Mercury retrograde so avoid signing contracts. Some important details will not yet be available, and other parties won’t be reliable or honest. If going on a road trip then make sure you get your car serviced beforehand. The riskiest times for decision-making, negotiations, communication and transport are the few days either side of the exact retrograde and direct stations. However, care should still be taken during the retrograde period.
Mercury Retrograde 2018
Mercury enters the retrograde zone on March 8, 2018 at 04°46′ Aries. Now until Mercury stationary retrograde is called the first shadow period. During this time you will get an idea of the thinking, communication or transport issues that will arise during the retrograde phase.
Mercury stationary retrograde on March 22, 2018 at 16°54′ Aries. The chart below shows Mercury conjunct Venus which makes love and relationships major themes of Mercury retrograde 2018. It means you will be thinking more about love and companionships and be wanting to talk more about it. It puts you in touch with what you love about a person but Mercury retrograde March 2018 conjunct Venus makes it harder to actually tell that person how you feel.
This is a good time for making new friends because there should be more social interaction in your daily life. Mercury retrograde usually brings you into contact with old friends so Mercury retrograde March 2018 conjunct Venus increases the chance of meeting ex partners. New friends or lovers may trigger feelings of déjà vu because of your past life memories.
Mercury square Pluto brings deep thinking and intensifies your social interactions. But it also exposes your darkest thoughts and beliefs such as bigotry, nationalism and racism. Avoid extreme ideas and trying to force your opinions on others. There will be more news stories about teasing and bullying at school and on the Internet.
Even if you hold a moderate point of view, there is a risk that you will use extreme or coercive methods to talk someone into something or change their mind. The more extreme your idea, or the more force you use to convince others, the more criticism and conflict you will meet.
Venus square Pluto can have a profound effect on your love life. Love may turn to lust as power and control issues may arise in existing relationships. Simmering tension may come to the surface as some manipulative behavior like jealousy or obsessiveness. At the root of such behaviors would be a deeply buried fear or insecurity about not feeling loved or valued. Of course, it may be you who is subject to such behaviors from a partner. Threats and ultimatums are possible if either partner feels smothered or controlled.
An unhealthy relationship may breakdown which would be very painful or dramatic. A well based relationship will withstand the intensity of this transit. In this case, there would still be a transformation undertaken within the relationships dynamics.
New love is possible now and it could seem like instant attraction. However, you must also realize that such an infatuation may lead to an abusive or even violent attachment. Old cases of sexual abuse will be exposed and damage the egos and reputations of many men and some women. Mercury retrograde conjunct Venus square Pluto also suggests an increase in the reporting of child sexual abuse especially by school teachers, as well as abusive insestuous relationships.
Mercury Stationary Direct on April 15, 2018 at 04°46′ Aries. The chart below shows only one major Mercury aspect, Mercury square Saturn. This suggests the intensity of Mercury retrograde March 2018 may leave you in a serious frame of mind. Communicating your plans and ideas will be difficult because of negative thinking and misunderstandings.
You may have some unanswered questions or serious decisions to make but seek trusted, professional advice if you are involved in contracts, business or legal matters. Do not rely on the words of others, and be careful with your own. There may be some distance or separation in close relationships. This, together with gloomy thoughts, bad news or loneliness, can have a negative effect on your mental well-being.
Mercury leaves the retrograde zone on May 03, 2018 at 16°54′ Aries.
If Mercury retrograde 2018 affects your decan I will discuss it in your monthly horoscope. For more detail on how Mercury retrograde March 2018 aspects your birth chart, see Mercury Transits.
Mercury Retrograde 2018 Dates
- December 3 to 22, 2017 – 13° to 29° Sagittarius
- March 22 to April 15, 2018 – 4° to 16° Aries
- July 26 to August 18, 2018 – 11° to 23° Leo
- November 16 to December 6, 2018 – 27° Scorpio to 13° Sagittarius
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