The Mercury Retrograde Cheat Sheet
A Poet’s Guide to the 2023 Retrogrades and Beyond
What is poetry if not the art of communication? As poets, we utilize language as a tool to connect with each other, sharing our most profound observations and our deepest secrets. Of all the planets and celestial bodies in our solar system, Mercury, ruler of the mind and communication, is a heavy hitter for writers of all kinds.
Astrologically speaking, every planet symbolizes a part of the psyche. Mercury is our intellect, the mind, and the way we share information. In mythology Mercury was the messenger god, traveling between upper and lower worlds. Imbued with duality, Mercury’s superpowered cleverness also gave way to cunning, earning it the title of the trickster god. (Marvel has its faults, but their portrayal of Loki as Mercury was spot on – talking fast, moving fast, has an argument for anything and thoughts on everything.)
Like a cosmically layered cake, Mercury’s flavor changes depending on what sign it is in. As it transits through the zodiac it speaks to different ideas, emphasizing something new every month.
Mercury Cheat Sheet
In Aries: speaking boldly and spontaneously, quick decisions, birthing new ideas, combative or competitive in nature.
In Taurus: communication is grounded, slow and deliberate, attention turns to the senses, seeking comfort, generative, prone to stubbornness.
In Gemini: talkative, led by curiosity and desire for knowledge, sociable, jack of all trades, easily distracted.
In Cancer: communication is deep and intentional, instinctive, emotional, caring about foundations and relationships.
In Leo: theatrical and expressive, more concerned with talking than listening, persuasive.
In Virgo: practical and precise, making edits, concerned with details, speaks to natural methods of healing.
In Libra: prioritizing negotiation and diplomacy, accommodating, friendly, justice, indecisive, aesthetic.
In Scorpio: communication is intense, seeking the truth, observational, intuitive, competitive.
In Sagittarius: buoyant and optimistic, full of faith, seeking truth, not concerned with details.
In Capricorn: focused and practical, wanting to achieve, long term, realistic, pragmatic, dependable.
In Aquarius: visionary, think outside the box, humanitarian, spontaneous thought patterns, separates intellect and emotion easily.
In Pisces: communication is imaginative, ethereal, heightened sensitivity, intuitive, emotional, both absorbent and penetrating.
When Mercury goes into retrograde, it’s a period for reflection. In short, “retrograde” is an optical illusion that happens 3-4 times a year. Earth takes 365 days to circle the sun while Mercury takes only 88, so Mercury only appears to move backward. It’s technical and spacey, so if you’re still confused then you’re in good company.
So, let’s get poetic about it!
What does Mercury retrograde mean for your writing?
Retrogrades are a time to retry, rethink, and reimagine. Ruminate, if you will. If there’s one thing poets love, it’s a good rumination. Stasis can be a poem’s best friend. Stopping to smell the roses and contemplate their texture is how we move from writing to poetry. It’s important to find a balance between flow, pacing and specificity. A poem needs them all, but cutting through to the raw, original, sensory experiences is how we as poets find our way to a truly captivating piece.
🟠Mercury Retrograde in Taurus – April 21- May 14
This April, Mercury will retrograde in the earth sign Taurus. Sensual, slow-moving and Venus-ruled, Taurus experiences the world through the body. Hands in the earth, feet in the grass. It’s a great time to embrace your writing through the lens of the senses. Mercury will have us contemplating what feels good to touch, to hear, to smell. If you’re like me, I operate on a complicated system of little treats. Do a chore, get a little yummy treat. This retrograde is a lovely time to line up a few of your favorite little treats and savor them slowly, for poetic purposes of course. Write about it and see where it takes you!
Taurus is also concerned with resources, assets, and self-worth. As fixed earth, Taurus is grounded and secure. The nature of a fixed sign is to stabilize a season. Taurus acts as a fertile, generative hub for the collective, seeking peace above all else. If the frenzy of Aries season wound you up, let Taurus’ strong, silent nature guide you back to yourself. Mercury will want us to reflect on our own self-worth, and those musings can be a gold mine of poetry if we are quiet enough to hear them.
🟢Mercury Retrograde in Virgo – August 23- September 15
August brings us a retrograde in Mercury’s favorite place – Virgo. The detail-oriented earth sign will be helping us revise our systems. All the systems. This retrograde will urge us to pour through things like filing systems, banking systems, cleaning systems. Organized, practical, Virgo. Whether your poetry drafts are neatly organized in labeled folders on your desktop or scribbled in a notebook, this period of revision is here to help with organizational rethinking. Maybe your submission spreadsheet needs an overhaul, or your workshop wish list wants to be color coded. Make the most of this retrograde by embodying dedication to the process and prioritizing precision.
Mercurial Virgo values skills and work, getting a job done and doing it well is a love language all its own. Add to your poetry tool set by learning some new forms, or dive into a poetic form you’ve been wanting to perfect. This is also a phenomenal time to edit your writing and revise old drafts.
🟣Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn/Sagittarius – December 12- January 1
We close out 2023 the same way we started it:with a Mercury retrograde. You read that right. December will get a mental revamp that starts in earthy, enduring Capricorn and shifts into enterprising Sagittarius just days later. These dual energies are prompting us to contemplate the big picture and be deliberate about our goals, then incite our adventurousness.
While Mercury wheels back through Capricorn, you may feel more serious about your writing (or everything in general), your poems could hold heavier subject matter. It’s a good time to rethink the groundwork of a piece or manuscript. Draft up a game plan for your writing ambitions in 2024. Capricorn is goal-oriented and wants to lay the foundation for the long haul. Later, in Sagittarius, it does the fire sign thing and motivates us to act. Do you have a list of poem ideas in your notes app? It could be time to peruse it for some poetic inspiration. Sagittarius also speaks to higher learning. Workshops and classes are a marvelous way to utilize Mercury’s slow romp through the sage’s sign.
Where is all this taking place for you?
We could stop right here, but we won’t. Why? Because we want every tip we can get about how to help our poetry flow.
Remember the cosmically layered cake? I’m gonna add another layer. And before you say: "But Jessica, I’m already so full of knowledge and power!” let me remind you it’s funfetti with cream cheese frosting.
For this portion, you’ll need your birth chart for the most accuracy. Your birth chart is divided into 12 cake slices – the 12 houses. To see what areas of your life Mercury will be retrograding throughout the year, look at Taurus, Virgo, then Capricorn/Sagittarius.
Mercury Retrograding Through:
1st House – The house of the self. Pretty important, pretty all-encompassing. Patience and flexibility are key to deal with the curveballs this transit could throw your way. Let your poetry reflect how you feel; no thought is too small. If you need to release some angst on the page, do it. You deserve it.
2nd House – The house of resources and self-worth. Money may feel frustrating. Check out craft books from the library. Make a “no new books pact” if your TBR stack is ready and waiting for you anyway.
3rd House – The house of the mind and communication. Focus could get fuzzy. If you’re a planner, stick with it. (If you’re a post-it person, like me, good luck and godspeed.) Details could be overlooked, so when it comes to your writing if the specificity just isn’t working, embrace the meta and wait it out.
4th House – The house of home and family. Closely associated with foundation and emotion, so if your feelings feel out of whack, nourish yourself with what you need. Seek comfort where you can. No poem is too emo.
5th House – The house of creativity and self-expression. If the project isn’t working or writer’s block rears its head, don’t overthink it. Make lists in place of poems and come back to them when the words feel fluid.
6th House – The house of work and health. Work could be hectic, consider scheduling a day off to give yourself a breather, if you can’t do that find a healthy outlet for the stress. Give your journaling time and self-care routine some extra oomph to cushion whatever this transit could throw your way.
7th House – The house of relationships. Misunderstandings between you and your people could throw you off. Lean into the parts of your practice that bring you balance, meditation, or quiet cups of coffee and a book (yes, audiobooks count!)
8th House – The house of death, mental health, and other people’s resources. Don’t be afraid of the 8th house, or any part of your chart for that matter. Life is cycles, transformation comes for us all. Seasons change, we shed cells from bodies every day. It could be an obsessive or uncomfortable time, keep an open mind and be soft with yourself.
9th House – The house of education and belief. You could be rethinking your belief system. Perhaps you fancy yourself a free verse poet and feel intrigued by other poetic forms. Follow the curiosity and expand where you feel called to.
10th House – The house of public roles and career. Goals may feel far away or glitchy. Let any setback serve as fodder for poetry and stubbornness fall by the wayside.
11th House – The house of community and good fortune. Social gatherings could bring unexpected stressors so don’t be afraid to go into hermit mode. Hey, it’s peak writing energy.
12th House – The house of sorrow, the subconscious and hidden life. If you get confused and you don’t know what you’re confused about—you’re right on track. A 12th house retrograde can feel spiritually draining. Nap, nap, nap.
final thoughts
Retrogrades aren’t fearsome things. They can serve as powerful moments of reflecting and renewal if we let them become part of the creative process.
Give some thought to what these periods of retrograde will bring to your writing this year.
Channel this astral energy.
Use it.
As poets, we know better than most that sometimes a redo is exactly what the universe ordered.
This article was posted on April 11, 2023. Written by:
