MERCURY RETROGRADE IN SCORPIO: OCT 31 - NOV 20
Key Dates for “Mercury Spookygrade”
October 11th: Mercury enters retrograde pre-shadow at 11°Scorpio35’
October 31st, 8:42am PST: Mercury stations retrograde at 27°Scorpio38’
November 11th, 7:22am PST: Mercury conjoins the Sun at 18°Scorpio56’
November 20th, 11:12am PST: Mercury stations direct at 11°Scorpio35’
December 6th: Mercury leaves retrograde post-shadow at 27°Scorpio38’
As Mercury retrograde rises to the forefront of trendy astro jargon, we may be inclined to think of Mercury retrogrades as fairly short and troublesome 21-day periods of review. It’s important to note that astrology is, more than anything, a study of time and cycles. While we can determine exact moments of transits and aspects, the influence of planetary movements stretches out from these points in time and space, far beyond what superficial media might consider worth examining. For the sake of focus, Mercury retrograde (and any planetary retrograde for that matter) has three distinct phases.
The first phase is called pre-shadow, during which the planet begins to walk the distance of the retrograde trail while still progressing in direct, or forward motion. Pre-shadow is the time when the planet writes the story that it will later go back and review. If we want to get a sense of what a retrograde period will be about, we begin by looking at the events that unfold during the pre-shadow period, especially around the day that the planet enters pre-shadow (see key dates above).
As the planet moves closer to its retrograde station point, its movement will become increasingly slower. When it gets to that point, it is considered “stationary”. This happens whenever a planet is in the process of stationing retrograde or direct. Just like you and I slow down when making sharp turns, planets do this too.
The second distinct phase is the retrograde period, the time when the planet moves backwards over the distance it has already traveled. In Mercury and Venus’ case, this period always includes a conjunction with the Sun, also known as a cazimi, meaning the planet and the Sun come together at the exact same degree in the zodiac. The cazimi is often the most potent moment of the retrograde, for it indicates an illuminating turning point (note that a planet can be cazimi while retrograde or direct; cazimi means “in the heart of the Sun”). While the planet is still moving backwards, the cazimi point gives the planet a clue as to what it needs to examine or change.
The last distinct phase of a planetary retrograde is called post-shadow, which begins when the planet stations direct again and lasts while the planet moves forward through the same part of the sky where it retrograded. We often call this the third pass, especially if the planet is passing over another planet or point in our individual natal charts. The post-shadow period ends when the planet crosses the degree where it initially stationed retrograde.
Whenever a personal planet (Mercury, Venus, Mars) makes a retrograde journey through a single zodiac sign, it gifts us an opportunity to sit with and better understand how that particular planet functions in that sign. It shows us the planet’s talents and inefficacies. It slows down the energy enough for us to see what is really happening. It questions our skillset, our style, and our objectives in this part of our natal charts.
Scorpio is traditionally a sign that teaches us about kinship and betrayal. It shows us what it means to feel felt. To see that we are seen. To hear that we are heard. To understand that bonds are most profound when we release the grip on our power plays for the sake of merging with another. Scorpio is a sign of dark and murky waters. It is the kind of water that mirrors to us through its intense concentration, obsessive attention and keenly measured movement. Imagine a swamp at sunset, surface like glass. A clear reflection and yet, the knowledge that something stirs below, perhaps frightening or ugly elements lurking underneath. Aspects of ourselves which, given other situations, we might not want to see. Scorpio is home to all that is taboo and intolerable in everyday society. Scorpio welcomes struggles. Listens at length to agonizing aches. Shows itself to be more accomplice than ally.
Wherever Scorpio is in our natal charts will illustrate the principle of allyship in the action. This skill emerges in our with-nessing. In our refusal to abandon the struggle. In our determination to follow through on our agreements. In our resilience and capacity to transform uneasy encounters into lifelong lessons. It will also show us where we fall short. How we get consumed by fear. Overwhelmed by passions. Fixated on a false sense of security that is ripped apart when we see all we can’t control.
We must learn to simultaneously accept reality and refuse the injustices that permeate it.
Scorpio teaches us not to mistake intensity for intimacy. The more that Scorpio shares, the more potential for danger. The deeper Scorpio dives, the more severe betrayals feel when a bond is abandoned. The more pressured the connection, the more it will need a release. When this part of our charts feels deceived, it will want to revel in revenge. But revenge is rarely sweet for anyone. Often requires we sink to levels that don’t serve us. Jealousy of another is just a writhing piece of our own soul begging to be seen. When this happens, pull the top off the pot on the stove. Give the steam space to spread out. Feel the heat rise and disperse. Scorpio in its most profoundly skillful way, knows how to sit in silence. How to watch without reacting. How to wait for an opportune moment, which is never dependent on the unfaithful but is rooted, like the lotus, in its own primordial purity. Scorpio finds solace not in retaliation but in return to the self. Whether the fuel for your flame is rage, jealousy or even love, the fire that someone lights in you is your own. Scorpions, under a black light will glow. Be the light in the dark.
Mercury in Scorpio is an information whore. Please note that I mean this with UTMOST RESPECT for sex workers (who take what many of us are expected to do for free, and monetize it, which is in my opinion, a radically fantastic act. See Chanelle Gallant’s essay “The Pleasure of Sex Work” in Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good). Pay someone the right amount of whatever currency and they may be willing to do something for you. Mercury in Scorpio will go to any lengths to get the information it needs. To dig up the dirt. To get the message to the right place. To save the right soul. Mercury in Scorpio might play dumb with the details but it will work exhaustingly to know exactly what is going on at any given moment. Mercury in Scorpio reasons with resilience. Gets intimate with clear intentions. Justifies the ends by beginning new stories. Traditionally, Mercury was one of the only gods that could travel to the underworld and come out unscathed. Think of Mercury retrograde through Scorpio as a willing witness. A guide for letting go and a co-conspirator for change. Mercury in Scorpio might divine from a distance and will definitely mind the gap. Will pull up every rotten root and close each last little loophole. Will find the trapdoor and won’t forget to seal it.
We may as a society look down on certain actions but any planet in Scorpio understands what it takes. This month, you have to be willing to look at where you fall short. Examine the stories you tell yourself. Do not ignore the chapters where the facts don’t add up. If you are honest, you will not need to be ruthless. You will see that these are not the same thing. The myths related to Scorpio show that when we blindly betray ourselves, we become vicious in our vigilance. Do not look for how you might be left out or behind. Instead, observe how your power grows when you surrender the need for it to swell. Consider how your flaws dissolve when you face your imperfections. Note how your severity softens when you look for what you love.
Remember that during a Mercury retrograde cycle, you rarely have all the facts until the messenger starts moving forward again. In the meantime, you hold the pen that writes in every red herring. You get to decide how you handle the unknown. You can attach meaning to the stories but that doesn’t make them wrong or right, real or fake. You can be mean or nice to the mailman but he doesn’t have any control over what is inside that envelope so you might as make friends with him. Learn to listen. To rest on the page. To peek at what could be unwritten but not to forget it’s all possibility. Mercury in Scorpio is not a death-defying hero but a death-embracing go-between. Don’t kill the messenger, especially when you haven’t yet heard all they have to say.