Speaking the Unspeakable: What to Expect When Mercury Goes Retrograde in Taurus ~ Spring 2023

What Does "Mercury in Retrograde" Mean?

A retrograde planet is one that, from the vantage point of earth, appears to be moving in the opposite direction. From an astrological perspective, this means that the energies represented by the planet are directed "backwards" or "inward." Retrograde periods are often riddled with delays and disruption, but there's no need to panic. It is just a time for reflection rather than for taking action. These periods can actually be loaded with magic & synchronicity, causing things from the past to return to us, whether this be people, situations, memories we thought we had forgotten about or lessons that we're getting a second chance to learn after having failed the first time around.

In Roman mythology, Mercury is considered to be the "messenger of the gods," ruling over letters, divination, and just about any form of communication. Mercury is also associated with commerce and travel. In astrology, it represents the logical mind, intelligence and the way we think. Able to travel between two worlds, he is the god of translators and interpreters. Look out though - because Mercury can be a trickster, associated with pranksters and thieves. Ruled by the mutable signs, Virgo (the virgin) and Gemini (the twins), there is a dualistic nature to the planet that gave birth to the word "mercurial," (meaning unpredictable or changeable).

Thus, when Mercury goes Retrograde, you can expect delays and mishaps around things like travel, technology and communication. For example, your flight might be inconveniently delayed, or the letter you just posted fails to arrive to your friend on time. Your computer may freeze, and someone may gloss over the details when signing an important document. In general, miscommunication is common, so it is best to try and be as clear as you can when speaking to others and avoid making any assumptions. During these periods, you can expect to find yourself in the midst of all things unpredictable, changeable and unexpected, but not necessarily negative. Sometimes the unexpected can feel rather wonderfully fated. It is a positive time for reflecting, re-thinking, and re-doing, finishing up projects or having conversations that you should have had before. In general, this time for reflection is necessary for giving way to ideas and insight that you can put into practice once Mercury goes Direct.

Mercury Retrograde in Taurus 2023

Taurus: the sign of the bull, a fixed earth sign ruled by Venus, known for its sensuous and determined nature. How does Mercury, planet of communication and logic, behave under this sign? Well, generally speaking, Mercury in Taurus is known for its slow and steady communication style. Those born with this placement tend to exhibit a certain calmness and ability to stay rooted in the present moment that many people are envious of. The problem with this is sometimes, when you focus too much on the here and now, you can lose sight of the bigger picture. You can lose sight of the less obvious, the more ambiguous messages hidden beneath the surface. With Mercury Retrograde, misunderstandings could occur due to this short-sightedness. As gracefully as a bull in a china shop, we might become stubborn, ready to defend our position to the end, without making the effort to actually think it through.

In particular, with Mercury stationing Retrograde conjunct the Moon at 15 degrees, we could become blinded by our own emotions. Although wide, the conjunction to Uranus at 17 degrees Taurus, shows us that many of these emotions are temporary in nature; coming on suddenly and unexpectedly only to disappear moments later but not without causing some disruption to our lives. Try not to let your own transient emotions interfere with your ability to correctly interpret the emotions and cues exhibited by others, as this could lead to misunderstandings with more emotional impact later on.

However, the Moon is exalted in Taurus and its conjunction to Mercury isn't all bad! In fact, it is actually very positive in many other ways, helping us to give voice to feelings that have long gone unnamed. Often, emotion and logic are perceived as opposites but this isn't necessarily the case. As the Mercury-Moon conjunction shows us, there is a logic behind why we feel the things we do, and this aspect helps us to verbalize the feelings buried within our subconscious minds and to make the invisible more concrete. With Mercury and the Moon conjunct Uranus, we might expect shocking confessions, a surprising admission that we didn't expect.

Mercury and the Moon will also be sextile Mars at 13 degrees Cancer, another mostly positive aspect. This helps us to remain focused on our goals, to be assertive, and to put our thoughts and feelings into action. Again, this transit is largely about making our intentions concrete, inspiring us to be honest about how we feel and to speak up about how we want, giving us a chance to go after secret wishes and desires that we've yet to name out loud.

It is important to note this transit does coincide with a square between the Sun and Pluto at 00 degrees Taurus and Aquarius, respectively. This could cause competition and power struggles, surprising losses that threaten to shake the foundation on which we stand. These planets do not aspect Mercury so their influence on this transit is largely minimal, but it is important to stay wary of ego battles, as well as any potential negative intentions on the part of others. Overall, however, when we remain within our egos, we can often do more damage than it is worth.

Mercury Direct in Taurus 2023

On May 14th, Mercury will station direct at 5 degrees Taurus, allowing us to put the lessons we learned during the retrograde into practice. Mercury's conjunction to the North Node at 3 degrees Taurus shows us that many of these lessons were spiritual in nature. This is a time for growth, particularly in our abilities to think and communicate our needs. Mercury will also be sextile Venus at 8 degrees Cancer and trine Saturn at 6 degrees Pisces, giving a certain concreteness to our senses and our romantic feelings: as far as relationships go, this may be about putting a name or label on a situation that has previously been undefined.

Meanwhile, coinciding with Mercury's station direct, the Moon will be conjunct Neptune at 27 degrees Pisces, allowing us to dream big and to feel deeply. The trine to Mars at 26 degrees Cancer helps inspire us to put those dreams into action and to make use of our feelings (in a positive way of course). There is a sort of romantic nature to this aspect as well, but also a spiritual one. Moon's conjunction to Neptune and trine to Mars may help us to give meaning to experiences that we might otherwise wish we've never had. In any case, our intuition is heightened, helping us to make the right decisions in situations where we might otherwise not know what to do.

Conclusion

As some of you may know, I usually write horoscopes with these things. However, I have been extremely busy and this article is already long overdue. But if you want to know more about how this retrograde will affect you personally, you can feel free to schedule a reading with me, by clicking here: but please remember to book at least three days in advice and know that, because I have not yet had time to edit the schedule, the time you booked is subject to change and I will e-mail you so we can coordinate.

Apart from that, this Mercury in Retrograde period will most significantly affect those with angles or planets (particularly luminaries) in the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). Overall, we can expect mishaps and misunderstandings to occur during this time, likely as a result of our own stubbornness; obstinate emotions could very well cloud our judgement. But on the flipside, we might also begin to understand our emotions more clearly, helping us to describe the indescribable and speak the unspeakable.