No, Mercury is not Retrograde

Mercury in Scorpio opposing Uranus in Taurus at 26°

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🕊️ Please hold the Palestinian people in your consciousness. 🕊️

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plant things

There’s an exact opposition between Mercury in Scorpio and Uranus in Taurus at 25°57’ on October 30, 2024 at 3:15 PM PDT. Mercury opposing Uranus by transit brings us the opportunity to address our unyielding need to be right. That isn’t to say right or wrong answers don’t exist, as clearly they do, but with these two planets in Fixed signs, the need to be right may feel like life or death. That core feeling - that jaw clenching, pit in your stomach, tight temple feeling - is something we can address honestly under this opposition. Why must we be right?

I love this transit. Mercury in Scorpio is laser focused on digging up root issues and figuring out what’s happening behind the scenes; Uranus in Taurus wants to deploy wonderous curiosity and gloss over the ugly bits. No one wants to admit that their interpretation of events is incorrect (least of all Mercury in Scorpio), and no one wants to ugly cry over things they can’t make sense of (especially not Uranus in Taurus). The balance between these two planets takes an inordinate amount of bravery to execute. Some of us will find it easier to fight against other people’s opinions, than admit that we have no idea what we’re talking about. The planetary energy is wild and intelligent, and soaked in secretive, spiritual acumen. It also encourages us to fight for a peaceful coexistence in the most feral of circumstances, though it might not feel that way.

Mercury opposing Uranus carries lightning in a bottle type of energy, and unique ideas come fast and furious. How do we slow down, so that we can think clearly and deeply? Taurus and Scorpio are both known for their fierce dedication to who and what they love. We may fall in love with our own minds during this transit, which is great for all kinds of mental or creative work, but not so great if we’re in dialogue with others and we don’t like what we’re hearing from opposing minds. (To be clear, this isn’t about social equity issues, or war, or genocide. You don’t have to fall in love with arguments that promote death or inequity).

There’s also a wondrous quality to this opposition, as though anything can and will happen. It’s challenging to not lose our tempers when we’re faced with endless abuses of power (thanks to Pluto at 29° Capricorn), or our privacy is once again proven to be nonexistent (thanks to Neptune at 29° Pisces), even if this occurs every single day, and with our knowledge. Even without trying to be, we may find ourselves fielding accusations from others of being deliberately obtuse. This is in part because of the nature of these two planets and these two signs in a relationship; all oppositions in astrology are expressed in a relational way. Mostly, we seek creative freedom (Uranus in Taurus) from deception (Mercury in Scorpio). This goes for digital creativity, and the exhaustive back-and-forth between voyeur viewer and ‘creator’; all of us are a little more wise to parasocial dynamics, even if we don't know what to do about them.

There is an applying trine aspect between Mercury in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces, too. With two outer planets connecting with Mercury at the present time, it's no wonder that many people are beginning to wonder if we're coming up on Mercury Retrograde. (We’re not; the next Mercury Rx period isn’t until December). The wildness that you’re feeling is Mercury transiting Uranus and Neptune. Outer planet transits to Mercury are full of false starts and utter weirdness and a trine to Neptune in Pisces feeds into our collective anxiety over what is to come next. Our desire to escape deceit can’t become so strong that we only deceive ourselves; that isn't the desired goal, here. It takes discipline to stay in the moment.

Mercury is the planet that rules our neighbours and neighbourhoods, and the opposition to Uranus may usher in new arrangements for some. Perhaps you need a roommate, or you need to move neighbourhoods. Maybe you hate your neighbours and maybe you fear that they hate you. Mercury in Scorpio is a piercing intellectual opponent, and I also believe that its stealthiness is what has contributed to a lot of people feeling on edge right now. We don't know when we’re going to get hit with more bad news, more revelations. We don't know if we're being lied to. We don't know how to figure out what lies we’re being told, even. We could be big fat liars ourselves. What then? Only you know what lies you need to be liberated from, truly.

The opposition - an aspect which operates with energy similar to a Full Moon, if we're comparing transits to lunar cycles - turns the lights all the way up. You can’t escape the energies of either planet. The opposition reveals where the cracks have begun in our Mercurial relationships (neighbours, siblings, pets) and here we begin to get glimpses of how best to heal those cracks. Scorpio makes the cut, and Mercury in Scorpio is very cutting, indeed. Maybe you need to be harsh. Maybe you need to put someone who is trying to force you to do something you don't want to do in their place. Maybe you need to bring the healing salve. Maybe you don't need to say anything at all. Uranus in Taurus has everyone questioning who and what they’re devoted to.

Mercury trine Neptune while also opposing Uranus is stressful. It's confusing, heart wrenching, anxiety-inducing, and escapist, all at the same time. We’re acutely aware that life isn't fair, and it feels brutal. Our social and institutional structures have caved under Pluto in Capricorn, leaving so many people vulnerable. We don't even understand how vulnerable our most vulnerable fellow citizens are. We resist knowing because we feel powerless. With Mercury in Scorpio opposing Uranus in Taurus, and an applying trine between Mercury and Neptune in Pisces, we feel wily and irritated by people. All people. Any people. Which is fine and normal; just don't be cruel about it. Rather than getting stuck in stupid arguments, walk away before you say something egregious that you can't come back from.

I lived for a year in a really fancy neighbourhood, once. A friend asked me how I liked it, living there. It's beautiful and so hostile, I responded. It's like no one wants me here. It was an odd feeling. I found all kinds of fancy objects, walking the alleys of that neighbourhood: Ray-Bans and half a case of sealed Grey Goose vodka bottles; an antique baker’s table I dragged away in a borrowed car and sold on Craigslist; a silver signet ring swept into a little pile of dirt along with a snake shaped fishing lure. Yet people didn’t say hello and the marshy like earth always felt like it was sinking under my feet. That feeling - of life being both beautiful and hostile - is very much with us at the present time. Sit with it. Mercury in Scorpio loves to ruminate, so ruminate until you become sick and tired of yourself. Become bored of stewing over transgressions real and imagined. Ruminate until you are so thoroughly exhausted from complaining that you’re willing to do a 180° turn, Uranus style, and change how you approach your own circumstances.