Mercury retrogrades every four months for around 22 days.

It’s the planet that retrogrades most frequently but not the one that spends the most time in retrograde motion. That’s Pluto. While Mercury spends 20 % of its cycle retrograde, that number jumps to 44 % for Pluto.

Mercury retrograde periods have now entered pop culture in a fear-mongering fashion. Every time this planet changes gears, social media accounts and internet outlets proliferate with alarmist content.

You’ll lose your keys! You’ll experience delays when you travel! You’ll need to back up your electronic information! Your ex may reappear, but they haven’t really changed!

Even though some of these manifestations are factual, there’s more to Mercury retrograde than confusion and snafus.

In this text, I focus on Mercury retrograding through the elements, specifically through Fire signs.

I’ll do so with the help of Erin Sullivan’s book Retrograde Planets: Traversing the Inner Landscape. I’ll also rely on Carole Taylor’s book Astrology: Using the Wisdom of the Stars in Your Everyday Life.

This is the table of contents:

Let’s go!

10 Keywords Associated With Mercury

Communication
Verbal expression
Learning
Teaching
Short trips
Exchanges
Socialization
Wit
Restlessness
Versatility

Mercury Retrograde Through the Elements

Mercury retrogrades through the three signs of each element in a calendar year.

Zodiac signs of the same element are connected via an astrological aspect pattern called Grand Trine.

According to astrologer Carole Taylor, a Grand Trine is a triangle “formed from three trines.” She adds that this aspect pattern is “characterized by the trine’s easy flow.”

Taylor adds that it “reflects a well of natural talent that seems to produce its fruits with little effort.” Besides, “it describes behaviors and activities that come easily and can often be taken for granted.”

The three times Mercury retrogrades in a year form a Grand Trine in your birth chart. The houses involved indicate the topics you need to pay attention to.

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In the zodiac, the order of the elements is Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. Mercury retrogrades through the elements in the reverse order.

Sometimes, there are discrepancies within the regularity of this cycle. But those don’t occur often.

It is also possible for a retrograde cycle to impact two zodiac signs. For instance, Mercury might begin retrograding in a Fire sign and then return to a Water sign. However, the three retrogradations will concentrate on the three signs associated with one dominant element throughout the year.

Mercury’s yearly retrogradations inform us which areas of our existence could use more focus and introspection. Those areas are represented by the element in which the planet will retrograde in a given year.

The re-consideration of ideas and habits we engage with for 22 days is the greater purpose of every Mercury retrograde.

Mercury’s retrogradation in the same element is repeated approximately every six or seven years.

For example, the last time Mercury retrograded in Fire signs was in 2017. (There was also a retrogradation in Aries in 2018).

There are some rhymes between 2017 and 2025.

In 2017, Mercury retrograded in Fire signs, and Venus was retrograde in Aries.

In 2025, Mercury will also retrograde in Fire signs, and Venus will also be retrograde in Aries.

Pay attention to the Aries house of your birth chart.

It is going to be lit up, quite literally, in 2025.

Related: Venus Retrograde in 2017

Mercury Retrograde Lessons

Teaching is one of the meanings of Mercury in astrology. But this planet can also be a teacher, and its most prominent lessons emerge once it’s retrograde.

You must be willing to learn the lessons, and to learn the lessons, you must surrender control.

Mercury retrograde will take your mind on a trip. Your mind will go from a known place to somewhere it has never been before.

Questions, doubts, misunderstandings, confusions, and verbal arguments are all possible during this trip.

They could be inconvenient and uncomfortable, but they serve a purpose. They will teach you something.

Are you willing to sit with the discomfort while Mercury is retrograde instead of pushing your agenda?

In this liminal place, the wisdom of the unconscious is allowed to loosen. Only then, the wisdom can float to the surface and give instructions to your intuition.

If you are a control freak or try to alter Mercury retrograde’s timing, you will not learn the necessary lessons.

Therefore, understanding the principles of Mercury retrograde as it moves through the elements maximizes your potential within a rhythm.

That rhythm is best expressed in question form. As each element in your birth chart is highlighted, a question arises. It can guide you to the areas where introspection is necessary. Be open and curious to the emergence of the question.

Each retrogradation of Mercury will emphasize a particular element in your birth chart. In 2025, that element is Fire.

Mercury Retrograde in Fire

In a calendar year, Mercury retrogrades in the same element. These retrogradations create a Grand Trine.

In Taylor’s words, a Grand Trine in Fire “can bring easy confidence and a sense that life will be supportive.” The astrologer adds that it can indicate “an enjoyment of risk or an inner sense of being special.”

In astrology, the element Fire is linked to the relationship between soul and body. The body is the vehicle for the soul, and the inspired soul can make creativity flourish.

The inspirational force of Fire resembles the Jungian intuitive function.

In Jung’s work, intuition does not refer to psychic ability. Intuition is the capacity to perceive the past, present, and future possibilities in all things. We are composed not only of our pasts but also of our futures. Fire is the astrological element most connected with the future.

When Mercury retrogrades in Fire, there is an apparent lack of direction in the projects you want to develop. This is Mercury’s way of breaking up old patterns or expectations of your creative function.

You may make a lot of haphazard attempts to “start something” when Mercury is retrograde in Fire. But this is a poor substitute for true inspiration.

Maybe those false starts don’t amount to much. Then you start feeling all angsty because nothing seems to work.

This angst about the future is necessary for creativity. Feeling stuck in a creative process or relationship can bring pressure to a bursting point. This pressure forces growth and allows your undeveloped potential to flow from the unconscious.

Sometimes, you must go through a period of spiritual chaos to alert yourself to the need for change. Mercury retrograde in Fire is one of those times.

Mercury Retrograde in Fire and Being Playful

Sullivan argues that our cultural attitude towards play is not very healthy. However, it is a well-accepted notion that creativity and play are closely aligned.

Philosopher Friedrich Schiller says that man (let’s say “humanity”) is at the highest level only when playing. When there is no conscious purpose or inhibiting societal expectations, that’s the highest level someone can achieve. This can be very evident when Mercury retrogrades in a Fire sign.

Usually, before Mercury retrogrades in Fire, you feel bored and sense that you need more excitement in your life. The retrogradation is an opportunity to reconnect with your need for play, creativity, and spontaneity.

Out of this playful attitude will emerge the true inspiration for making the necessary changes in your existence. Once Mercury is direct, you can move forward with those changes.

Creativity is more than painting, music, literature, and the other arts. Creativity is a lifestyle. How you respond to crises and problems in life shows your creativity.

Mercury retrograde in Fire signs will test your ability to respond to life with spontaneous energy. It will propel you to be more creative with your decisions for change.

On a practical level, you may become aware of your sedentary habits. Movement is recommended during this period.

Also, psychosomatic illnesses can arise. They indicate an area of the psyche that is cramped or underactive. If you are an artist, a creative block may be the symptom indicating the need for a change.

Fundamentally, Mercury retrograde in Fire accentuates the call to experiment with new forms of being, thinking, and relating to your inspiration.

By analyzing the houses of Fire in your birth chart, you will find hints about the source of the restlessness.

The revision of creative focus in your life over the year can drastically alter your future direction. This alteration will be more appropriate for the newly emerging you.

Mercury Retrograde in Fire in 2025

Mercury Retrograde in Aires

March 15th at 02:46: Mercury starts retrograding at 09°35 degrees of Aries.
March 24th at 15:48: Sun conjuncts Mercury at 04°24’ of Aries. Middle of the retrogradation.
March 29th at 22:18: Mercury retrograde goes back to Pisces.
April 7th at 07:08: Mercury turns direct at 26°49’ of Pisces.

Mercury retrograde in Leo

July 18th at 00:45: Mercury starts retrograding at 15°34’ of Leo.
July 31st at 19:41: Sun conjuncts Mercury at 09°00’ of Leo. Middle of the retrogradation.
August 11th at 03:30: Mercury direct at 04°14’ of Leo.

Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius

November 9th at 14:01: Mercury starts retrograding at 06°51’ of Sagittarius.
November 18th at 22:21: Mercury retrograde goes back to Scorpio.
November 20th at 04:22: Sun conjuncts Mercury at 28°18’ of Scorpio. Middle of the retrogradation.
November 29th at 12:38: Mercury turns direct at 20°42’ of Scorpio.

All times are in EST.

I hope this information is helpful. You can subscribe to the weekly newsletter for free if you need specific guidance for each period.

Thanks for reading, and until next time!

Mercury Retrograde in Fire

10 Keywords Associated With Mercury

Mercury Retrograde Through the Elements

Mercury Retrograde Lessons

Mercury Retrograde in Fire

Mercury Retrograde in Fire and Being Playful