Mercury Retrograde in Water Signs

Mercury retrograde periods have a bad reputation in pop culture.

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 computer! 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. This is especially true when Mercury retrogrades in Water signs.

As an element, Water represents the greatest depths within us. And also the stagnant ponds of our most sensitive and private interior places.

In this text, I want to explore the meanings and possibilities of Mercury retrograde in Water signs.

I do it with the help of Erin Sullivan’s book Retrograde Planets: Traversing the Inner Landscape.

This is the table of contents:

Let’s go.

Mercury Retrograde in Water

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

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

This means that one year Mercury retrogrades through Fire signs and the following year Mercury retrogrades through Water signs. Then it goes to Air signs and finally to Earth signs.

Related: Mercury Retrograde in Fire

If during the last retrograde cycle of Fire you didn’t engage in introspection into the nature of your feelings, then you will do it the following year when Mercury retrograde visits Water signs.

Mercury retrograde in Water zodiac signs offers the opportunity to revisit your old habit patterns and emotional responses to the challenges life throws at you.

The desire to retreat is strongest in the years when Mercury retrogrades in the Water element.

When Mercury is retrograde in Water signs, you’ll have the chance to see your interior reflex responses clearly and to comprehend them consciously.

The unconscious constantly influences daily life. Your visceral responses are body memories of your early home environment. Some of these memories are even pre-verbal. Mercury retrograde in Water is the best time of the year to analyze patterns based on inherited psychological traits.

Subliminal messages in your current environment signal what requires attention. These signals are subtle, not extravagant. However, if you ignore them, your body may manifest some discomfort via psychosomatization.

Your psychological needs and their physiological manifestations are particularly in synchrony during the years when Mercury retrogrades in Water signs.

This means that Mercury retrograde in the Water element activates the feeling function and your ability to trust the intrinsic value of your life.

You have to trust that you are worthy, that you have something to offer to the world, and that the world is ready to receive it.

If this aspect of your nature has been ignored, and if your self-esteem is at an all-time low, your emotional scars will now demand your undivided attention.

When it comes to relationships, being direct is recommended when Mercury is retrograde in Water. If you attempt to escape from your emotional responsibilities during this time, they will surface later and cause deeper complications.

Be honest but not mean. Engage in introspection to analyze your feelings and try to express them as clearly as possible. This may be difficult because Mercury retrograde in Water could make you feel more sensitive and confused than usual.

You may feel incapable of articulating your feelings with words or making a rational sense of what you’re feeling, let alone expressing this to a significant other.

However, this is a necessary process that will bring long-term benefits for you and your closest relationships.

As with every transit of Mercury retrograde, the past may manifest itself through the presence of old associations.

The re-emergence of these types of people represents who you were in the past.

The goal of their visit in the present time, be it factual or just in your mind’s eye, is to provoke an evaluation of your emotional growth and change.

Mercury retrograde in Water offers one of the best times for self-evaluation.

Your emotional and spiritual growth become pressing issues. But you may feel the need to engage with them in practical matters, not only through self-reflection.

If you’re willing to explore your inner world with curiosity, you’ll see that the source of your emotional wounds lies deep within you and is related to a submerged past.

Analyzing your emotions may be painful, but it doesn’t have to last forever. Remember that Mercury is retrograde only 22 days per cycle, and not every day of this transit is as hard as it seems when the planet turns retrograde at the beginning of it.

Mercury Retrograde in Water in Your Birth Chart

The houses that contain the three Water signs in your birth chart present situations in which you may need to resist overreacting to moods, feelings, and anxious states.

You must try to be calm and detached regarding the Water houses of your birth chart when Mercury is retrograde there. I know: This feels almost impossible to do.

But the circumstances in your life will push you to act like that. The situations that will arise in relation to the house transited by Mercury require careful examination.

All the Water sign houses will be the focus of attention in the years when Mercury is retrograde in this element. More and more stuff will be brought to the surface each time this planet is retrograde in Water.

How to Make the Most of Mercury Retrograde in Water Signs

Here are some practical tasks that you can implement when Mercury is retrograde in Water:

Dream analysis: By closely noting the symbols that arise spontaneously from the unconscious, you’ll become aware of those emotional issues that remain unresolved.

Journal writing: If you feel overwhelmed by your emotions, put a timer for 20 minutes and write in your journal. Don’t edit or censor yourself. Don’t overthink your words or worry about grammar. Just pour your soul on the page. You’ll feel lighter afterwards.

Retreat: Separating yourself from your obligations or daily routines is a great way to connect with Mercury retrograde in Water. If you don’t have the opportunity to do it for a week or a weekend, try spending some time alone in quiet contemplation.

Couple’s therapy: Your emotional needs in relationships, as well as your partner’s needs, could use some revisiting. Even though reviewing patterns takes time, requesting professional help could be a starting point when Mercury is retrograde in Water.

Mercury Retrograde in Water in 2026

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces

February 26th at 01:48: Mercury starts retrograding at 22°33 degrees of Pisces.
March 7th at 06:01: Sun conjuncts Mercury at 16°52’ of Pisces. Middle of the retrogradation.
March 20th at 15:33: Mercury turns direct at 08°29’ of Pisces.

Mercury retrograde in Cancer

June 29th at 13:36: Mercury starts retrograding at 26°15’ of Cancer.
July 12th at 21:25: Sun conjuncts Mercury at 20°42’ of Cancer. Middle of the retrogradation.
July 23rd at 18:58: Mercury direct at 16°18’ of Cancer.

Mercury retrograde in Scorpio

October 24th at 03:12: Mercury starts retrograding at 20°58’ of Scorpio.
November 4th at 09:24: Sun conjuncts Mercury at 12°10’ of Scorpio. Middle of the retrogradation.
November 13th at 10:54: Mercury turns direct at 05°02’ of Scorpio.

All times are in EST.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Thank you for reading, and until next time!

Mercury Retrograde in Water Signs

Mercury Retrograde in Water

Mercury Retrograde in Water in Your Birth Chart

How to Make the Most of Mercury Retrograde in Water Signs