Mercury’s Retrograde in Aries: 5 Features You Can’t Miss

Hey everyone, this is Adam Elenbaas from Nightlight Astrology. Today, we are going to take a look at Mercury's retrograde in the sign of Aries. This is a really exciting retrograde because it is taking place during an upcoming solar eclipse in the sign of Aries, along with a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus that is taking place this month. I want to show you five things about this Mercury Retrograde that make it really special. I really can't recall the last time that I looked at a Mercury retrograde and saw the arc of the retrograde as more integral to an understanding of both of the other transits happening in the month, and these are arguably two of the biggest transits of 2024 in a solar eclipse and then shortly after a Jupiter Uranus conjunction. So, that's what we're going to do today.

Before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe to share your comments and reflections. I'd love to hear from you guys, especially if you have a good story to share; use the hashtag #grabbed or email us your story grabbed@nightlightastrology.com. We aggregate those stories and occasionally store top storytelling episodes.

You can always find transcripts of any of my daily talks on the website nightlightastrology.com. And I want to take you over there; the promotions for the day are very simple. We are promoting the upcoming live talks that I'm doing in April on Uranus in love. You can see that here it's April 18. Seven to 9pm cost is $20.

To register, you get a link to join the webinar. If you can't make it, we send you the recording so you can watch it later. If you missed it, we did Neptune in love and Pluto in love in February and March. Take a look at the outer planets' significations in the natal chart or by transit when they show up and love sex and relationships. Uranus is one of the more exciting and eccentric planets that show up in our relationships. And so it's a really good one to understand, especially how to work with. So that's what we'll be talking about in an upcoming series.

The other thing I want to point you to on the Courses page first is that the year program Ancient Astrology for the Modern Mystic starts again on June 16 new cohort, so you are welcome to register now; enrollment is open at the bottom you'll find a payment plan early bird payment and need-based tuition. If you need a little help to make it happen. Be sure to check that option out. I'll be doing more robust discussions of what the program includes and stuff like that and upcoming promotions, just kind of a sneak preview for now since we're just opening enrollment, but be sure to check that out if you're interested in studying with us.

The other thing I want to mention is Ashley's herbal program, skyhouseherbals.com. The herbal foundation's apprenticeship begins on April 24. You can learn more about that program on the website skyhouse herbs.com. If you scroll down, we also have need-based tuition assistance available for people. We want to make sure no one's ever priced out of our programs. We believe that you know sacred topics like herbs and astrology ought to be, you know, financially approachable. So anyway, on that note, if you stick around after today's talk, you will find an interview that I did with Ashley, which I've been posting at the end of the videos to discuss the program and what it includes.

So after the content feels like sticking around, check that out. You can learn more about Ashley in her work in the meantime at skyhouse herbs on YouTube where she releases weekly videos on a plant spirit medicine. So anyway, and I'll probably be having her on to discuss the program again at some point maybe break down some valuable herbs for us during the Jupiter Uranus eclipse season stuff that might be fun. So we'll see by doing that. Anyway.

So today, we're going to look at this Mercury Retrograde that's coming up in Aries. It is very powerful. It is not your typical retrograde retrograde. I mean, any retrograde can have unique signatures based on what's happening around it. So, no two Retrogrades are the same in any generic interpretations of Mercury Retrograde, like don't buy this or don't fly or blah, blah, blah. I mean, there are some ways in which those things are sort of universally applicable. But most of the time, we miss the mark if all of our Mercury Retrograde interpretations sound the same because every cycle is different based on dignities, context, aspects, and whatever else is happening in the sky at the time. Let's take a look at what's happening. And I'm going to give you five things that are happening that make this really, really potent. So here we have Mercury stationing on April 1. And that's why we're looking at it here at the start of the week.

So we've got Mercury turning retrograde; if I fast forward this, you'll see the little the s underneath the Mercury turns red on April 2, And then by the third, it's retrograde. But you can do this by the hour if you want it to break down the exact hour at which the retrograde motion begins according to the ephemeris here on my program, which is, you know, about evening time, April 2, so it's big today into tomorrow that Mercury is stationing and turning retrograde. When a planet stations and turns retrograde, it slows down, halts, and doesn't move.

That's often when you'll see things like delays, setbacks, and unexpected quirks that come up because, all of a sudden, it's like the planet is turning around. And so reversals of circumstance become expressive of the planet shifting symbolically. Now, that symbol is a symbolic shift for us. We don't. We undergrad idiots understand that it's a figurative, symbolic way of looking at the sky. That's our language, though. So, here are the five features that you really ought to pay attention to. And let's we're gonna be like detectives.

So first, Mercury stations in Mars's sign, Aries. And in the bound of Saturn, the last degrees of Aries belong to Saturn, which means that Mercury is beholden to Mars and Saturn. Why is that significant? Because of what is happening at the time of Mercury's retrograde, we have Mars and Saturn coming together in conjunction with the sign of Pisces. Now, Mars and Saturn's conjunctions on their own, people often misunderstand, I mean, first of all, Mars coming together with Saturn can bring up things like, you know, trying to press the gas pedal and the brake pedal at the same time, there's a way in which you want to move forward, but there are limitations and obstacles that you have to overcome. And so you need perseverance and tact.

If you're too reactive, and you're too Marzi. Saturn will clip your wings and sort of force you to become more mature and wise in the way that you try to move forward because Saturn acts as something, you know, prohibiting or inhibiting. And so Mars Saturn has to do with mature use of will, discipline, effort, perseverance, struggle, and maturity in the use of force and energy. On the other hand, I can just come up with something that's thwarting the will, is someone that's trying to block you or limit you. And you have to persevere and be careful with how you work around that.

On the other hand, the combination of the two is like the martial arts: stoic, discipline-wise, mature, and very strong. So, there are lots of positive things to like about Mars and Saturn. But here's what I can't help. But notice, you have a bunch of planets in Aries, the Sun crossing the North Node in Aries, and it is about to form a solar eclipse in Aries. And what that means is that there's something that wants to press the gas pedal, like let's go. Aries is about starting things; it is the sign of initiation and initiating activity.

In other words, it is the sign of the starting things of spring; the light takes over from the darkness and the story of the solar year, and it is all systems go. But right here at the outset of this solar eclipse, we have mercury retrograde, which can really be about a process of revision and of our efforts to move forward in the sign of Aries, hence being limited or temporarily setback or frustrated or delayed, or there are certain things we have to account for that act as like temporary obstacles to the kind of free freedom-seeking and energetic expression of willpower that Aries loves.

So it's very significant that Mercury's turning retrograde in Aries right before a solar eclipse in Aries, but in the bounds of Saturn and in the sign of Mars, who are coming together in a conjunction, which is about the development of a more mature use of will and force often facilitated by challenging, frustrating limiting circumstances that we have to work with or through wisely. Okay, so that's number one. You can see how important those details are in understanding what the Mercury Retrograde is about.

Well, number two, at the time of the eclipse, we're going to fast forward to April 8, and on April 8, we have the solar eclipse in Aries. It's happening at about 19 degrees of Aries.

So here we are. We are going to look at this because of the time of the eclipse in Aries, which is conjoined with Chiron in Aries as well. And if there's any, you know, reiteration of the idea that this eclipse could be about starting something, but having to mature and grow wiser and heal wounds that might be related to impulsiveness or the mature use of willpower will Chiron at the heart of the eclipse could be signifying kind of the same idea, right. But it's interesting that at the time of the eclipse, Mercury Retrograde was still in the domicile of Mars in Aries, but now it is in the bounds of Mars. Right now, Mars has even more power than Mercury. And what is Mars doing? At that time, within one degree of hitting the wall of Saturn? You see how it's starting to flavor what kind of retrograde we're getting. We're getting a retrograde. It's teaching us about the maturation of willpower, willpower, force, effort, determination, perseverance, courage, and wisdom; this is the need to heal the way we use Mars and to face a more mature, you know, the factors that are frustrating, or limiting us are here to help us grow. That's the important piece about this retrograde.

Then, number three, Mercury's cazimi happens in Mars, which is bound just after Mars separates from Saturn. So watch what happens when we take it forward to the Cazimi moment. Cazimi is the reset for Mercury at the heart of the Sun, resetting in its synoptic cycle and going from a kind of state of challenge and breakdown or fault for things kind of falling apart, too.

Rebirth and reinvigoration as Mercury starts to rise like the morning star. So it's a rebirth process. At the time of that, Mercury Cazimi was happening on April 11. Mercury-Mars is bound to the Cazimi while still in Mars as domicile, and Mars is bound and conjoined with the exultation ruler of Aries, the Sun. And what are Mars and Saturn doing now at the Cazimi moment, the rebirth moment? Mars is separating from Saturn.

So we see another signature of recovery odd now we've grown, we're a little bit wiser, we're starting to pass through whatever impediment came up. You see how it's telling a story. It's fantastic. So by April 11, the frustrations are the development of a more mature Mars signaled by this retrograde is starting to, you know, kind of what am I looking resolve itself.

Now, number four, Mercury, will then conjoin Chiron, who was at the heart of that Eclipse around April 15. It does this just as Mercury enters its own bound, so now Mercury is recovering and starting to emerge gradually. One of the beams of the Sun has gotten the Cazimi to reset its ruler; Mars is separated from Saturn, and everything's getting a little bit better; then it can join Chiron in its own bound as though some healing moment of synthesis has been achieved. And there may be a little bit of a reiteration and starting to understand and grasp what some of the healing of this cycle has been about an exciting place to move forward from.

Number five, Mercury will then conjoin Venus. This is exciting. So we have that Mercury-Venus conjunction between April 18 and 19th. And it's in Mercury's bounds. So, Mercury Retrograde then conjoins with benefic Venus, and just after that happens, Jupiter will conjoin Uranus and Venus' signs. So then we see the recovering Mercury in conjunction with Venus right as Venus, the host of Jupiter Uranus, creates that spectacular breakthrough that we've been talking about. Isn't that just beautiful? So this Mercury Retrograde is tied into a really critical little alchemical process that's going on this month. That includes both the eclipse and the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, and then Mercury will turn direct. Mercury's turn directly happens on April 24 to the 26th. Right around that time, Mercury stations turned direct, and what happened was that Jupiter separated from Uranus.

So we have the profound breakthrough that has an overall benefic feeling behind it synched up with Mercury improving and its dignity, getting appearing as the morning star going through conjunction with Chiron, who is at the heart of the eclipse, turning direct with the North Node just after Jupiter separates from Uranus and in the mix of that Mercury also can joins benefic Venus, what a story right? So you can't think this Mercury Retrograde is absolutely right at the heart of this alchemical healing process that's taking place. If the solar eclipse in Aries excites you because you're thinking oh my god, you know, I'm going to press the gas pedal in that, that's how you should feel with the solar eclipse in Aries. With the North Node, you shouldn't be thinking; the evolutionary direction of my soul that is most appealing and exciting is just raring to go. And I am ready to take off. And there's some history behind this.

So the eagerness with which we want to assert ourselves and move in the bold, pioneering direction of Aries that Aries constitutes is super exciting. However, the Mercury Retrograde that's depicted right alongside and through this eclipse portal and then as the month develops into the Jupiter Uranus conjunction is suggesting for us that there are going to be some there's going to be little testing of things are gonna come up that are going to test us to refine, mature, persevere and deal with like a little vortex of limitation restriction, frustration. But then, once we do, we've really listened to what's coming up, especially with a kind of emotional sensitivity. Remember, Mars and Saturn are conjoined in Pisces. And we're able to reflect and refine what we're trying to do. We're being a little bit more mature and patient.

The retrograde in Aries signals that that's exactly what we have to cope with this month. Then, the Jupiter-Uranus dynamic comes. Mercury rises as the morning star gets where we're going. But there's a little patience involved. And if you look carefully at all those details, Mercury Retrograde is laying it all out for us. A beautiful combination of events this month made a lot clearer by just examining what Mercury Retrograde is doing at the same time.

So anyway, hope you guys found that interesting. I'll leave it there for today, and just kind of confused. I'm just so excited about this. I think I've got the enthusiasm of this energy coming through me in some way on some level. So anyway, stick around after it. Sign off if you want to hear more about the upcoming herbal apprenticeship program that starts at the end of April. I'll be interviewing Ashley to help you understand more of what that program entails. Alright, that's it for today. Bye.