The Scales Tilt in the Opposite Direction: Mercury Retrograde Horoscopes

Hey everyone, this is Acyuta-bhava from Nightlight Astrology, and today we are going to take a look at Mercury's upcoming retrograde in the sign of Libra for all 12 Sun and rising signs. This is effectively like a Mercury Retrograde horoscope. And I feel like this is a good thing to do because when we looked at the September horoscopes, I sort of broadly looked at the Libra Aries axis for All signs based on the whole sign configuration of your birth chart. Today, I want to focus a little bit more on that sign of Libra and where that lands in your birth chart to give you a sense of what topics you might expect to see activated as Mercury's retrograding there in the sign of Libra. So that is our agenda for today.

But before we get into it, don't forget to like and, subscribe, share a comment in the comment section. If you have a story you'd like to tell about the upcoming Mercury Retrograde, use the hashtag #grabbed. I really appreciate aggregating all those stories, occasionally doing a storytelling episode, as you guys know they are. They're really fun to listen to. I've got another one coming up soon. I'm going to be doing one probably in the next week or two. So I'm going to take you over to the website right now, nightlightastrology.com, where there is also a sale going on until September 12. We have a preregistration sale for two new classes, Roots and Spheres, the moon circle that Ashley and I are leading throughout 2023 meets before new and new and full moons. We discussed the astrology of the month, where we also pair the astrology of the month with herbal plant teachers and different kinds of transformational exercises, rituals, and practices. They're all optional, but we try to provide some options for people who really want to work more hands-on with astrological energies, especially working with plant teachers. So there is an early bird payment you can save a few $100 off before the sale ends on September 12.

There's also a MasterClass series that begins in February. If you click under the Courses tab and go on to the MasterClass series, you can learn all about it; there are four master classes that I'm teaching throughout the year, you can learn all about what those are. And see if you'd like to join that save a few $100 off with the Earlybird rate for that one as well. And there's also tuition assistance available. We always try to make sure that, you know, nobody's priced out. So if you need to go and check out the need-based tuition option if you want to take one of my courses but you can't afford it. The other thing I want to mention is that the new Year one class is coming up soon. I'll start promoting that more actively next week. But if you click on the first-year course, you go down on November 12, the next first-year class, Ancient Astrology for the modern mystic, a full one-year immersion, starting from the ground up and working into ancient Hellenistic astrology. That is coming up on November 12. We do have a very limited amount of need-based tuition available for every program. There's like a specific number of contracts that we set that we have available. So be sure you take care of that early because we do have people that have been signing up for that all across the summer already. So those spots because the program is getting more popular, I guess you could say so the tuition assistance, the need-based tuition contracts are filling up a little bit more quickly than usual. So be sure to apply right away if you need tuition assistance to take the program. Early bird payments also available up to the start of class so you can save, but that one year program I will be promoting more in-depth next week. I just tried to get the word out a little bit early since we are seeing the need-based tuition contracts going a little bit more quickly this year.

So that being said, let's take a look at our sun and rising sign horoscopes for this upcoming Mercury Retrograde. First, I want to bring up the chart and just give you a look at it. So here you can see Mercury here is in the seventh house. And it is going to be doing its retrograde in the sign of Libra. Now it dips into Virgo for a little bit, but the majority of its time and it's kind of its most important moments in my mind are happening in Libra. Remember, Mercury is going to be opposing Jupiter; talks about that in September's overview in September's horoscopes, and I really just want to focus on the topics of the house that are going to be activated by virtue of Mercury's retrograde in Libra.

Now Mercury's retrograde begins on September 9. So that's when your that's when you're going to see the retrograde begin. Now let's trace this out. So you're gonna see that it spends the time that it spends in Libra is pretty significant. Here we have it all the way until about September 23. So good chunk of September, Mercury's retrograde in Libra, which means there's a serious center of gravity and that whole sign house of Libra and your birth chart goes dipped back into Virgo, and then stations and turns direct right around October 2 into the third. So that's the full length of time you can expect to see it there. One really interesting feature of this retrograde is also the fact that as the sun on this Fall Equinox is entering the sign of Libra, exactly, Mercury will be moving into the cazimi with the sun, meaning its exact conjunction, which is a very powerful and auspicious moment, within the retrograde cycle, that's about September 22. So that fall equinox moment is going to be pretty powerful 22nd, you could say maybe a little bit into the 23rd, depending on which time zone you're in and everything like that.

Okay, well, I'm gonna back this up. And what I want to do now is just take this, go all the way down to the ninth. And we're going to take this through all 12 rising signs. Now you could read this for your sun sign if you wanted to. We're going to start off with Aries sun or rising either way if you were to do an Aries horoscope and Aries as your sun sign, the way astrologers work in, or an Aries horoscope is by putting the whole sign of Aries on the first house. So the only way that the chart is actually looking like your birth chart is if you have the sun if you're doing a sun sign horoscope in your first whole sign house. Otherwise, it's not a direct correlate to the house arrangement of your birth chart. The way to get there is through your rising sign, which is why I always recommend that.

So anyway, let's go through these now. The Mercury Retrograde can bring up revisions, reversals, delays, setbacks, changes of plans, the script getting flipped, a moment of changing, course corrections, or a change of direction. Sometimes it's a little bit of confusion and chaos with Mercury's retrograde. But it's also about the unexpected and innovative new idea that could come up and, you know, present you with something you haven't even thought of before. I think that there's also just a sense when Mercury goes retrograde in a house of things kind of going nutty in that house for a little bit, like there's a little bit of divine confusion and chaos. And then, eventually, things get worked out. But I think if you can anticipate that by virtue of the topics of the house Mercury is going to be retrograde in, it really helps.

So starting with Aries, Aries, the retrograde is in your seventh house, which is the place of marriage and relationships, but it's also the place of the setting sun and was associated with closure or resolution. Could you be close to the finish line in some area of life only to have a temporary delay or setback when it comes to finally resolving or concluding something, whether it's a business deal or writing a paper for, you know, getting approval to finish your dissertation or something. Whatever the case may be, Mercury could provide some delays with something that you think is about to cross the finish line or is about to even, for example, no, this is terrible. But you think of someone at the last minute deciding that they want to delay their wedding, or they're unsure about getting married, like something like it'd be kind of dramatic, um, that sounds really terrible. But the idea of like a choice or a decision is something you're trying to come to a conclusion about. But then you get more information. Now, so it could be something like that. And maybe not necessarily to do with romance or love at all, but just the twists and turns of something as it's coming to what should be a resolution or completion.

On the other hand, relationships and love communication and relationships in love, very simple Mercury, seventh house kind of stuff. That could be business relationships or negotiations with someone, or trying to reach some kind of resolution while doing a deal of some kind. But there could be some back and forth or some breakdown of negotiating. Mercury in Libra is very good at negotiating and balancing the scales. But you could find that the retrograde suggests, at the very least, that communication temporarily breaks down, or you have to go back and revisit something, or there's a need to revise the plan or something like that. So that's what I would watch for if you're an Aries rising or Aries sun sign.

Now, if you're a Taurus rising Taurus sun sign, this places Mercury into the sixth house. So that sixth house is going to be the place of people that you hire. So, for example, I'm looking at this and going, oh god, we have landscapers who are working on, if you guys remember from last year's Kickstarter, one of our goals was to build a teaching and gifting garden for Ashley's herbal medicine. And so we're building that garden right now, which is beautiful, by the way, and we're hoping to feature some of the footage of the building project in this year's Kickstarter videos; you can see what you guys helped us build. But all of the medicine from that garden will be gifted, and it's really cool. I'm really excited about it. But I also have neighbors that are unhappy with the fact that there's, you know, loud noises and construction going on basically. And so I'm just sitting there going, Oh no, it's in the house of like people you hire, and there's a retrograde. Could there be a delay in the process of building this garden? That would be a perfect Mercury Retrograde sixth house thing; knock on wood that that doesn't happen, but at least for me, but, Yeah, and that could there be some delay or setback or reversal if you're hiring a nanny, or if you're, you know, you need to have some work done on the plumbing in your house, I mean anything where you're Taurus rising, and you're relying on someone to fix a problem or do some work for you, or negotiating someone to do work for you, people that you hire or people that work for you, could there be some changes, that's a real possibility.

Now, the other thing is that Mercury's Mercury's retrograde in this house could also signify having to go through some kind of negotiation process that's a little bit challenging or difficult. It's got the opposition to Jupiter in the 12th. The sixth house was a place of conflict and arduous taxing work, but also potentially enemies. It was associated with the sixth house. The sixth house was called The Joy of Mars. So I would look for maybe some, you know, tricky negotiating or working out of details with a little underlying element of tension, but Mercury is really trying to keep the peace. And then maybe there's some kind of greater awareness of your health or something to do with sickness and health that Mercury is highlighting in that place as well.

If we go to Gemini, we are putting Gemini on the ascendant; then Mercury moves into the fifth house. The Fifth House is called the house of good fortune. It's a place associated with joy and pleasure, creative fulfillment. It's also associated with children and pregnancy. It's interesting to see a Mercury Retrograde in this house. I'm quite often you see if someone's a creative type, and they're in the midst of creating something, or they're in a creative transmission space, then this could signal some kind of delay or creative revision or course correction of how you're writing music or how you're writing a book or some. so creative revisions would be one pairing of Mercury's retrograde in a Venus ruled sign and a house that was associated with Venus. I could also see there being some return or like hearing from someone, an old lover, or kind of like, like, a shift in communication dynamics within romantic life. I don't you know, the fifth house, to me, is more romantic than monogamous. And it's more about the flirtation, the fun, the joy, the sex, the sensuality, which is part of a relationship. But could there be some kind of rethinking or learning or some process of discovery around intimacy and romance? You know, I think you even like, again, hearing from an old lover or something that I think that's a possibility as well.

In this house, I also wonder about children and schooling and education and changes that might be happening there or things that have to do with learning and cognition. I also wonder about the things that are something that's gifted or given to you only to be taken back or some kind of blessing that you're you're not sure Oh, wait, maybe this is something that I thought I wanted, but I don't want this. The fifth house is also associated with good fortune. So if Mercury's retrograde and Venus's sign in the house of good fortune, could there be something like something that I have enjoyed that I no longer want? I wonder about that too. All right.

Well, let's move on to Cancer. So put Cancer on the ascendant you've got Mercury doing its retrograde in the fourth house. If your Cancer rising Mercury's in the fourth house, this is something to do with home property, it could have something to do with parents or family karma, and some shifting there, some going back and revisiting or revising something. You know, I wonder about visiting old wounds or old conflicts, but maybe with a new, like a new diplomatic sensibility, a new way of handling an old problem within family or home? Also, new designs or style ideas being implemented around the home or property? I could also see this being about, you know, the question a question of how much should I care to keep the peace versus how much should I assert my own will or needs or agenda around home and family so that the focus is really for Cancers in that fourth house around the home, family, property, living environment, and some shifting dynamics in that in that house and some of them may be a little bit unpredictable, and you may be trying to find the strike the right balance somehow.

All right, well, let's go to Leo, so if you are Leo sun or rising, this puts Mercury into the third house; I'll just kind of pop that down. So you can see there's Mercury down in the third. And this third house was a place associated with the mind and environment, moods and emotions that swirl around us, and you know, we are partially, and we are environmental beings as much as we are independent beings. It's kind of like fish, you know? The zebrafish looks like a zebra, but you know, you can't describe the fish fully without describing the fact that fish live in water.

So the third house has a lot to do with the environment, the environment of the mind, the environment of our neighborhood of culture of family, and upbringing. And with Mercury retrograding in the third house, you know, sometimes it's really mundane, it's like, okay, well, my technology is changing, or my something's changing about my car or the way that I go to work in the morning or something like that I'm getting a bicycle. So something about the daily round or the daily routine can change something about your thinking, your thoughts, your intellectual process, learning and study of things can change, but also just generally a shift in mind and mood, a shift in perception, a shift in the way you communicate, perceive, think, talk, speak, and deal with conflicts, maybe perhaps, especially those that are political, religious, ideological, with Mercury, also opposing Jupiter in the ninth house. So that's where I would look for the action if you're a Leo sun or rising.

Now, for Virgo, we're looking at Mercury in the second house. So the shift is around finances and money. But there will be a dialogue across the eighth house with Jupiter there, which may bring in the question of other people's resources or other people's money or the split between self-sufficiency and some form of financial or resource dependency. But Mercury there might have new ideas about how to spend or how to make money; it may be trying to improve itself by developing a skill or a craft or trade, especially as a Virgo; this is your ruling planet. So the idea of I am my own resource, but I may be I need something for you from you. Or I'd like to stand on my own rather than being dependent on you even if you have something really amazing to give me. Those are the kinds of splits that I see right now for Virgos. There may also be just some revision to the way you're doing work, like an existing thing that you're doing. It's not necessarily a new skill, but you're honing it somehow that comes to mind as well. All right, so that's Virgo.

Let's go forward to Libra. Now, if you're a Libra, this is actually going to fall into your home sign in first house, which means that it's very existential, or it can be even very physical, where Mercury in the first house represents a new wardrobe or a new way of speaking or thinking or a new appearance. Now, Mercury, you would think, well, Mercury must have to do with a new mindset because it's, you know, Mercury is very mental. But the thing is, is that Mercury is also a translator. And so what Mercury's thinking or perceiving will often be translated into some course of action in the first house that might be about health or your appearance or your body somehow, it could have to do with your sexual identity or preferences and needing to speak them into existence more than you are or for the first time, Mercury's opposition to Jupiter again, maybe it's your own some form of self-development or self-revision that you're doing against what other people need or want, or believe or assert, with Jupiter in the seventh. But I think it's personal if you're a Libra; this is about, you know, you and how you're changing as a person and how those changes need to be reflected in the world around you. Like how do you take new thoughts, new perceptions, new feelings, or new experiences and actually integrate them, and that usually involves a mind-body connection in the first house? I would think so.

Let's go to Scorpio. If you're a Scorpio, sun, or rising, this places Mercury into the 12th. I would be particularly careful with Mercury and Libra in the 12th house about gossip and drama, about communication and relationships that's not necessarily healthy, or your you know your blind spot when it comes to how you communicate and how you get your thoughts, feelings, and needs across in relationships. Are you doing so in a healthy way or a passive-aggressive way? How much are you seduced by images and appearances versus how easy is it for you to be authentic? Or the people around you, are you being told lies by people? I mean, frankly, the 12th House Mercury Retrograde could be about deception or gossip or betrayal or secrets. It could also be about paranoia and about paying too much attention to the appearance of something rather than tuning into the substance of the inner substance of something. But I would also be just, in general, I would be careful about what people are selling you and what people are trying to offer you; remember, Mercury is also in a light trine still with Mars in the eighth house in Gemini, where you're going to get a retrograde that's the house of other people's resources and assets and so forth. I wonder a little bit about, you know, starting to realize that someone isn't who they say they are or they can't quite give you what you need or want. You know you want to be compassionate and not judgmental, but I would be the key word for me this month; I guess for Scorpios would be discernment, being very careful and looking about, you know, think Are you taking time to meditate, so you're aware of your blind spots, especially in relationships, and those can be workplace relationships, family relationships, love, but just know that Mercury's in your blind spot this month.

Now, Sagittarius, that's going to be the 11th house. Now for me, you know, this one has a little bit of a similar vibe to Scorpio except for it's not quite the blind spot; it's more out in the open. And that is the that's in the 11th house. So that's the place of friends, allies groups. Now, there could be changes there, like big changes happening in the lives of friends or colleagues or people that you work with, changes within groups or organizations that have an effect on your professional life. Why? Because Mercury and Venus are in mutual reception. Venus is in your career house, in its fall, Mercury mutual reception helps a little bit, but you get the feeling of like allies, friends, and relationships in the workplace changing somehow. Maybe there's a little bit of tension around that. But maybe some of the changes are necessary. And they're a good thing, even if it's not, you know, 100% easy. I also just wonder about changing your mind about what kind of people you think are a value, like a shift in philosophy about your allies or community? All right, well, that's what I see for Sag.

For Capricorn, we're going into the 10th house. And that is, you know, straight up that's career that's vocation, career, public image reputation, you get the feeling like you could be shifting jobs or titles, or you could be starting to understand that something you've been doing, you need to go back and perfect or, or develop more, it's not something's not working, that you're trying. On the other hand, this could be about a project getting delayed or an internal change within a company that's happening. I wonder a little bit about the relationship between employer and employees because you also have Mars in the sixth, then Mercury is ruling the sixth. So you know, fairness in the workplace that comes to mind.

Now, if we go on to Aquarius, I think it's pretty straightforward. For caps, it's the workplace. So watch for the changes there. For Aquarius, here we go. We're putting Mercury into the ninth house. Now that place was called God, the joy of the sun, a place of illumination, knowledge, beliefs, and guiding principles in life, whether they're religious or scientific. So this is the place of seeking higher understanding and knowledge and wisdom. You know, when Mercury turns retrograde in the ninth house in my, you know, my lifetime, anytime that that's happened, it's interesting how I will start to see something differently. For example, something I'm studying and astrology, I'll start to understand differently, or, you know, a topic that I'm interested in, suddenly, I'm no longer interested in because I've picked up the trail and I'm off studying something else.

So change of scenery, intellectually, philosophically, spiritually, religiously, politically, your convictions changing; insights that have to do with ethics, your morality, concerns or considerations that are moral. You know, sometimes the ninth house gets legal, especially with Libra in that house. So legal or, you know, debates that have an ethical connotation, or concerns about morality, fairness, and justice, maybe even legal disputes. Those are potentials here, though; I don't want to overstate that and make people freak out that someone's going to sue them or whatever. But I think the concern with fairness with learning and with almost like Mercury in the ninth house, retrograding might have a bit of a paradigm shift. So I would watch for those kinds of things overall if you're an Aquarius sun or rising.

Finally, for Pisces, we're looking at the eighth house. To me, this is really interesting because this paired with Venus and its fall in the seventh, and the mutual reception between Mercury and Venus might be, for example, you're helping somebody out, somebody who's in, you know, that you love or someone who's in a difficult situation may be related to home or family with Mars and Mercury sign Mercury also ruling the fourth house. So could we see something around like picking up someone who's down in the family by lending them a little cash? Or could it be that there are disputes within the family over money or finances and the fairness of how to execute a will or an estate or, you know, something like that? Could there also be legal conflicts because of divorce or separation? That would be possible? I think the other thing here is about soul contracts. You know, we have these unspoken unwritten, invisible contracts with other souls. The nature of those contracts seems to change when Mercury Retrogrades in the eighth house; what we owe somebody we are released from, we might pick up a new debt or obligation to someone, and maybe it's mutually beneficial, maybe it's not. These are the kinds of things that I would watch for as a Pisces.

The other thing that would come up, maybe with Mercury Retrograde eighth house, would be themed around death or fear or anxiety of the mind and working through them somehow. But also, you know, be careful that you don't go back to an old fear or go back to an old pattern that's unhealthy in relationships, or, you know, mentally or in communication or something like that, like going back to an old habit that enslaves you would not be a great expression of this Mercury retrograde, and it could be like, for example, with the fallen Venus in the seventh, Mercury becomes obsessed with someone from the past that really isn't very good for them, or something like that.

So those are a few things to watch for anyway; I hope that this was helpful for all of you. Don't forget before you go today to leave a comment. Share your stories; if you have a story to share, use the hashtag grabbed; the planets were called grahas or grabbers. We like to tell stories once in a while about how they're showing up in your lives. They aggregate the stories, and we do storytelling episodes where we share your stories from the transits. So if you don't feel like using the hashtag grabbed and sharing in the comment section, you can email us at grabbed@nightlightastrology.com. In the meantime, don't forget to like and subscribe and put a comment in the comment section of this video. It helps the channel to grow if you ever want a transcript of my daily talks there on the website nightlightastrology.com. That is what I've got for today. And we will see you again later. Take it easy, everyone. Bye