Is Mercury in retrograde right now?
No.Mercury is not in retrograde. The next Mercury retrograde begins on 24 October 2026 and ends on 13 November 2026. Today it is at 12°04′ Scorpio in the tropical zodiac, Libra in the sidereal zodiac.
Last updated 10 October 2026
- Mercury turns retrograde on Saturday, 24 October 2026
- Pre-shadow started on Sunday, 4 October 2026
- Mercury turns direct again on Friday, 13 November 2026
- Mercury was last retrograde from Monday, 29 June 2026 to Thursday, 23 July 2026
Dates and times are in America/New York.
- Pre-shadow beginsSun 4 Oct
- Turns retrogradeSat 24 Oct
- Turns directFri 13 Nov
- Shadow endsMon 30 Nov
The next Mercury retrograde, in Scorpio
| Phase | Dates | Degrees (tropical) | Sidereal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-shadow | 4 October to 24 October 202620 days · 05:09 to 03:12 | 5°02′ Scorpio forward to 20°58′ Scorpio | Libra |
| Retrograde | 24 October to 13 November 202620 days · 03:12 to 10:53 | 20°58′ Scorpio back to 5°02′ Scorpio | Libra |
| Post-shadow | 13 November to 30 November 202617 days · 10:53 to 01:16 | 5°02′ Scorpio forward to 20°58′ Scorpio | Libra |
Which signs does this Mercury retrograde affect?
Every sign, in a different area of life. Astrology reads a retrograde through the house it falls in, counted from your own sign as the first house. This one turns retrograde in Scorpio, so for Scorpio it is a first-house retrograde, for the sign after it a twelfth-house one and for the sign before it a second-house one. Use your Sun or rising sign in the Western column and your Moon sign for the Vedic count. These are traditional readings, offered for reflection.
| Your sign | 24 October to 13 November 2026Scorpio · Vedic Libra |
|---|---|
| Aries | 8th houseVedic: 7th house |
| Taurus | 7th houseVedic: 6th house |
| Gemini | 6th houseVedic: 5th house |
| Cancer | 5th houseVedic: 4th house |
| Leo | 4th houseVedic: 3rd house |
| Virgo | 3rd houseVedic: 2nd house |
| Libra | 2nd houseVedic: 1st house |
| Scorpio | 1st houseVedic: 12th house |
| Sagittarius | 12th houseVedic: 11th house |
| Capricorn | 11th houseVedic: 10th house |
| Aquarius | 10th houseVedic: 9th house |
| Pisces | 9th houseVedic: 8th house |
What each house is traditionally said to revisit
- 1st house. How you present yourself. Revise how you describe yourself and your plans before announcing them.
- 2nd house. Money and belongings. Re-check bills, subscriptions and purchases before you commit.
- 3rd house. Messages, short trips and siblings. Reread before sending and leave extra time for local travel.
- 4th house. Home and family. Old household conversations and unfinished repairs come back round.
- 5th house. Creative projects and dating. An old idea or an old flame is the traditional theme; revise before you reveal.
- 6th house. Daily work and routines. Check schedules, tools and the small details of the working day.
- 7th house. Partners and agreements. Review terms with a partner or client rather than signing in haste.
- 8th house. Shared money. Loans, taxes and joint accounts are the traditional review.
- 9th house. Long journeys and study. Confirm bookings, and return to a course or idea you set aside.
- 10th house. Career and public role. Revisit goals and double-check what goes out under your name.
- 11th house. Friends and groups. Old friends reappear, and group plans need a second confirmation.
- 12th house. Rest and reflection. A quiet stretch for journaling, finishing loose ends and thinking before speaking.
When is the next Mercury retrograde? Every date to 2030
Mercury turns retrograde three or four times a year, each time for about three weeks (22 days on average in 2026). Each year’s page has the shadow periods, signs and a calendar file.
| Year | Retrograde | Signs (tropical) | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 October to 13 November 202620 days | Scorpio | 4 October to 30 November 2026 |
| 2027 | 9 February to 3 March 202722 days | Pisces and Aquarius | 25 January to 23 March 2027 |
| 2027 | 10 June to 4 July 202724 days | Cancer and Gemini | 26 May to 19 July 2027 |
| 2027 | 7 October to 28 October 202721 days | Scorpio and Libra | 17 September to 13 November 2027 |
| 2028 | 24 January to 14 February 202821 days | Aquarius | 8 January to 5 March 2028 |
| 2028 | 21 May to 14 June 202824 days | Gemini | 6 May to 29 June 2028 |
| 2028 | 19 September to 11 October 202822 days | Libra | 30 August to 26 October 2028 |
| 2029 | 7 January to 27 January 202920 days | Aquarius and Capricorn | 21 December 2028 to 16 February 2029 |
| 2029 | 1 May to 25 May 202924 days | Taurus | 17 April to 10 June 2029 |
| 2029 | 2 September to 24 September 202923 days | Libra and Virgo | 13 August to 9 October 2029 |
| 2029 | 22 December 2029 to 11 January 203020 days | Capricorn | 4 December 2029 to 30 January 2030 |
| 2030 | 12 April to 6 May 203024 days | Taurus and Aries | 30 March to 23 May 2030 |
| 2030 | 15 August to 8 September 203023 days | Virgo | 27 July to 22 September 2030 |
| 2030 | 5 December to 25 December 203020 days | Capricorn and Sagittarius | 17 November 2030 to 13 January 2031 |
What does Mercury retrograde mean?
Astronomically, it means Mercury appears to move backwards against the stars for about three weeks, because the Earth and Mercury pass each other on their orbits around the Sun. Nothing about the planet changes; the reversal is a matter of viewpoint, and the dates above are the moments its apparent motion turns round.
In astrology Mercury is read for communication, travel, contracts and the small machinery of daily life; tradition reads its retrograde as a time to re-read, re-check and revisit rather than sign and launch. That is why the period has its reputation for crossed messages, delayed travel and second thoughts. Many astrologers frame it more usefully as a time for the “re-” words: review, revise, reconnect and repair. It is a tradition of interpretation, not a cause of missed trains.
What is the Mercury retrograde shadow?
Because Mercury retraces its own path, it crosses the same stretch of the zodiac three times: forward, backward, then forward again, which is the shaded band in the chart above. The pre-shadow begins when Mercury first reaches the degree where it will later turn direct; the post-shadow ends when it passes the degree where it turned retrograde. Astrologers who use the shadow read it as the ramp in and out of the retrograde’s themes. It is a convention, not a change in the sky, which is why some sources quote only the station dates.
Is Mercury retrograde different in Vedic astrology?
The motion and the dates are identical; only the sign labels differ, because the sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology sits about 24 degrees behind the tropical one. A retrograde in tropical Pisces is usually in sidereal Aquarius. Vedic tradition calls a retrograde Mercury (Budha) vakri and often reads it as strengthened and inward rather than troublesome. Why the zodiacs differ.
Was Mercury retrograde when I was born?
About one person in five is born with Mercury retrograde, since Mercury spends roughly a fifth of each year in retrograde. Tradition reads it as a mind that considers before it speaks. Kendraya marks Mercury as retrograde in your planet details and placement table if it was at your birth. Check my birth chart
Stations are found by scanning Kendraya Engine’s apparent geocentric positions, calculated from NASA/JPL DE440s orbital data, at 12-hour steps and bisecting to the minute (how the positions are calculated). Every other planet’s status is on which planets are retrograde right now. Terms: retrograde, direct motion.