Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius Draws Attention Toward Humanitarian Concerns

Mercury stations retrograde on January 30, 2021, at 26°29’ Aquarius,

and stations direct on February 20, 2021, at 11°01’ Aquarius. 

Mercury will station retrograde in Aquarius on January 30, initiating us into a three-week period of making needed innovations and reassessments of what’s been effective versus ineffective in our life. There will be many new trends and changing collective movements we will need to reorient to in 2021 due to Saturn in Aquarius forming three square aspects with Uranus in Taurus. And so it’s significant that their first exact square aspect will be on February 17 toward the end of Mercury being retrograde in Aquarius. While Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius, we can realign with the vaster changes taking shape within societal systems so that we can more effectively catalyze necessary growth.

What Does Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius Mean?

Mercury retrograde in Aquarius will draw attention toward humanitarian concerns, including intellectually envisioning inventive ways to find greater stability amidst the sweeping societal changes that will be emerging. Due to Aquarius being a fixed air sign, the passage of Mercury retrograde will guide us in making the adjustments we need to achieve long-term goals through embracing flexibility and new directions.

However, since Mercury will be forming a challenging square aspect with Mars in Taurus, we will need to be on guard for mishaps striking in our communication and use of technology. It will be wise to make space for delays or unexpected disruptions when possible.

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

Key Dates & Aspects

January 15: Mercury enters retrograde shadow zone (11°01’ – 26°29’ Aquarius)

January 23: Mercury at maximum elongation (begins to slow down)

January 30: Mercury stations retrograde at 26°29’ Aquarius

February 8: Mercury conjunct the sun at 20°01’ Aquarius (closest to Earth)

February 20: Mercury stations direct at 11°01’ Aquarius

March 6: Mercury at maximum elongation (begins to speed up)

March 12: Mercury leaves retrograde shadow zone

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius—Effects

-Most intense for: Aquarius
Get ready for a radical makeover! At one point during Mercury’s retrograde passage, the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will all be in Aquarius. You will need to resist the stubborn side of Aquarius, opening awareness to making changes on foundational levels of your life. This will be a period for embracing change and innovation.

-Most challenging for: Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio
Changes will be erupting all around you as the hard aspects formed between Mars and Uranus in Taurus with the influx of planets in Aquarius will form disruptive aspects with your sign. Things will not be staying the same, so surrender to the currents while focusing on navigating as effectively as possible in your desired direction.

-Most beneficial for: Gemini and Libra
With Mercury retrograde forming a flowing trine to your sign while Mars and Uranus in Taurus are not forming a major aspect, look for new opportunities emerging to constructively reshape your life. Be inspired to experiment and take risks in exploring new creative directions.

A Ritual to Harness the Magic of this Transit

Mercury retrograde will begin during the cross-quarter time in between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. There is a traditional Gaelic holiday held at this time on February 1 associated with Brigid, a goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft.
On February 1, as Mercury is stationing retrograde, light a candle and write down what you want to release from your life with Brigid’s blessings on a piece of paper you store securely away. On February 8, when Mercury retrograde unites with the sun, relight your candle or make a fire so that you can burn away the list of what you want to release from your life. Stare into the flame and imagine what you wish to create with the freed space. Write a poem or make a craft to embody the seed of the new vision you wish to manifest.

Horoscopes for Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

Aries:

Mercury retrograde in Aquarius will bring opportunities for reassessing your aspirations and long-term plans, especially if you are experiencing any volatility or disruption in the realm of your finances and personal resources. This can be a potent time for revisioning how to make the most out of your circumstances and reprioritizing what you are spending resources on to be in greater alignment with your values. Seek out groups or alliances in which you can interact and collaborate with people who share your ideals.

Taurus:

Be curious about how you are changing in your core, as your internal shifts will also be reshaping the kind of public role you desire to play in society. In case you feel upset by not having a profession through which you can achieve the new aspirations you are feeling, find constructive outlets for your frustration. As you come to terms with how your sense of success and status is changing, take action to explore the new direction emerging.

Gemini:

This will be an especially potent period for keeping a dream journal as well as tracking synchronicities, as there will likely be new sources of inspiration emerging that will make a major impact on your worldview. You may experience internal changes that are less obvious in external events and more deeply felt through the symbolism of dreams. If you feel drawn toward learning more about a subject or culture, make extra time and space for research and contemplation of the new ideas that come into your awareness.

Cancer:

Pay attention to the resources you are sharing with others in any groups, alliances, or collaborative partnerships you are involved with, as you may need to rebalance dynamics so that you are not investing much more than you are receiving in return. There may be exciting new changes as well as unexpected difficulties in your friendships and association that reveal inner aspects of yourself you had been previously unaware of. This can be a powerful period for exploring sides of yourself you keep hidden from others.

Leo:

Be ready to explore and question your relational dynamics with others, especially within the public role you aspire to perform in society. There will likely be unexpected changes impacting your work in the public, and whether they are exciting new opportunities or disruptions they will impact your relationships in ways that will require making time and space to contemplate the repercussions. You may feel drawn toward spending more time with certain relationships aligned with your aspirations while releasing other relationships that you realize you are no longer in alignment with.

Virgo:

Use your potent discernment to determine any helpful modifications you can make to your daily health routines. Look for any daily habits that are wasting time or distracting you from your core purpose, and take action to replace them with new habits or regimens that are aligned with your path. By making time and space on a daily basis for focused practice and study of whatever you are inspired by, you will be on track to experience great leaps of thought and creative breakthroughs soon.

Libra:

Mercury’s retrograde passage in Aquarius can be extremely creative for you, especially the more inspired you feel to experiment with new ways of approaching your work. This can be a powerful time for keeping a journal, doing automatic writing, or any other practice that can help you penetrate into whatever sources of inspiration are brewing in your unconscious mind. Look for ways to have some fun and be playful, as lightening the weight of any recent difficulties will also help activate your imagination.

Scorpio:

Let the retrograde movement of Mercury lead you into the roots of your foundation so that you may undertake a thorough examination and excavation. As you penetrate underneath the surface into your inner depths, you may receive sudden revelations not only about yourself but also your relational dynamics with others. If you are having a conflict with others, be curious about what underlying issues are being revealed that you can investigate further. This can also be a great time to spend time at home reorganizing, renovating, remodeling, or relandscaping.

Sagittarius:

Your Mercury retrograde mission is to examine your communication style and the strategies you use to share your work in your local community or online. Look for ways to innovate so that you can more directly and clearly express the deeper meaning of whatever you are communicating. It can be a good time to make modifications to website designs or other online platforms you work with to be more aligned with your core purpose, or to research new technology you can utilize to enhance your communication.

Capricorn:

The three weeks of Mercury being retrograde in Aquarius will be an opportune time to reassess the relationship between your personal resources and your creative pursuits and expression. Are you spreading money or investing resources in whatever makes you passionate and inspired? Or have you been dissipating your resources and need to make changes in your financial habits? Taking steps to be more financially secure will allow you to spend more time on what you want to create with your life.

Aquarius:

Get ready for an extremely activated period of time in which the sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will all be together in your sign. This can be an extremely potent period for revisioning your life and making deep-seated changes on a foundational level. Let your inventive mind range freely over all the possibilities available to you, refocusing on the ideas and visions most closely aligned with your core purpose. Be willing to experiment and try out different kinds of innovations to see what works and what doesn’t work.

Pisces:

You are known for swimming in deep waters, Pisces, and the three-week period of Mercury retrograde in Aquarius may require you to spend time in solitude thoroughly contemplating matters and reflecting upon your life. There may be some tension felt between needing time alone versus being called to take action in your community, so use your intuition to discern the proper balance. This can be a potent period for redreaming your life and envisioning what you most desire to create in the year ahead.