Mercury Retrograde in Libra and Virgo: Astrology, Meaning & Horoscopes

Mercury stations retrograde on September 9, 2022, at 8°55’ Libra, and stations direct on October 2, 2022, at 24°11’ Virgo. 

Mercury’s retrograde journey from Libra to Virgo will excavate the underbelly of idealistic dreams, examining how to build a more solid foundation underneath the visions for creative expansion you have been developing. While Mercury is retrograde in Libra, it will form an opposition with Jupiter in Aries on September 18 that can lead to questioning where you have had inflated beliefs and need to reconsider your perspective.

Once Mercury enters Virgo on September 23, it will form a flowing trine aspect with Pluto, a creatively stimulating conjunction with Venus, and a tense opposition with Neptune that can help distinguish the path to follow forward that is empowering and will allow you to bring ideas into form through realistic steps and goals.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mercury retrograde.

Mercury Retrograde in Libra & Virgo Meaning

The signs of Virgo and Libra bridge the change of seasons from summer to fall in the northern hemisphere. And so there is important symbolic meaning in Mercury not only being retrograde in these signs but also forming its regenerative conjunction with the sun on the exact day of the Libra equinox. This is the time of the harvest in the northern hemisphere, and similarly, Mercury will help in separating the wheat from the chaff, gaining clarity for what elements of developing ideas to cultivate versus what aspects need to be reformed or released.

Mercury functions well in Libra and is at its greatest strength in Virgo. In the airy, intellectual environment of Libra, Mercury excels in reflecting upon relational dynamics of all sorts, revealing places where we need to recalibrate how we have been interacting. In comparison, Mercury in Virgo has an immense facility in discerning choices and distinguishing points of focus out of the many considerations that can be gathered by Mercury in Libra. Thus, we can best utilize the period of Mercury retrograde in Libra for thoughtful contemplation and inventive brainstorming, while the period of Mercury retrograde in Virgo can help analyze the most optimal path forward.

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Mercury Retrograde in Libra Key Dates:

August 20: Mercury enters retrograde shadow zone (8°55’ Libra – 24°11’ Virgo)

August 27: Mercury at maximum elongation (begins to slow down)

September 9: Mercury stations retrograde at 8°55’ Libra

September 22: Mercury conjunct the sun at 00°14’ Libra (closest to Earth)

September 23: Mercury enters Virgo

October 2: Mercury stations direct at 24°12’ Virgo

October 8: Mercury at maximum elongation (begins to speed up)

October 16: Mercury leaves retrograde shadow zone

Mercury Retrograde in Libra Effects:

–Most intense for Libra: Libra is known for being focused on relationships, but this Mercury retrograde will be a time to make sure you focus on yourself and your interior landscape. You can make foundational changes in how you carry and present yourself in the world, gaining awareness for ways in which you have been restricting or holding yourself back. Put your thoughtful skills in weighing multiple options to work, focusing on the choices aligned with the most authentic path forward for yourself.

–Most challenging for Pisces: You may have some uncomfortable, challenging material emerge into your awareness related to relationships in which you share significant financial, emotional, or creative resources. Stay with the trouble rather than avoiding or distracting yourself with escapism, and by the end of the retrograde, you will have gained greater clarity regarding constructive ways to address the issues creatively and effectively.

–Most beneficial for Gemini: Bring your playful curiosity and thirst for new perspectives to your daily experiences, as this can be a fertile time for experimenting with new forms of creativity and generating ideas. Lay to rest old aspirations that no longer inspire you, clearing the ground for more vital visions to take root. Embrace the fluidity and formlessness of Mercury retrograde rather than trying to hang on to old forms in need of change.

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Practical Magic to Harness the Best of this Transit

September 26 of 2022 brings the Libra Equinox when the sun ingresses into the sign of the Scales, demarcating the beginning of Fall in the northern hemisphere and Spring in the southern hemisphere. It is also the day in which Mercury will enter the heart of the sun, becoming reanimated with the radiant potency of our star.

This is the dead center of the Mercury retrograde passage, the time during which whatever material has been accumulated during the first half of the Mercury retrograde period can be burned off and purified. It’s a moment for reseeding new ideas, a perfect fit for a day in which the season also shifts into autumn in the northern hemisphere. Being the time of reaping the harvest from the land, create a ritual space on September 26 for gathering the seeds of new ideas that will take root in the cycle ahead. Listen for messages revealing the ideas and plans ready to bear fruit.

Horoscopes for Mercury Retrograde in Libra & Virgo

Aries

You know how to go it alone when necessary and maintain your self-sufficiency, yet it will be important to be mindful of your relationships during this Mercury retrograde period. Pay attention to where your needs are not being met within your primary partnerships and listen to the needs being expressed by your most important relationships. You may need to rely on others more during this time than normal or realize ways in which you have been too headstrong in insisting you know what’s right.

Taurus

The steady, solid, and consistent effort you can apply to your work helps you in making grounded decisions and bringing matters to completion effectively. Yet in the process, you’ve been facing a lot of pressure between your own needs for innovation and your concern over enduring challenges and working hard to pass the tests of adversity you have been facing. Let Mercury guide you in ways of adjusting your daily routines so you may avoid burnout and create more space for restorative relaxation, play, and creative expression.

Gemini

Your quicksilver mind excels at multitasking and ricocheting between perspectives, continually finding new ways of synthesizing meaning and making flexible adjustments. Yet you also make penetrating insight when you focus on one project at a time instead of dissipating your brilliance in too many directions. Utilize Mercury’s retrograde passage for brainstorming and experimenting with new forms of creative expression. Turn inward, tending to the hearth at home and the new ideas that can be forged to bring back out to the world later.

Cancer

You’ve been called to broaden your horizons through your work this year and embrace a more expansive vision with your vocation. Yet Mercury’s retrograde journey in Libra will instead pull your attention to home and your inner landscape, sifting through emotional patterns in private places away from the hustle and bustle of external business. Once Mercury shifts backwards into Virgo, you will be able to retrieve important insight from your inward exploration to communicate through your work and express within your relationships.

Leo

You have natural gifts for leadership and staying centered within your purpose, yet it’s also important that you do not become stuck by overly identifying with a persona or method that has brought you success in the past. Let Mercury’s retrograde passage excavate the connection between your communication and your values. Make space to monitor ways in which your inner values and priorities have been changing to discern if your communication is truly rooted in the present state of your authentic values.

Virgo

Let Mercury guide your discerning eye to examine how well your public presence and actions are aligned with your most essential values. You’ll likely need to monitor financial matters, bringing critical thought to your investments and the balance between how much of your own resources you are sharing with others and how much you are receiving in return. When unsure of which way to navigate forward, return to your center and ground within your integrity so that you may receive the inner guidance needed.

Libra

The first two weeks of Mercury’s retrograde passage will be opportune for conducting a makeover in fundamental areas of your life. Take a step back from exciting relationship dynamics to return to your inner core. Reflect on ways you need to adjust so that you are asserting your own needs and acting in your best interests. Once Mercury backtracks into Virgo, you will be able to peel back a deeper layer of your psyche so that you become more aware of previously hidden aspects of your unconscious.

Keep track of all retrograde and astrological transits with our Astrology Calendar.

Scorpio

Mercury will guide you through dark and hidden places within your psyche during the first two weeks of its retrograde passage. As you embark upon an underworld journey of depth, you will become aware of patterns you have been engaging that have not been in your best interest. Once Mercury enters Virgo, you will emerge with clarity that will enable you to reformulate your aspirations to be more aligned with your authenticity, as well as attract collaborators who resonate with your purpose.

Sagittarius

You know how to leap ahead when inspired by fiery vision, but during Mercury’s retrograde passage it will be important for you to slow down and reconsider your aspirations and work in the world. Are you focused upon targets truly aligned with a felt sense of soulfulness and authenticity? Be on the lookout for allies to join forces with who are deeply aligned with your purpose. You may move away from some collaborations while gravitating towards others that have more mutual inspiration and accountability.

Capricorn

Your capacity for persevering through challenges and enduring difficulties with resilience is admirable, but if you are not careful your survival skills can sustain your engagement in work is not in your best interest. Utilize Mercury’s retrograde passage for reconsidering your vocational calling, reflecting upon how well your work in the world is aligned with your authentic values. Once Mercury enters Virgo, let yourself broaden your horizons to consider expansive potential directions you previously have held back from taking seriously as viable options.

Aquarius

Mercury’s retrograde passage through Libra can be a mentally stimulating time for you to conduct penetrating research and explore new academic or philosophical directions. The more you embrace the side of your nature willing to veer off into uncharted territory, the more likely you will be able to retrieve insights from unexpected places and unorthodox perspectives that can fertilize new mental frameworks for yourself. Once Mercury enters Virgo, you may become more interested in exploring your inner depths more so than being intellectually productive.

Pisces

During the first two weeks of Mercury being retrograde in Libra, Mercury will draw you into exploring previously hidden patterns within your psyche that may dredge up some uncomfortable but much-needed revelations. Once Mercury enters Virgo, the inner insight you have gathered will inform ways in which you need to rebalance your relational dynamics with others. It’s a good time for taking stock of how much you are sharing within your partnerships versus how much you are receiving in return.