Mercury Retrograde January 14th through February 3rd, 2022: Breaking the Ice

2022’s first Mercury Retrograde begins at 10 degrees of Aquarius on January 14th through February 3rd, 2022.  As Mercury begins his backward (not literally, but illusionary) journey, he will be conjunct Saturn and squaring Uranus in Taurus.  This challenging aspect forces change often due to events outside our control.  The square brings the potential for power outages, Internet disruptions, icy conditions, heavy winds, and unexpected occurrences, especially when Uranus stations direct on January 18th.

Saturn involved brings restriction and limitation as he battles the rebellious Uranus, who seeks freedom and higher consciousness.  With Mercury retrograde and Saturn in Aquarius, there are themes of friendships, groups, hopes and wishes, technology, the future, acquaintances, networking, experimentation, online exchanges, and professional communications.  With Uranus in Taurus, this brings lots of change around our money, values, resources, and feelings of safety and stability.

On January 25th, Mercury will join the stellium in Capricorn with Venus Retrograde, Mars, and Pluto.  The communications become less abrupt and more professional, thorough, and according to the rules.  Be sure to have your ducks in a row by this time in your work and business, as the retrograde will shift the focus back to authorities, your reputation, work performance, business, vocation, and building a legacy. 

During the retrograde, it would be good to ask yourself these questions: Are you in the right network?  Do you have the right connections to expand your business or to find a new income stream?  Are you in the right work environment (that you could change when Mercury’s post-shadow phase ends on February 24th)?  One that values your efforts and shares your mission?  One that feels rewarding more than draining? Do your friends support your ambition or efforts to change? Or do you need to put yourself out there and find new people?

Other Considerations

Because this retrograde involves themes of finance and electricity, it may be good to have some cash on hand or some food and supplies stocked just in case.  It would be wise to start getting serious and disciplined (Saturn) about learning (Mercury) and using your connections (Aquarius) to find new ways of making money or obtaining resources (Uranus in Taurus).  We also have the North Node in Taurus, so the weight is heavier in favor of stabilizing our income for the next 18 months in general.  Consider taking a course in alternative finance or entrepreneurship.

As Mercury is the ruler of speech and communication, his square to Uranus may also bring the sudden urge to give someone the cold, hard, Saturnian truth.  This is where we put our foot down about our boundaries within business and friend groups.  On the other end, we may feel restricted with what we need to say and frustrated that it isn’t coming out.  But this is more likely the case if we fear what the repercussions there may be from speaking this needed truth.  It may be better to do in person or over the phone, though, as written communication is so often misinterpreted.  Also sleep on it and make sure to ride out an emotional wave if needed. 

On the grander scale, this square could also come in the form of something that is out of our control, such as more attempts at censorship.  Using alternative uncensored social media platforms and browsers like Brave or Duck Duck Go if you don’t already is advised.  Also consider that Jupiter and Neptune both in Pisces right now, which can bring higher rates of deception, fraud, and shady activity.  So it may not be a bad time to update passwords and make sure you are secure in terms of your private data using a service such as LastPass to create strong passwords.

Overall, there are lots of themes in this retrograde around revamping our careers, finances, and groups we exchange ideas, goods, and services with.  Find your people who share your values, future hopes, and wishes, ambitions, and band together with them—even if online for now—so you have support on your quest to a better living despite what the control system has in play for us.  To live as if you have already won is to render the enemy powerless.

How to Make the Most of Mercury Retrogrades Despite Their Annoyance

Mercury Retrogrades come 3 to 4 times a year and serve as a disruption to our lives because of their affinity for travel delays, miscommunication, errors, inclement weather, cancellations, technology fails, car trouble, arguments, and the like. Mercury rules communication, travel, learning, thinking, paperwork, trade, and health. So these areas of life are all impacted. But what if there was a way to approach Mercury retrogrades that eased the pain a little? Here are some of my tips to help you get through them more smoothly:

*Focusing on your health in the region of the body that it affects. Mercury is the planet of health, so we want to pay attention to the brain and nervous system in particular, but also the signs in which it transits to get more specific. Listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of my medical astrology podcast to see the sign rulership for each body part.

*Editing and reworking old projects, articles, books, and videos.  It is a call to go back and redo things more so than it is to start.  It’s not that you can’t do anything new (ideally not get married, start a new relationship or job, or move).  It’s just that it is a particularly good time to look back at the past and see what you can repurpose and maybe even improve upon.

*Learning to be more patient, flexible, and adaptable. Lots of mistakes tend to happen.  Plans often get delayed or cancelled.  So you’re better off going with the flow as much as possible.

*Improving your communication.  Clear communication is extra important during mercury retrogrades.  What you say is heard or read differently and miscommunication arises.  Irritation and conflicts may arise.  So if your communication is clear and open, then do your best not to take things personally.

*Spending more time reflecting, reviewing, journaling, and tending to your own needs. This is a much more introspective period, as it forces us to slow down from our regular pace of life.  We may also be feeling a bit more run down, so taking more to rest would be well-advised.

*Expecting and preparing for potential travel delays.  Plan ahead, give yourself more time, and bring additional books, audio books, music, podcasts, journals, and snacks when you are commuting or traveling.

*Reconnecting with old friends. People have a way of coming back into your life during Mercury Retrogrades.  It’s a good time to reach out to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while or you might find that they reach out to you.  The people you want to watch out for are people that wronged you or exes that try to get back together.  Don’t take the bait on those ones.

*Paying closer attention to details by reading the fine print or having someone else review your drafted work.  When Mercury is retrograde, our brains and nervous systems take a hit.  It causes overstimulation.  Our focus is off, which means it is a good idea to slow down and zone in. Maybe taper off the caffeine and bring in some peppermint tea, rosemary essential oil, or gingko to help you focus.  Or you can hand off your work to a second set of eyes to look it over.

*See if you can find any personal patterns with each Mercury Retrograde.  Maybe you’ll even find recurring themes that you go back to for each one where it even gives you a déjà vu feeling.  It is a very imperfect time.  Things feel very off and out of place, but it does have its purpose.  Again, to slow down and go inward.  Take more time for rest.  Say less, observe more.  If you want to know the overarching theme, look to the house(s) that Mercury Retrograde is transiting in addition to the aspects it is making in your chart.

Natal and Progressed Mercury Retrograde

Think about what happens under a mercury retrograde: miscommunication, delays, confusion, details missed, etc. Now try to picture that on a consistent basis.

People born under a mercury retrograde or who have it retrograde in their progressed charts may struggle to get the words out, be on the shy side, find that they need to clarify or repeat themselves, have clouded thinking, get misunderstood, arrive late, and respond slower. Or on the other end, speak too quickly and literally be missing context.

My progressed mercury has been retrograde for the last 20 years of my life, so it’s been a little wonky in terms of communication.

But learning this from studying my own chart has helped me to be more organized, plan ahead, slow down when faced with resistance, take care of my nervous system, ground myself, let go of perfection, and go with the flow. I’ve only got a few more years until my progressed mercury stations direct anyways.

These are the types of things you can learn in your chart or your loved ones’ charts to better understand yourself and each other.

Each planet is an archetype, the zodiac its expression, and the house its targeted area in your life.

Saturn Return in Aquarius

We have a limited time here on this earth and during our Saturn Return, Father Time (Saturn) is knocking on our door to check in with us on our current path. He wants us focused, disciplined, practical, and mature enough to handle the larger responsibilities that come with adulthood.

In the sign of Aquarius, he has a more specific concern with our friends, community, freedom, unconventionality, and longterm visions as this is the current life’s karmic struggle.

So if you are going through your Saturn return right now, start asking yourself these questions:

Are you surrounded by the right people who value you and your time? Can you have honest, vulnerable conversations with them that challenge and promote your growth? Can you have conflicts and resolve them maturely? Do you have common, wider visions for humanity beyond the systems in place? Do your friends and community constrain you or respect your freedom as an individual to make your own choices?

Throughout your Saturn Return, you will get the chance to see who really stands by the (hopefully) individuated and rebellious version of yourself and who doesn’t.

We’ve all gone through hardships and intense trauma over the past year. The honorable people in your life who have been there for you are the ones worth keeping. The ones who are only there for you when it is convenient or not there at all need to be dropped. Move on, respect yourself and your needs, and you will attract your tribe.

Saturn ultimately wants us to grow up and learn how to deal with the world on our own and in our own unique, Aquarian way. In order to do that, we can no longer waste our time on people who do not have our best interest at heart, but rather, spend time with the ones who will inspire us to do better and be better. Even if that means learning how to be a lone wolf temporarily in order to find our longterm pack.

Saturn shows us a harsher reality of our lives, but it’s for our own good and in the end, we come out of it a better, wiser person.