Mercury turns retrograde in the sign of Cancer on 18 June, joining Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in an inward going spiral that can be frustrating for some and nourishing for others. The way Mercury retrograde affects you is largely to do with how it triggers your natal chart, but it also has a lot to do with your own attitude and approach to this inward-going cycle.

Mercury retrograde has a bad reputation. “Here we go again,” I hear you say… “Brace yourself for another period of messed up communication, misplaced emails and delayed flights.” Well perhaps we need to take another look… Astrologer Andrew Smith, who writes for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, has this to say about Mercury retrograde:

“Largely misunderstood, Mercury retrograde periods are not challenging times wherein matter breaks, emails go missing, hard drives cease to work and your phone decides to incorrectly autocorrect your texts. I don’t believe that nature intended these pauses in time to be dominated by such trivial concerns as matter fighting back! Three times a year you are afforded an extended period of stillness and deep reflection so that you can move out of your mental body and into your heart. Stillness of heart is all that is needed so you can start to find your way out of the dark and into your heart energy.”

As long-time readers will already be aware I’m not one to get too worked up about Mercury retrograde periods. Sure it can bring crossed wires and malfunctions in communication, leading to annoying mishaps and delays as well as misunderstandings, but to my mind its benefits outweigh its challenges. In this fast paced, mind-dominated reality Mercury retrograde prompts us to turn inwards and become reflective.

Why does Mercury retrograde affect some people more than others?

Certain transits affect us differently depending on what else we have going on in our charts. For example Mercury retrograde can cause absolute havoc in the life of someone who’s natal Mercury is badly aspected, or receiving a major transit from one of the outer planets, while another person will barely feel it at all.

I’m one of those people who experience very little in the way of discombobulated communications or technological mishaps during Mercury retrograde.

Like everything in astrology, we have to look at the chart, and the person, as an interconnected whole. Just because Mercury retrogrades doesn’t mean you’re going to experience it in the same way everyone else does. For this reason, blogging on astrology can be challenging – it’s difficult to convey the general energetic feel of a transit while also communicating the vast array of uniquely personal outcomes it can represent in each individual’s here and now.

So back to Mercury retrograde in Cancer

Despite being so widely feared, Mercury retrograde is not a particularly heavy transit. In fact Mercury is retrograde about 18% of the time! Yes, clarity around communication, thinking and decision-making is reduced, but at the same time our capacity to see and understand our mental habit patterns, such as negative self-talk, is increased. It’s a time of turning inwards instead of outwards, for reflection, rather than action.

During this Mercury retrograde period we’ll have an opportunity to rethink our relationships with the Cancerian archetype of the Mother. This may mean taking time to connect with and communicate with our own mother, or if we are mothers (or fathers) ourselves, with our children. Have we been so caught up in our lives that we have neglected these important relationships? This is a time to correct any such imbalances.

Mercury retrograde in Cancer begins on 18 June 2020, stationing retrograde at 14 degrees Cancer, before turning direct on 12 July at 5 degrees of Cancer. During this time it will make one significant aspect, a square to Chiron in Aries on 1 July. This will be a brief but painful moment for some, when we may feel triggered by old wounds around independence, nurturing or lack there of.

The purpose of Mercury Retrograde

Despite its reputation Mercury retrograde has a purpose, as do all the planetary transits. That purpose will be clearer to you if you remain present and aware instead of allowing yourself to be caught up in the story. We humans are such melodramatic creatures!

In her excellent article The Wise Trickster Melanie Reinhart expresses the energy of Mercury retrograde beautifully: “If you are experiencing a Mercury Rx Cycle through a flurry of glitches and things mis-firing in general – try to just STOP your momentum, as in the phrase ‘Don’t just do something, sit there’! Very often, these Mercurial ‘signals’ are prompts to slow down (as Mercury does when turning), change gear, turn around (as he does) and be reflective rather than active for a while.”

When Mercury retrogrades we have an opportunity to clean up bugs in the intellectual system. It’s a time to clear out old ideas that no longer serve us, as well as any old clutter we’ve got stored up in our sub-conscious that is slowing us down. We can take a fresh look at our thoughts about ourselves, our life situation, in fact our entire reality and ask ourselves whether they are in alignment with our highest selves.

Then when Mercury goes direct we can make a new decision, a decision that truly reflects who we are and how we wish to respond to this moment Now. For as Andrew points out, in Mercury retrograde periods “the conditions are… ripe for molding and shaping a new way of being.”

With all the negative hype around some of you may dread the beginning of the Mercury retrograde cycle. But believe me there is nothing to fear. Mercury retrograde is an opportunity, a chance to turn inwards and examine our ideas, plans and opinions. It’s an important part of ensuring our minds don’t get cluttered with out-of-date or inaccurate perspectives on ourselves and the world we live in.

How will Mercury Retrograde in Cancer affect you?

Mercury retrograde in Cancer will affect you most strongly if you have planets or points between 5 and 14 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) as well as anyone who is currently experiencing an outer planet transit to their natal Mercury.

The area of your life most likely to be affected by Mercury retrograde in Cancer can be seen by checking which house (or houses) lie within 5 to 14 degrees Cancer in your natal chart. For me it will be the 1st and 2nd Houses, suggesting that issues around identity and personal space will come up for reflection and analysis.

Who am I? Am I Mother or is this just a role I play? Where do I end and my children begin? Do I have healthy boundaries in this area of my life?

What about Natal Mercury Retrograde?

If you’re lucky enough to have Mercury retrograde in your natal chart you will probably be a person who is more reflective and introverted, less likely to share your thoughts and opinions.

However as Mercury retrograde only lasts around three weeks, it will turn direct in your Progressed Chart within the first 21 years of your life, at which point you will likely become much more chatty and communicative. For some people it works the other way too, with Mercury turning retrograde by progression in mid life.

Although some people associate natal Mercury retrograde with learning difficulties and social anxiety, I think this is likely only if Mercury is poorly placed by sign or house, or where there are heavy aspects to other planets.

How do you experience Mercury retrograde?

I love hearing how you are experiencing the transits of the planets and the transformations that are occurring in your lives. Join the conversation and share your thoughts on Mercury retrograde in the comments below.

If you don’t have one yet, you can get a free birth chart at astro.com. To understand how to read your birth chart, and follow the transits in your own life, download my free ebook The Language of Astrology.