Mercury Retrograde in Aries

Its Mercurys first retrograde of the year.

Over the course of 2025, Hermes, spokesperson of the Gods, will be navigating the flames of the fire signs, starting with Aries, now, on March 15 until April 7.

This retrograde is hot on the heels of a powerful Lunar Eclipse, marking a period of immense change, change that must be handled carefully lest we fall into the trap of thinking that everything needs to be solved right here, right now. After all, fire signs - especially Aries - are not known for their patience.

So, as Mercury trundles backwards, our challenge is to cool our ardor, to peer off the edge of the cliff and carefully investigate before we make that jump. And perhaps, just perhaps, we don’t need to make that jump at all. At least, not yet.

There’s a pivotal moment during this retrograde. On March 14, Mercury becomes Cazimi with the Sun, marking a merging of two powerful forces, a day when our decisions take on a golden sheen, when our minds are honed like the finest Martian steel.

Here, we have the perfect opportunity to make our mark, to see the truth with the crystal-clear clarity of the warrior. Here, we choose ourselves above all and own our sovereignty. Here, we become the leaders we’ve always yearned for. We are the ones to admire. We are the Ones we have been waiting for.

Nevertheless, it’s prudent to keep a tight hold on our horses. Getting the proverbial chariot going can still prove to be a problem over retrograde - the battle is not yet over.

Mercury also does something unexpected during this time: true to his Trickster nature, Hermes will move between 9 degrees of Aries to 26 degrees of Pisces. There will be a crucial, alchemical moment on March 29, when Mercury crosses the threshold of fire and takes a dip into the soft waters of the cosmic fish. Our minds move from quick and sharp - confrontational, perhaps - to intuitive, quieter, more willing to adapt and change our thinking. Decision-making takes on a different tone, and we’re moved to apologize more often than not.

Conjunct Neptune on the same day, there’s a sense of knowing a thing without knowing why or how we’ve reached that insight. Still waters yield the clearest insights, yet it’s important not to fall too deep under the influence of the Ocean King. Truth needs to prevail, however hard it is to face. Being on the lookout for treachery and deceit becomes our task at hand - Mercury is no longer possessed of the piercing and honest awareness of Aries.

This is a time of testing as we move mindfully and take the greatest care in respecting the essence of Mercury retrograde: no decision-making unless completely crucial, double-checking all details, sifting fact from fiction, and never, ever leaping to conclusions.