Mercury Retrograde Calendar
for 2018

Completion of the Previous Mercury Retrograde Cycle in Sagittarius

January holds the tail end of the pervious Mercury Retrograde in December.

Post-Shadow ends on January 10 at 4:31 pm Universal Time (11:31 am, EST).

March 2018 Mercury Retrograde in Aries

Pre-Shadow begins on March 8 at 10:54 pm EST, and March 9 at 3:54 am UTC*.

Mercury Retrograde Station: 00:19 am UTC*, on March 23, 2018 in Aries (16o 54"), and March 22 at 7:19 pm EST

Mercury goes direct on April 15 at 9:21 am UTC*, in Aries (4o 47")

Post-Shadow ends on May 3 at 8:59 pm UTC*, 4:59 EDT.

July 2018 Mercury Retrograde in Leo

Pre-Shadow begins at 2:35 pm UTC* on July 7.

Mercury Retrograde station: 5:02 am UTC*, on July 26, in Leo (23o27"). Note that on the US west coast, the station occurs on the evening of July 25.

Mercury goes direct 4:25 am UTC* on August 19 and the late evening of August 18 on the US west coast.

Post Shadow ends on September 2 at 1:37 am UTC*, 9:37 pm EDT on September 1.

November Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius

Mercury rules Gemini, while Sagittarius, the opposite sign is its shadow, and the placement of this retrograde. Sagittarius involves us in international trade and expansion and it also governs the courts. Challenges, disclosures and revelations in both are likely to come to the surface. The previous December 2017, retrograde in Sagittarius presented a clash between the US and the United Nations.

Pre-Shadow begins in Scorpio on October 29 at 12:50 am UTC* (October 28 at 8:50 pm EDT) shown on the preceding chart.

Mercury Retrograde Station is in Sagittarius (13^o 30") at 1:33 am UTC* on November 17 and 9:33 pm EST on November 18.

Mercury goes direct at 9:22 pm UTC* on December 6 in Scorpio (27o16").

The Post-Shadow ends on December 24, 2018 at 11:26 am UTC*.

Using the Mercury Retrograde Calendar

The Mercury Retrograde Calendar indicates the three phases and significant sensitive points of the full retrograde cycle.

The Pre-Shadow Phase

The two weeks or so before Mercury goes retrograde is often linked to challenges that are revealed during the retrograde itself. It is often during the Pre-Shadow that avoidances, untested assumptions and inattention to details set up the actual retrograde that follows.

The Pre-Shadow begins as Mercury passes directly over the same part of the sky that it will later begin going retrograde. The Pre-Shadow is shown in blue. As Mercury slows down, prior to the retrograde, its effects are stronger and this is indicated in violet.

The Mercury Retrograde Phase

As Mercury is about to appear retrograde in the sky, its movement against the stars slows down and it seems to hang in the sky. This is the Retrograde Station. For the next two and a half weeks or so, Mercury appears to be going backward against the stars. It is during this phase that we tend to experience those parts of our lives affected by Mercury as more challenging. This is especially the case with travel, details and scheduling. This phase is shown in pink. During the beginning and end of this phase, Mercury is accelerating or slowing down and its effects are stronger. This is shown with a darker color.

The retrograde phase ends with the Direct Station, as Mercury again appears hanging in the sky and is about to move forward. Like the Retrograde Station, this is a sensitive point.

The Post-Shadow Phase

Although Mercury is now appearing to move forward, it passes over the same part of the sky where it had just moved backward. As a result, this phase is like a reflection of the retrograde. Often the consequences of untested assumptions, poor choices, avoidances and faulty communications show up during this phase.

The Post-Shadow phase ends as Mercury passes over the place in the sky where it had earlier stopped to begin the retrograde phase. At this time there can be an ‘echo’ of the Mercury Retrograde station.

At the Core of the Mercury Retrograde Phenomena

There are two core phenomena to Mercury Retrograde:

One is the tendency for glitches in communication, transportation, details, and errors to come to a head during this cycle. For that reason, it is wise to check and re-check your assumptions and the oversights of others at these times as well as the unexpected.

The other is even more important. It is the degree to which you act from your core, heart, and spirit on the one hand or whether your actions come from your buttons being pushed, from unresolved, emotions, false judgments and expectations. Often when we act from here, we become less conscious or aware. It creates 'blind spots', and this invites the Mercury Retrograde experiences.

The Retrograde cycle reveals the consequences of your actions that occurred when you ignored your heart, aliveness, and spirit.

I wrote a book that clarifies the path to returning to alignment. It addresses the key issues and approach to regain the fuller promise of your natal chart and your life. I heartily recommend it. Being Centered.

Please note that all times are approximate. The actual times are defined by the observer location and vary due to parallax

A fuller description of the Mercury Retrograde Cycle can be found here.

More about Mercury Retrograde on our sister site:
www.astrologyhoroscopereadings.com