Mercury in Scorpio is deep communication. I emphasized that when I wrote the Mercury Retro in Scorpio post last month: existential conversations, therapy. I added the Mercury Retro Consult to my page around that same time, and had been thinking about how I would interpret the coming Mercury retro period for myself.

Prepare yourself for a case study in Mercury activating your busy 3rd house of communications.

I’m a Virgo rising, so my whole chart is ruled by the planet Mercury. Retrograde periods can be particularly personal in nature with their lessons. And Scorpio is a powerful area of my chart; I have Pluto, Saturn, and Mars there. Saturn and Mars are conjunct and form a square aspect to my MOON, which would love to be in Scorpio too but unfortunately for me is placed in dry Aquarius, causing all manner of internal discord. So this Mercury retro is just kinda saying hi to all that:

• Mercury–Mars: How you communicate your actions, how you command or ask for power
• Mercury–Saturn: How you communicate your boundaries, how you speak to authority

You’d think I would have known enough based on this to prepare better; but then, it wouldn’t be a real lesson if I’d seen it coming. About midway through the retrograde, two massive miscommunications I’d made came back to bite me, and in both cases it had to do with not speaking up for something I knew in my gut; I hadn’t trusted my own judgment on the matter. And it came up during the very third-house enterprise of a writing project. Really could not have been more on point with that, Mercury.

Stressful as the experience was, I feel like I emerged stronger. As a result I think I love Mercury in Scorpio. With my natal Mercury in Pisces, I’m super comfortable in the water element. And I’m happy my Mars is getting some good groundwork in while we’re in this psychological territory; Scorpio is associated with psychotherapy and this retrograde period is a great time for anyone to learn lessons on that deep level.

Mercury stations direct just over a week from now, right as the sun moves forward into Sagittarius and enters Jupiter’s home turf. I will be ready for a cocktail by then.