The Mercury retrogrades in 2024 are in the earth and fire elements.
Earth element signs ( Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) urge you to tend to practical matters to make certain you are working from a solid foundation and putting unobstructed effort into manifesting your values and desires. The fire element signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) open your enthusiasm, spirituality and creativity. Passionate ideas can be brought into form. During Mercury retrograde, do behind the scenes preparation for new projects or make adjustments and repairs to existing projects.
Mercury Retrograde
April 1 – April 25, 2024
28 degrees Aries back to 15 degrees Aries
This Mercury retrograde is action packed in fiery Aries. It is likely to be a very interesting April Fool’s Day. A total solar eclipse on April 8 gives this cycle a kick, especially if you have natal planets in Aries (and Pisces too). The path of the eclipse starts near Hawaii and passes through Mexico into Texas, Arkansas, Ohio and Burlington Vermont. Watch the news for border issues with Mexico. Aries Mercury retrograde is urging you to begin work on a new path. If your exercise program fell by the wayside, this is a good time to reinvigorate yourself. There is an added revolutionary energy which will have good and not so good results. Jupiter and Uranus align during this retrograde (April 20th). This occurs about every 13-14 years, the last time being in late 2010 and early 2011. Examples of what happened then are the massive WikiLeaks secret document dump, revolution ion Tunisia, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Have courage to prepare for something new in your life, and this cycle helps you with behind the scenes preparation.
Mercury Retrograde
August 4 to August 28, 2024
4 degrees Virgo back to 21 degrees Leo
Mercury retrograde while aligned with Venus definitely suggests the need to communicate in relationships, but do so without a critical tone to your voice. In Virgo, this can include a short, purifying retreat to a beautiful location. At the risk of overloading you with astrology, the moon is at the same degree of Leo (21) at the start of Mercury retrograde as will be Mercury when the messenger ends his retrograde cycle on August 28. This adds to an emotional and relationship tone to this retrograde cycle. The wild card to this combination is that the Moon in Leo is also making a challenge to eclectic Uranus in Taurus. Create a healthy balance between work and play. If you don’t give Uranus some freedom and time to run off into the woods, he will take it at the most inopportune time. Add to that: athletic Mars is moving to conjoin Jupiter in Gemini by August 14. You simply have to get your body in motion. Gemini likes short trips. Why not just get into your car and see where it wants to go?
Mercury Retrograde
November 25 – December 15, 2024
22 degrees Sagittarius back to 6 degrees Sagittarius
Although communications planet Mercury is not comfortable in Sagittarius, there is a sense of openness to new ideas. Sagittarius is associated with long distance travel, higher philosophy and education, publishing, and mentoring. More than anything, Mercury opens your mind and Sagittarius expands your belief system by taking you to a higher viewpoint. You must think big, but don’t believe everything you hear. People will share big ideas, plans, and the desire to travel, but you will have to wait and see which ideas get grounded. an interesting thing about this Mercury retrograde is that there is a triple harmony Grand Fire Trine between the life-giving Sun in Sagittarius, aggressive Mars in Leo, and the spiritual destiny north node in pioneering Aries. There is a lot of help in opening to new paths if you are enthusiastic and passionate about what you want to create. Needless to say, if your heart isn’t in it, why are you doing it!? As a side note, Mars is now in the shadow of his coming retrograde (see below). Perhaps this Mercury retrograde will help you get clear on where your heart is engaged, and where you are just going through the motions.
Mars Retrograde
December 6, 2024 – February 23, 2025
6 degrees Leo back to 17 degrees Cancer
Ambitious Mars turns retrograde less often than all the other planets except Venus, about every 18-20 months. Retrograde Mars reviews where you are putting your energy. Leo asks if your actions and your heart are in alignment. Mars is the planet of athletics, assertiveness and putting your plans into action. Leo wants you to open your heart and be creative. Retrograde Mars helps you take action to release those activities that do not have heart-centered drives. Some form of letting go will be involved here because Mars will oppose death & rebirth Pluto three times between early November 2024 and late April 2025. This can be a rude, angry and violent energy, so hopefully domestic terrorists will not disrupt the USA Presidential Inauguration as they did at the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. The positive perspective is to get a detached perspective on what actions need to stay or go in your life.
By January 7, 2025, Mars moves backwards into home, family and food sign Cancer. Some people will start a New Year’s diet, others will fix up their home for a future property sale. Mainly, Cancer wants to be safe and secure. This is a good time to research where you want to live next.
Retrograde dates for outer planets in 2023-2024
Because outer planets spend so much time retrograde, it is most important to pay attention on the days surrounding when they go retrograde and direct. Also, if a planet turns retrograde or direct on a planet or angle (cusp of houses 1, 4. 7 and 10) of your natal chart, that makes the cycle more important personally. Dates are for USA time zones.
Jupiter
In 2024, Jupiter begins the year in manifesting Taurus where he has been in since May 2023. On May 25, 2024, Jupiter begins a year-long visit into Gemini. The last time Jupiter was in Gemini was June 2012-June 2013. Where were you called to expand your thinking then? Gemini is the sign of adapting to new ways of thinking. Are you ready for the next Astromark group trip to sacred sites?
Jupiter begins his retrograde cycle on October 9, 2024 until February 4, 2025 (21 degrees back to 11 degrees Gemini). Although “keep it light” Gemini is not a comfortable sign for philosophical Jupiter, use this cycle to expand your belief system to open to numerous new possibilities. It is a bigger world with more options than you currently see. Be willing to try new things and meet new people. Jupiter begins 2024 in practical Taurus until May 25. Tend to practical goals and ambitions until May 25. Taurus is pragmatic and Jupiter can help you manifest in a big way. Then get ready to travel, learn new things, and explore new places.
Saturn
Saturn is retrograde from June 29 to November 15, 2024 moving backwards from 19 degrees to 12 degrees Pisces. Re-visioning government and bureaucratic structures is going on in the bigger world. Astrologers use the word “dissolve” with Pisces as the restrictive and/or comfortable boundaries of your life melt away like a clock in a Salvador Dali painting. Use this retrograde cycle to pull back from your mundane world to envision the life you would like to live next. Let aspects of your life that are done, be done. Saturn takes about 2 1/2 years to move through a sign, so this is a cycle of bringing your spiritual vision into use on the earth plane. Think back to 1994-96, the last time Saturn was in Pisces. How did you restructure your life then?
Uranus
Uranus continues to travel through earthy Taurus in 2024. (May 2018 into first quarter 2026). The revolutionary planet started 2024 retrograde, turning direct at 19 degrees Taurus on January 26, 2024. He turns retrograde again September 1, 2024 until January 30, 2025 (28 degrees Taurus back to 23 degrees Taurus). During Uranus retrograde, work on ways that you can set yourself free. At the core, Taurus is about your values and Uranus says it is time for a change. Astrologers classify Taurus as a “fixed” sign (along with Scorpio, Aquarius and Leo). Fixed signs are good at enduring and persevering. They don’t quit on you. However, the flip side is that they have trouble letting go when it is time to release. We have seen the negative side of “my way or the highway” in politics, both USA and global. On a personal level, have a personal pragmatic revolution. Where can you create greater freedom in your life while still paying your bills? Is it time to learn something new, or let someone/something go that needs to be released? If you know your astrology chart, look to the houses containing 19-28 degrees of Taurus to see where the revolution is going on in your life. (7th house relationships, 10th house career. See house meanings in the free astrology primer).
NOTE: On April 20, Jupiter and Uranus align at 22 degrees Taurus.This happens only every 13.8 years.A sacred Sabian Symbol for this alignment degree is “White dove traveling over troubled water.” Mediate on this for personal meaning. Jupiter is international and speaks higher truth. Uranus is a revolitionary.
Neptune
In 2024, Neptune is in the beginning of the end of his run through psychic Pisces (since April 2011). Plagues like COVID and the Black Plague have been a signature of Neptune in Pisces. As the ruler of drugs, both legal and not, we have seen legalization of marijuana, fentanyl deaths, the growing trend of magic mushrooms for PTSD treatments, and the battle to provide pharmaceutical drugs at fair costs. Compassion, forgiveness, higher vision and intuition are also characteristics of this 14 year cycle.
Pay attention when spiritual Neptune turns retrograde September 1st at the last degree of Pisces (30 degrees Pisces retrograde to 27 degrees Pisces on December 7, 2024). This gives you insight into what needs to be completed since 2011. It also gives you a hint about what is coming in spring 2025 when he enters pioneering Aries. The ancients called the last degree of Pisces the degree of death because it was the last degree of the zodiac before entering a fresh cycle in Aries.
Pluto
Pluto turns retrograde May 2 ,2024 through October 10/11, 2024. The planet of death & rebirth begins the year in Capricorn, where it has been since 2008. This represents a new year with out with the old and in with the new. Pluto then moves into Aquarius on January 20 and will be in the sign of technology and revolutions until 2044 (with a short clean-up return to Capricorn in September-November 2024). The last time Pluto was in Aquarius was 1778-1798 when the early stages of the USA was forming during the Revolutionary War. The retrograde cycle goes from 3 degrees Aquarius to 28 degrees Capricorn. If you have natal planets at those degrees, this will be a significant time of transformation for you. Is it time to upgrade your technology, meet new friends, explore new groups or organizations?
