The Mercury retrogrades in 2026 are in the water elements.
The water element has to do with emotions, empathy and intuition. During Mercury retrograde, do behind the scenes preparation for new projects or make adjustments and repairs to existing projects. “Re-” words are usually good during Mercury retrograde: review, redo, research, remodel, renovate, and so forth. If you know your natal house(s) Mercury is retrograde in, then you get a better idea where you are working. For example, the 7th house is associated with your relationships. The 4th house has to do with home and family. All the planets except the moon turn retrograde. Venus retrograde would have you revising your relationships and finances. Mars retrograde has your revising your ambitions or exercise program. Note that there is a shadow period before and after a retrograde, usually 10-12 days for Mercury. The pre-retrograde shadow helps you see what you will be working with at the coming retrograde. The post-retrograde shadow has you getting back up to speed and making adjustments to your plans. See the Basic Astrology Primer under the topics page. https://astromark.us/astrology-resources/
Although I am now in semi-retirement and working with existing clients only, I do want to keep you up to date with planetary shifts through this website, the free New & Full Moon email newsletter, and the quarterly Astromark newsletter. Additionally, existing clients from the past 30 years are welcome to schedule Periodic Updates to your chart or the Seven Ray Esoteric Astrology consultation.
Mercury Retrograde
February 25-March 20, 2026
23 back to 8 degrees Pisces
Pisces is the sign of higher vision, intuition, spirituality, compassion, and forgiveness. On the low side, Pisces can be a martyr, escape in unhealthy ways (addictions), or feel like they are lost in a fog. Pisces Mercury retrograde is an excellent time to pull back from the world to honor the divine feminine within you. Enhance your psychic abilities or sneak away for a short vision quest retreat. Film and photography are also associated with Pisces, so you can do behind the scenes preparation for your YouTube video. Be quiet by water.
Mercury Retrograde
June 29 to July 23, 2026
27 degrees back to 16 degrees Cancer
This Mercury retrograde will definitely bring emotions to the surface. It is tied to an out-of-bounds full moon that is challenged by Neptune. The term “out of bounds” means that the moon (in this case) is at an extreme latitude which produces mood swings. The full moon is also in her least favorite sign of restrictive Capricorn. Neptune, the planet of spirituality and illusion also challenges the full moon while Mercury is turning retrograde in emotional Cancer. Best advice is to schedule some quiet time in a location that nurtures your spirit. Also, you might want to postpone visits or meetings with the drama people in your life. On another level, this is a good time to work on your diet, visit family, or do small home repairs. Note also that Mars and Uranus are aligning now, and that is a potentially explosive combination. Take action to create more freedom in your life. Lastly, expansive Jupiter is entering Leo for the coming year. Get out your journal and write down a plan for heart-centered activities, fun, and bringing more enthusiasm into your life.
Spiritual Destiny Nodes of the Moon
July 28, 2026 to March 26, 2028
Begin at 30 degrees Aquarius back to 1 degree Aquarius
The nodes in your natal chart represent your path of karma and dharma. In your natal chart, they represent all that you brought into this life (good, bad, in between) and what you must do with it. The nodes spend approximately 1.5 years in each polarity of signs and make a full circle around your chart every 18.5 years. You started a new soul destiny cycle at about 18½, 37, and 56 and 75 years of age. The nodes are leaving Pisces and Virgo and moving into Aquarius and Leo on July 28, 2006 through March 2028. Think of water and earth elements moving into air and fire. Air and fire are more willing to meet new people and try new activities than water and earth signs. Leo steps into leadership. Aquarius holds the higher ideal and creates win-win environments to help people play nicely together despite external differences. The bad side of these signs is that they can think they are right and everyone else is wrong- so avoid “my way or the highway” conversations. It is time to open to new people, ways of thinking, and explore new opportunities. The nodes start at 30 degrees and count down to 1 degree over the 1.5 year.
Venus Retrograde
October 3 -November 13, 2026
9 degrees Scorpio back to 22 degrees Libra
Venus turns retrograde less often than all the planets. She is associated with love, money, marriage, beauty, stocks/bonds, relationships, and diplomacy. In the body, this is a good time to be kind to your kidneys, adrenals, and sugar consumption. She begins her retrograde in Scorpio. Note above: Mercury retrograde comes on October 24 also in Scorpio. Communicating emotions in relationships is key now. Scorpio is the sign representing sex, death, taxes and other people’s money-all topics of conversation now. This is a good time to tend to your finances such as making a budget, paying off debt, or dealing with old tax issues. On October 23, Venus backs into one of her favorite signs, Libra. This adds to the personal relationship conversations where you determine if your value system still matches the people in your life. As the goddess turns retrograde, there is a challenging Grand Cross formation in the sky. The result is that you will feel pulled in four directions, so look four steps ahead before you take action.
Mercury Retrograde
October 24-November 13, 2026
21 degrees Scorpio back to 5 degrees Scorpio
When a Scorpio makes up their mind, they can be a locomotive train going after their goal. Mercury retrograde in Scorpio is a good time to do a behind-the-scenes plan or research project to figure out what you want and how to go after it. Scorpio is also good at going to deeper emotional levels to cleanse and heal old emotional wounds. Let go of beliefs and behaviors that are self-defeating. Scorpio watches over gall bladders, sexual organs, and the colon, so this retrograde supports foods and cleanses those body parts. Because Venus is also retrograde (see above), going to deeper, vulnerable levels in relationships is also favored. Remember that you do not carve your conversations or plans into stone during a retrograde. Bring issues to the surface and rough out a plan, allowing adjustments after the retrograde.
Advance notice: Mars Retrograde, January 10, 2027 – April 1, 2027 from 11 degrees Virgo to 20 degrees Leo. Get organized and simplify your life so you can put more time into heart-centered activities and people. Cleanse and purify home and body to begin 2027.
Retrograde dates for outer planets in 2026
Because outer planets spend so much time retrograde each year, 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 Pacific time zones.
Jupiter
Jupiter is in Cancer until June 30, 2026 when the god of abundance enters Leo for one year. Jupiter started 2026 retrograde from November 2025 until he turned direct on March 10, 2026. Jupiter next turns retrograde at 28 degrees Leo on December 12, 2026 just as Neptune is ending his retrograde cycle (See below). Jupiter urges you to open your belief system to something larger, and you must take a risk on yourself to expand into larger goals and dreams. Leo wants you to participate in people and activities that come from the heart. It is fun, creative, and willing to step into leadership. When Jupiter is retrograde in Leo, you take stock of your life to make sure your heart is doing what the heart wants. Make adjustments to that end. Be sure to have fun and enjoy life while Jupiter is in Leo, June 30, 2026-July 2027, because he moves into hard-working Virgo late July 2027.
Saturn
Saturn fully moves into Aries on February 13 until April 2028. Think back to 1996 through early 1999 as to where you were restructuring your life to pioneer a new path. This astrologer left the industrial sales world to begin his astrology practice in those years. Saturn aligns with Neptune in Aries on February 20. This begins a 36-year cycle of bringing your higher vision into manifest reality. The last time this happened the Berlin Wall came down, the USSR broke apart, and it was the beginning of the internet. Saturn helps you achieve long-term goals but it requires some form of short-term sacrifice and “paying your dues” effort. The planet of boundaries turns retrograde on July 26 at 15 degrees Aries and does not turn direct until December 10 at 7 degrees Aries.
Uranus
Uranus moves between earthy Taurus and early degrees of Gemini in 2026. The god of innovation and revolution temporarily moved into air-sign Gemini on July 7, 2025 at 2 degrees Gemini until he turned retrograde into Taurus on September 5, 2025. This provided a teaser of what Gemini energy will be like for you when he returns to Gemini for seven years on April 25, 2026. The previous time Uranus was in Gemini was roughly 1942-1949, World War II. The 2026 retrograde of Uranus (6 degrees Gemini) is at the September 10 new moon. The “expect the unexpected” god is retrograde until early February 2026 (1 degree Gemini). It’s time to upgrade your communications and explore new ideas under this restless sign. Uranus is ready to try something new including innovative ideas. Some people will move to a new location so make certain it is a move that will benefit you, not just change for the sake of change. Make new friends and explore new groups and organizations.
Neptune
Neptune fully moved into Aries on January 27, 2026, having briefly tested Aries in the spring and summer of 2025. Neptune will be in Aries until 2038. He turns retrograde July 7, 2026, at 3 degrees Aries back to 1 degree Aries on December 2, 2026. Neptune has a 165-year orbit, so the last time he was in Aries was approximately 1861-1874. The civil was going on then. The early beginning of the Women’s Suffragette movement was starting. African American gained the right to vote then. Neptune is about opening to a higher vision. It is associated with compassion and martyrs. It can be a psychic or lost in escapist fantasy. It’s time to burst illusions and open to a new vision. Note that Saturn and Neptune align in Aries on February 20, 2026. This begins a 36-year cycle of bringing higher vision into the mundane world.
Pluto
Pluto turns retrograde May 6, 2026 through October 15, 2026. It is retrograde between 6- and 3-degrees Aquarius. The planet of deep transformation is in the sign of innovation until 2044. The last time Pluto was in Aquarius was 1778-1798 when the early stages of the USA was forming during the Revolutionary War. Technology will increase at a lightening pace. Although Aquarius can often be brilliant, it can also think it knows better than everyone else. It can hold the higher ideal for society to step into, or be hard-headed, lacking compassion for those who are not prepared or desiring the new way. In esoteric astrology (spiritual purpose), Pluto is associated with Ray 1 of will and power. The god of the underworld helps you release anything that gets between you and the ONE SOURCE of All That Is. Although not a comfortable process (releasing fears, self-worth issues, etc.) , you become empowered through a direct connection to that One Source. Call upon Master El Morya and Archangel Michael for help.
Side Note: Wounded healer Chiron briefly moves into Taurus June 19 to September 2026. He has been in Aries since 2019. Aries is associated with guns, so shootings have been a part of this energy. Chiron fully moves into Taurus in May 2027. Pay attention for hints of what this new energy will bring. Taurus is associated with banking, financial instruments, landscaping, thyroids, and cows to name a few things ruled by Taurus.