The Mercury retrogrades in 2025 are in the fire and water elements.

The fire element signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) open your enthusiasm, spirituality and creativity. Passionate ideas can be brought into form. The water element has to do with emotions, empathy and intuition. It is important to set deadlines to be accountable for accomplishing projects when water and fire are around. It is easy to get too busy and not get around to what you actually wanted to do. During Mercury retrograde, do behind the scenes preparation for new projects or make adjustments and repairs to existing projects.

Although I am no longer accepting new clients, I do want to keep everyone 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.


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.


Venus Retrograde

March 1, 2025 to April 12, 2025

11 degrees Aries back to 24 degrees Pisces

Venus turns retrograde less often than all the planets. This retrograde cycle is or particular interest because Mercury is retrograde during this cycle, and both start in Aries and end in Pisces. Venus is associated with love, marriage, money, art, beauty and diplomacy. The goddess of love is not particularly comfortable in Aries. Plan to re-balance your relationship needs with your Aries independence needs. Make behind the scenes plans to open to new relationships, re-align existing relationships, and/or work on your financial plan.

Another interesting connection is that both Venus and Mercury will be moving backwards across Neptune. The planet of intuition, spirituality and bursting illusions is at the end of Pisces where it has been since 2011. On March 30, Neptune will move into Aries for the first time since the Civil War. Many people have felt stuck on hold for some time now, so this shift along with other outer planets changing signs in the coming months will stimulate movement and change.

For now, take stock of what you value and what (or who) no longer holds your interest. Consider options for moving in a new direction while taking steps to dissolve old beliefs and behaviors.


Mercury Retrograde

March 14, 2025 to April 7, 2025

10 degrees Aries back to 26 degrees Pisces

This Mercury retrograde takes place within the Venus retrograde cycle. Be careful of mental impatience, so think before you shoot off that text or email. Communicating a new path in relationships and/or business is strong now, but remember that Mercury retrograde is about researching new possibilities. In other words, don’t carve your plans in stone as adjustment will be needed. Esoteric Mercury in Aries communicates right action.

By March 28, Mercury is temporarily moving backwards into Pisces. It would be nice to take a short retreat to a watery location to meditate or journal a vision for your future. Do share your vision with others, but be clear because what you think you said may not be what they heard. With both Mercury and Venus moving retrograde across Neptune as he makes a 14 year shift from Pisces to Aries, look for hints of a new vision or path for yourself. However, Neptune is just teasing you as it temporarily tests Aries, as the god of higher vision will not be fully into “I’m ready for something new” Aries until late January 2026.


Mercury Retrograde

July 17, 2025-August 11, 2025

16 degrees Leo back to 4 degrees Leo

This Mercury retrograde is a bit complicated. The simple answer is to pull back from the world to play. Leo is a creative sign that wants your heart to be engaged in everything you do. At the same time, ambitious Mars is moving through hard-working Virgo urging you to be productive. In contradiction to Mars is a challenge from graceful Venus in “too many irons in the fire” Gemini. Perhaps the best way to work with this mental overload energy is to keep work and play projects to a short and quick mode. Short trips to play or short mundane projects is an example of how to deal with the contradictions. Pay extra attention July 17-25 because both the sun and moon make challenges to Pluto. The god of death and transformation requires you to let go of that which is past (even if it is still in your life!). Five of the 10 planets we use in astrology are in action signs, so leave extra space in your schedule for the unexpected. Explosive and change-seeking Uranus has just moved into Gemini, an energy that has not been around since World War II. At the very least, it is time for a new way of thinking for the next seven years. Mercury retrograde in Leo asks your heart where it wants to go next.


Mercury Retrograde

November 9, 2025 to November 29, 2025

6 degrees Sagittarius back to 20 degrees Scorpio

Sagittarius and Scorpio present a complicated combination. Where Sagittarius is ready for an adventure or a party, Scorpio prefers a private and deep-feeling conversation with trusted friends. Sagittarius wants to meet new people and have philosophical conversations. Scorpio is more of a researcher and emotional healer. This Mercury retrograde is impatiently aligned with warrior Mars. Use this retrograde to make a behind the scenes battle plan for the new year. Keep in mind that the outer planets have started to change signs in 2025, but will fully come into their new energies during 2026. When out planets change signs, and especially when they do it within a few short years of each other, then the world is going to change dramatically. At the beginning of this retrograde cycle, there is a triple harmony in the water signs of Scorpio, Pisces and Cancer. Although Mercury retrograde is pushing you to move on to the next life adventure, the water signs ask you to make sure your emotions are being supported in the inevitable changes ahead.

Retrograde dates for outer planets in 2024-2025

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.

2025 dates will be coming soon. Below is 2024


Jupiter

Jupiter began his retrograde cycle on October 9, 2024 until February 4, 2025 (21 degrees back to 11 degrees Gemini). Jupiter spends about one year in each sign as part of his almost 12-year orbit. On June 9, 2025,the god of abundance enters Cancer until July 2026. Cancer has to do with home, family, food, nutrition and creating emotional safety and security. This should be good for the real estate business as many people will move, or remodeling is also in play. Jupiter’s retrograde period begins November 11, 2025 at 26 degrees Cancer until he turns direct on March 11, 2026 at 15 degrees Cancer. Check the house(s) of your natal chart containing these degrees to determine where you will be activated. If you have natal planets between 15 and 26 degrees of Cancer, you will be called to expand your belief system and take a risk on yourself based on the nature of the planet that Jupiter is passing over three times. (Note that Cancer is not a big risk-taking sign, so let’s call it a conservative risk. See the Basic Astrology Primer under the Topics tab, free resources, for the meanings of the houses.


Saturn

Saturn is retrograde from July 12 to November 27, 2025 moving backwards from 2 degrees Aries to 25 degrees Pisces. Saturn, along with Neptune, are dipping their toes into Aries in 2025, and will be fully in Aries in 2026. The previous time Saturn was in Aries was April 1996 to February 1999. Where were you restructuring your life in order to pioneer a new path then? It’s coming back but likely in a different way since you are not the same person you were then. Saturn is finishing his 2+ year run in Pisces from January to May 24, 2025, then again September 1, 2025 until mid-February 2026. Pisces is excellent for going off on a vision quest in order to tune into the Aries new path it is time to bring forth.

Saturn begins his run in Aries on May 24. Aries is ready to pioneer a new path. Saturn reminds you that you are in it for the long term. That means you now need to put physical energy into initial efforts that will pay off down the road. A personal example is that I left my industrial sales rep job and started my full time astrology practice. It took about 4 years to get the practice into a sustainable mode, and that was 30 years ago. When Saturn was in Pisces 1994-1996 (as it has been the past two years), my desire to be in my corporate job was dissolving with no clarity on the path ahead.,.


Uranus


Neptune

In 2025, Neptune is finishing his run through psychic Pisces (since April 2011). He begins his 14 year run in Aries on March 30. He has a 165r year orbit, so the last time he was in Aries was approximately 1861-1874. The civil was was going on then, and the early beginnings of the Women’s Suffragette movement was starting. African-American gained the right to vote then. Because slow Saturn is moving into Aries in May, the ideal is bring Neptune higher vision into Saturn practical reality. However, fantasy illusions will be burst in the process. The retrograde cycle of Neptune begins July 4, 2025 at 3 degrees Aries and ends December 10 at 29 degrees Pisces. Let go of that which needs to fall away so you have a fresh start when Neptune fully returns to Aries in late January 2026.


Pluto

Pluto turns retrograde May 4 ,2025 through October 13, 2025. It is retrograde between 4 and 1 degrees Aquarius. The planet of death & rebirth was moving back and forth between Aquarius and Capricorn over the past two years. Now, 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.