Mercury stations retrograde on March 16, 2025, at 12 degrees Aries. It remains in retrograde until April 8, when it stations direct -- still in Aries -- at 2 degrees of the sign. This is a 23-day retrograde window, which is typical for Mercury.

What does retrograde actually mean? It's not that Mercury literally moves backward. Earth orbits the Sun faster than Mercury does, so from our perspective, Mercury appears to slow, stop, and reverse direction in the sky. Think of it like passing a car on the motorway -- from the car's perspective, you've gone backward.

For astrology, retrograde periods are associated with internal processing, review, and rethinking. Mercury rules how we communicate, think, travel, and conduct technology. When it's retrograde, these functions don't disappear -- they turn inward. Instead of launching new ideas, you're revising them. Instead of having the first conversation, you're re-examining an earlier one. The phrase "Mercury retrograde blues" exists because the external world keeps expecting you to move forward while the planets are asking you to look back.

Mercury retrograde in Aries isn't a time to stay silent. It's a time to reconsider what you say and how you say it. Here's the nuance: Aries is ruled by Mars, the warrior. Retrograde asks you to slow down that warrior energy and let Mercury -- the thinking function -- catch up.

**Do: pause before reacting.** Your instinct in Aries is to respond immediately. During this retrograde, the universe is genuinely asking you to count to ten. Someone says something that stings, and your Aries impulse is to fire back. Pause. Sit with it. Often, by the time you've waited an hour, you'll realise your interpretation was off, or your response would have caused unnecessary damage.

**Do: revisit conversations you've regretted.** This is the time to go back to someone and say, "I've been thinking about what I said, and I'd like to clarify." Mercury retrograde in Aries often brings clarity about where you've been careless with words. Use it.

**Do: back up your devices.** Technology failures spike during Mercury retrograde. If you've been procrastinating on backing up your phone or laptop, do it this week.

**Avoid: starting arguments.** The Aries instinct is confrontation. During this retrograde, conflicts that start now tend to spiral and require revision later. Not worth it.

**Avoid: signing contracts impulsively.** Check the fine print. Re-read it. Sleep on it. What seemed obvious yesterday might need clarification today.

**Avoid: launching new projects or products.** If you've got something you're tempted to release into the world, pause. Mercury retrograde is asking you to refine, not debut.

Mercury retrograde in Aries is frustrating, yes. But it's also useful. It's the cosmos pressing pause on a sign that doesn't naturally pause. By April 8, when Mercury stations direct, you'll have recalibrated something important about how you communicate, lead, and assert yourself.

In the broader context of 2025, this retrograde is particularly significant. Neptune is entering Aries for the first time in 165 years -- a transit that will reshape identity and perception for the next 14 years. Before that shift fully settles in, Mercury retrograde is giving you a chance to examine who you actually are, separate from who you think you should be. It's preparation work. Necessary maintenance before the bigger transits take hold. Use it.

Mercury stations retrograde on March 16, 2025, at 12 degrees Aries. It remains in retrograde until April 8, when it stations direct -- still in Aries -- at 2 degrees of the sign. This is a 23-day retrograde window, which is typical for Mercury.

What does retrograde actually mean? It's not that Mercury literally moves backward. Earth orbits the Sun faster than Mercury does, so from our perspective, Mercury appears to slow, stop, and reverse direction in the sky. Think of it like passing a car on the motorway -- from the car's perspective, you've gone backward.

For astrology, retrograde periods are associated with internal processing, review, and rethinking. Mercury rules how we communicate, think, travel, and conduct technology. When it's retrograde, these functions don't disappear -- they turn inward. Instead of launching new ideas, you're revising them. Instead of having the first conversation, you're re-examining an earlier one. The phrase "Mercury retrograde blues" exists because the external world keeps expecting you to move forward while the planets are asking you to look back.

Mercury retrograde in Aries isn't a time to stay silent. It's a time to reconsider what you say and how you say it. Here's the nuance: Aries is ruled by Mars, the warrior. Retrograde asks you to slow down that warrior energy and let Mercury -- the thinking function -- catch up.

**Do: pause before reacting.** Your instinct in Aries is to respond immediately. During this retrograde, the universe is genuinely asking you to count to ten. Someone says something that stings, and your Aries impulse is to fire back. Pause. Sit with it. Often, by the time you've waited an hour, you'll realise your interpretation was off, or your response would have caused unnecessary damage.

**Do: revisit conversations you've regretted.** This is the time to go back to someone and say, "I've been thinking about what I said, and I'd like to clarify." Mercury retrograde in Aries often brings clarity about where you've been careless with words. Use it.

**Do: back up your devices.** Technology failures spike during Mercury retrograde. If you've been procrastinating on backing up your phone or laptop, do it this week.

**Avoid: starting arguments.** The Aries instinct is confrontation. During this retrograde, conflicts that start now tend to spiral and require revision later. Not worth it.

**Avoid: signing contracts impulsively.** Check the fine print. Re-read it. Sleep on it. What seemed obvious yesterday might need clarification today.

**Avoid: launching new projects or products.** If you've got something you're tempted to release into the world, pause. Mercury retrograde is asking you to refine, not debut.

Mercury retrograde in Aries is frustrating, yes. But it's also useful. It's the cosmos pressing pause on a sign that doesn't naturally pause. By April 8, when Mercury stations direct, you'll have recalibrated something important about how you communicate, lead, and assert yourself.

In the broader context of 2025, this retrograde is particularly significant. Neptune is entering Aries for the first time in 165 years -- a transit that will reshape identity and perception for the next 14 years. Before that shift fully settles in, Mercury retrograde is giving you a chance to examine who you actually are, separate from who you think you should be. It's preparation work. Necessary maintenance before the bigger transits take hold. Use it.