MERCURY RETROGRADE BEGINS

October 24, 2026 | 07:12 UTC | 20°59' Scorpio

Turns direct: November 13 | 5°02' Scorpio

Cazimi: November 4 | 12°11' Scorpio

Mercury goes retrograde three times in 2026. All three cycles take place in water signs: Pisces in March, Cancer in July, and Scorpio now.

This annual sequence through all three water signs is unusual. Each one has worked with a different layer of the emotional and intuitive landscape: Pisces with the unconscious and what exists before it takes shape, Cancer with emotional memory and what was felt but left unsaid, and Scorpio with what lies beneath the surface in relationships and shared values.

The October retrograde is the last of the year. And unlike the previous two, this one won’t leave Scorpio: the cycle begins at 20°59' and ends at 5°02', entirely within the same sign.

Square to Jupiter at the Station

At the exact moment Mercury stations, it squares Jupiter at 23° Leo, with less than two degrees separating them.

In astrological interpretation, Mercury square Jupiter can point to tension between what’s being carefully reconsidered and the urge to say more than the review process has established so far. Jupiter in Leo wants broad, visible expression. Retrograde Mercury in Scorpio wants to examine things before communicating.

The week of the station may be a good time to notice what’s ready to be said and what’s still being processed. Not every insight that seems definitive during this window will be the final version.

The Shadow That Began in October

Mercury entered the shadow zone of this retrograde on October 4, when it crossed 5°02' Scorpio for the first time. That’s the degree where the retrograde will end on November 13.

This means this retrograde has already been active for weeks. Anything that surfaced as a communication issue, an unfinished conversation, or a topic that returned uninvited from early October onward is part of what this cycle is working through.

Mercury will travel the stretch between 5° and 21° Scorpio three times: moving forward in October, backtracking during the retrograde, then moving forward again in November. Anything that comes up in this period may have three chances to be examined before the cycle closes.

The November 4 Cazimi

On November 4, Mercury reaches cazimi at 12°11' Scorpio, the point of exact conjunction with the Sun. In classical astrological tradition, cazimi places the planet in the heart of the Sun, receiving its direct clarity.

In Scorpio, this clarity isn’t analytical, as it would be in Virgo. It’s the kind of clarity that comes from what feels true beneath the level of argument. What becomes clear on November 4 may be more reliable as guidance than what seemed clear at the station.

Venus and Mercury Retrograde at the Same Time

Venus has been retrograde since October 3 and remains so until November 13. Mercury goes retrograde now, ending on that same date.

For three weeks, from October 24 to November 13, both planets associated with communication, values, and relationships will be retrograde at the same time, in Scorpio and Libra.

Astrologically, this overlapping period may point to a more introspective time for relationships and communication. Things that have been taken for granted in these areas may deserve a closer look. Important decisions in these areas may become clearer after both planets station direct in November. 🥀

The Esoteric Meaning: Beth in the Territory of Nun

In the Hermetic system of the Golden Dawn, Mercury corresponds to the Hebrew letter Beth and Major Arcana I, The Magician. The Magician carries all the tools: the wand, the sword, the cup, and the pentacle. What he does with these tools depends on the territory he’s in.

Scorpio corresponds to the path of Nun, Major Arcana XIII. It’s the path of deep transformation, where something must be gone through completely before the next form becomes possible.

In a Hermetic reading, Mercury retrograde in Scorpio is the Magician revisiting the path of transformation with his tools. Not to create something new just yet, but to check what the tools produced the last time this path was walked, and what needs adjusting before moving forward.

How to Work with This Retrograde

Notice what comes to the surface between today and the November 4 cazimi. Anything that arises as a communication issue or an unspoken truth during this period is relevant to the cycle. It’s worth writing down before you act.

Use the November 4 cazimi as a point of clarity. What still seems confusing before then may become easier to read during this window. Important decisions around communication or relationships can wait until then.

Review important messages before sending them. Mercury in Scorpio tends to reveal more than intended. Anything important deserves a second read before it goes out.

Pay attention to what lies beneath the words. Scorpio rules what isn’t said directly but is present all the same. This retrograde may encourage you to notice what’s being communicated beneath the surface of interactions.

Reflection

Mercury’s three retrogrades in 2026 have worked through these themes in sequence: the unconscious in Pisces, emotional memory in Cancer, and intimacy and shared truth in Scorpio.

The year’s final retrograde has a sense of completion: what’s been examined throughout the year in the emotional and intuitive realm reaches, in Scorpio, the terrain where the hardest truths to put into words can finally be spoken.

What you’ve known all year but still haven’t said may find the opportunity it’s been waiting for here.