Mercury RX in Sagittarius: The Concrete + Abstract

From the 26th of November until the 15th of December, Mercury enters its last retrograde cycle of 2024 in the mutable fire sign Sagittarius.

On average Mercury retrograde occurs three to four times each year. Astronomically speaking from our vantage point here on Earth, it appears that Mercury is moving backwards but that in itself is an illusion. Allegorically, Mercury brings our attention to the concept of mental illusions whether it is our own personal thinking or influenced by a mass thought form.

There’s a magician quality to Mercury Rx, where a lesson in communication and mental transmutation is hiding in plain sight. 

Mercury Retrograde cycles highlight the pervading power of information and language, especially the impact/influence it has on collective awareness, how ideological apparatuses (media, education, family, law, religion/spiritual communities) create the building blocks of our personal schematics and the diverse approaches to translating and relaying information in our personal relationships.

The Infamy of Mercury Retrograde

Mercury Retrograde cycles have gathered a lot of momentum over the years (which fits in well with its correspondence to communication, language, travel, and information accessing and processing). This is after all the second fastest-moving planet through the zodiac (after the moon).

Consider the well-known narrative of Mercury Retrograde: “Technology breaking down, return of past connections, everything is going to go wrong etc.” The very repetition and expectation of this script, are part of the lesson. It’s a lesson in mental transmutation. It can reflect how powerful our mind can be through the types of thought-forms we choose to feed. In the specific case of Mercury Retrograde rhetoric, it has become an egregore of sorts taking on a life of its own, where people go along without question, but Mercury wants you to question! Question the scripts, stories and the information you are presented with no matter how deeply rooted and commonly accepted it is.

It is time to reclaim our mental sovereignty!

This requires us to mentally sift and sort, encouraging us to reflect, re-evaluate, and in some instances re-direct what information we take in, disrupt the process of internalisation, and become actively aware of our reactions and responses. It can become very easy to end up regurgitating perspectives and opinions of prominent voices around you, and subsequentially adopting strategies that may not be the best fit at a heart level and for your unique circumstances.

With so much information circulating at warp speed, the importance of developing skills of discernment, active listening, and reflection, becomes a priority, no matter how loud and all-consuming the stories may be. When we prioritise these skills, we have the space to reflect. We realise that we can choose to apply healthy boundaries in regard to the processing and dissemination of information.

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Keys for Mercury RX in Sagittarius

Reflect + Review

Let’s reframe the Mercury Retrograde script. Instead, view these transits as periodic yearly check-ins with your personal thinking as it pertains to specific areas of your life (check your natal chart to see which house this transit is occurring in). Step away from the ‘Mercury RX groupthink’ for a moment. These cycles are opportunities to apply the Four R’s: reflect, review, re-evaluate and recalibrate.

The Right Question

The key question to ask during Mercury retrograde: What has been and is currently motivating your decisions? Especially those big choices that have the potential to change the trajectory of your path. With so much frenetic energy with the mixing of air and fire, there's heightened momentum, movement and speed or at the very least the urge for that. A type of restlessness can build with Mercury Rx in Sagittarius, so be aware of impulsivity, impatience and boredom driving your decisions and thus actions in an effort to get something quicker. Important details or information may be missed in the pursuit of something. If you’ve heard of the statement “fanning the flames” this elemental combination is a reflection of that, if left unchecked, they can cause a lot of unnecessary damage.

Information Filtering

It’s a call to become aware of the information we take in and what it is doing to our nervous system. What do you watch, read, listen and subscribe to? How do you respond to that information and is it ultimately beneficial for you or not? Treat your mental energy as sacred.

Cultivate Compassion

If you find the ghosts of memory past re-emerge in your life, this may include bumping into someone from that timeline, actual memories resurfacing or old versions of yourself, put them where they belong. Just because something surfaces doesn’t mean that you are obligated to dance with it and that response you had way back when doesn’t need to be the dominant response now. Remind yourself of your boundaries and what it is you are in the process of creating.

Does this ‘past’ energy fit anymore with the version of who you are today?

MERCURY RX ASPECTS TO CONSIDER

𓂀 MERCURY TRINE CHIRON 𓂀 28.11 -4.12.24

The anchor throughout this Mercury retrograde will be Mercury trine Chiron reflecting an openness, enthusiasm and willingness to heal the mind, communication and self-expression, especially deeply held trauma and wounding around areas such as communication difficulties the stigma and lack of education about growing mental health conditions and a growing neurodivergent society. Both Mercury in Sagittarius and Chiron in Aries are retrograde, reflecting an inner exploration of self-expression and identity. Known as The Wounded Healer, Chiron is ultimately about change and the commitment it takes to walk a healing path. The wound reveals where the unique gift exists.

𓂀 MERCURY OPPOSITE JUPITER 2.12 -6.12.24 + MERCURY SQUARE SATURN 5.12 - 8.12.24 𓂀

A question of social support is brought into focus when Mercury makes an opposition to Jupiter the planet of higher education, expansion, law and knowledge and a square to Saturn, the planet of structure and anchoring visions. In order for new structures to emerge a personal and collective expansion of thinking and approach needs to occur to overcome rigidity and generalised and stereotypical thinking. Whilst the path may not be easy (Saturn), it is doable with Mercury Rx trine Mars in Leo with a commitment to actively engaging in a higher vision (Jupiter).

𓂀 MERCURY SEXTILE VENUS 𓂀 12.12 - 15.12.24

This Mercury Retrograde ends on a hopeful note with Venus helping to express thoughts and feelings. We are encouraged to compassionately check in with the tonal quality of our self-talk and whether it is helping or hindering expansion and growth as well as being aware of the wider ideological projections that compound that. Seeking spaces and relationships that honour expression will facilitate moving beyond oppressive thinking and expectations.