Selene's Gateway: Mercury Retrograde In Leo
"Hermes Stole My Cattle!"
“Astrology can serve us as a tool for preparation instead of a siren alarming us of the danger around every page turn of the calendar. That is what I hope I’m providing here on Selene’s Gateway. I want to provide a voice of calm and ease. Especially with the gravity of the greater world in context. The astrology that had been heralded as “Difficult Times” is here…”
If you click here it will take you to my website where you will find a Tarot Spread and Mercury retrograde workbook to download for free.
Welcome to the shadow. It’s “Mercury Retrograde Season” once again. One thing I do love about Mercury retrograde season is that it has been such a catalyst for spreading the gospel of astrology far and wide. As they say in the advertising industry “All press is good press”. Mercury is heralded in ancient times as the teacher of astrology, and I revel in how Mercury's children have kept it alive through even the most skeptical of times. When astrology had finally been stripped from the universities and thrown out of the medical practices, it survived by hiding within the pages of newspapers as humble sun sign horoscopes.
Obviously this is not a tell all story about how astrology has evolved with the times and humanity over the course of history. If some Virgo wanted to write that book, or if it already exists, please let me know. I would be very happy to buy that book and throw it on top of my pile of “Books I Need To Read”. In fact one of the afflictions that comes with learning astrology, and wanting to become an astrologer as a profession, is that you inevitably find yourself under a mountain of books related in some way to astrology.
The voice that I use in my writing comes in a multitude of forms, and today it happens to be in what I perceive as a 1920’s radio announcer. It has that old east coast accent and is in a rush to say everything they want to get across before time runs out. Maybe, it’s closer to the cadence of a radio sports broadcaster, where they have to attempt to keep up with the pace of a game as a way of keeping the audience in tune with the way the game feels to be their live.
This is actually a good metaphor or image for what entering Mercury retrograde should feel like. A lot of astrology reports these days tend to have a “Breaking News” sort of information dump to them. Though not all astrologers release forecasting this way it is a trend that you also may have noticed. Where social media astrology (SMA) jumps into bed with the same techniques as “Headline News” and urgent messaging, leaving me feeling like there's something happening that I have no control over. So watch out! This has caused me personally to skip past a lot of posts and perspectives because I get the same feeling of overwhelm.
Astrology can serve us as a tool for preparation instead of a siren alarming us of the danger around every page turn of the calendar. That is what I hope I’m providing here on Selene’s Gateway. I want to provide a voice of calm and ease. Especially with the gravity of the greater world in context. The astrology that had been heralded as “Difficult Times” is here. We find ourselves not looking back at historical moments or in fear of future ones, but instead we find ourselves in the middle of them. By this time next year Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus will have settled into their current signs for the next 20, 14, and 7 years respectively. There is no mistaking that there is a lot of change swirling around us.
So for the rest of this article. May I channel the voice of Edward R. Murrow and deliver the report of the upcoming Mercury retrograde in a factual informative way that can help you through the next couple of months. I’ve even made a Tarot Spread and Guide titled “Hermes Stole My Cattle!” that you can download on my website. So let’s start with the basics of what Mercury Retrograde is, the dates that will be important, and what sphere of influence it may have over your life for this period of time.
What is Mercury Retrograde?
Before I answer this question it’s important to understand that astrology was developed through the practice of observation and relationship building. Our oldest records come from Babylon and are in cuneiform tablets that track the changing position of Venus (our brightest planet by sight) over the course of several years. They then attached “Omens” to these changes that set the course for not only how we approach astrology still today, but also how we view the light of Venus herself (Love, Beauty, Art, Justice, and Harmony).
Five lights, including Venus, set themselves apart from the rest of the abundance of stars radiating down to us from the heavens above. Not only by shining brightly but also by breaking away from the regular motion of the celestial tide (the natural movement of the sky from east to west). The Babylonians referred to these five lights as “The Wild Sheep” because they wouldn’t fall in with the rest of the herd. These lights that we now call Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury (for their Roman God/dess names) would then be correlated to previously unexpected events that would occur around us just as we still do today.
One of the important changes that was noticed in tracking their movements through the heavens is when these five lights would change direction in what we now call “Retrograde”. This is the process of one of the lights stopping in its course, for one to several nights in a row, and then falling into the regular motion of the rest of the night sky. Moving backwards almost as if the lights were retracing the path from which they had just come. After a period of time that same planet would then stop once more, for one or several nights, and then pick up its regular course as it had before moving against the rest of the heavenly tides. Each of the planets have their own version of this process or dance that the ancients would come to recognize, chart out, and plan for. Just as I and many astrologers will be doing over the course of the weeks to come.
Mercury goes retrograde roughly three times a year. This makes Mercury's retrograde cycle the most frequent and lasts the least amount of time compared to the rest of the planets. Each time bringing its own unique set of issues and elements to the foreground. Each planet governs a specific set of patterns, objects, ideas, and events in our lives. These realms or spheres of influence become disrupted when the planets go retrograde.
For Mercury these areas of influence can be described as: communication, commerce/markets, travel, technology/science, linguistics, legalese, accounting (anything with numbers and spread sheets), technique/skills, news, diplomacy, and taxes. This is a general and not a complete list though you can see that there is a relative similarity to them all. Mercury is known for being a part of the sphere of our minds and analytical thought and how the mind transfers its information from one place to another. There is also a piece of “Techniques and Skills” which speaks to “things we do with our hands”.
One of the reasons that I think Mercury retrograde has become so common culture (so common that the uninitiated have memed it as “Mercury in Gaterade”) is because if you read that list of influences you can see it deeply enmeshed in our everyday lives and experiences. These experiences can come in the shape of: Lost or damaged cell phones and other devices; Emails, packages, and goods that need to be resent or recalled; A financial statement that doesn’t have the correct numbers transcribed on it; Saying something you didn’t mean to or words being misconstrued as something they’re not; Maybe your car check engine light comes on and the mechanic can’t figure out why until the retrograde period has ended.
Which, in my own opinion, is why it's still important to plan and plot our Mercury's thrice great retrogrades each year. So, let's start by plotting out the important dates of the synodic cycle (the cycle of mercury and the sun’s relationship that the retrograde is based on).
5/29/2025: We start with the renewal of Mercury in the heart of the sun (called a cazimi). This is the defining moment that separates one cycle from the next.
6/29/2025: Then Mercury enters its “Shadow Period” this is when Mercury crosses into the field of degrees in the zodiac that will become important as Mercury travels back across them. These degrees will see Mercury on this first pass. Then Mercury will go across them in the reverse direction (or numerical order). Then finally station direct and pass across them one final time for the year.
7/17/2025: This marks the critical degree that Mercury will slow down to and stop on a dime. These points are known as loud and usually will announce themselves as an important point in the story line. For example on March 15th, 2025 during the the last Mercury Station Retrograde (this one was in Aries) a rocket was launched to “Retrieve” astronauts that had been stranded at the international space station from a SpaceX voyage gone awry.
7/31/2025: At this time Mercury has disappeared from sight by getting too close to the sun. When Mercury previously stationed retrograde it began retracing its steps and by doing so headed into the sun on the western side of our skies. This disappearance from visibility in the west is known as heading into the underworld. This period of invisibility leads to an excess of confusion. However, by now, whatever personal drama this retrograde period signifies for you has made itself present through may not get resolved just yet.
8/11/2025: Mercury by this point has gained enough distance from the sun that it has become visible once again though now it appears in the eastern sky just before the sunrise. It stations “Direct” and once again has stopped on a dime (the very degree and minute that was crossed on 6/29/2025). This is when another announcement or apparent change can occur. On April 7th, 2025 When Mercury stationed direct in Pisces and co present with exalted Venus. Over a million U.S. citizens took to the streets in a protest titled “Hands Off” as a response to the illegal deportation of students who had been active in protests from the previous year.
8/25/2025: Mercury crosses the finish line and the shadow period comes to an end. Though not all of our events and stories have clear concise beginnings or endings. We can at least at this time be assured that the current Mercury cycle is fizzling out. The new cell phone has arrived, the car is back from the mechanic and driving around, and the final email has been sent.
9/13/2025: Mercury races to catch up with the sun and once again disappears (this time from the eastern morning skies) and is purified in the cazimi at the sun's heart. Before being reborn once again in the night skies of the west.
Other important factors for this retrograde:
It’s important to take notice that this year's cycle is going to be entirely in Leo. Leo is the Sign of kings, governors, leaders, and managers. So the sun's role and where Leo is in your personal horoscope is going to be receiving all of the attention for this period of time. As a general perspective, if you have a “Boss” I would take careful consideration of their words and actions over this time.
Mercury is also the custodian over Gemini and Virgo. The sign(s) a planet is in charge of are also affected by a planet's change in course. This is another way of seeing ahead of time where you personally may feel the impact of the dates listed above. That being said, it starts to get a little more complicated because if there are planets in those signs, then they too are going to be affected by the shifting of Mercury's tides. Especially on the dates of the Station Retrograde and Station Direct listed above. So let’s take a look at the charts.
In the chart above we are mostly only looking for what planets may be affected by Mercury’s stop and change in direction. The most notable of the planets that we first notice is Uranus. Not because it affects a specific area in your chart but because its recent shift into the sign of Gemini as of July 7th has not happened for 84 years.
For most of us this is going to be more about taking notes than predicting what will happen. For these longer cycles astrologers tend to use historic examples of events and people that were prominent during those periods. However, not all of us become historical figures or have their lives etched and impacted by these events. The most notable occurrence (for people living in the U.S.) that took place the last time Uranus was in Gemini was when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the U.S. decided to enter World War II.
I know that’s a really intense example. If you’ve been listening to astrologers about these outer planet shifts, like I have, for years now, these examples of major conflicts have been spoken of so many times that I needed to take a second and take in the gravity of what it really means. How that energy will manifest this time around we can’t clearly see. So instead of spending too much time lingering here and attempting to predict some important catastrophic event, I would like you to know that some sort of disruption or insight might come to this area of your life.
Also in Gemini we see that Venus is here. Venus is a general signifier of how we try to relate and harmonize with the world around us. Either through the relationships we develop with people or how we express our relationship to the world around us through art and other creative functions. Venus also cares about Fairness and Justice. She is the custodian of the Taurus and Libra signs/houses of your chart. So they too may feel a sudden shift or misdirection during this time.
We look to Virgo and see Mars. Mars governs contests, conflicts, and arguments. The foil to the Venusian harmony, Mars separates and individuates. Mars will also pull in the Aries and Scorpio signs/houses of your chart.
So, though I’m not trying to be an alarmist here at Selene’s Gateway, we are trying to be pragmatic about how much of an effect on our charts this is going to have. If you aren’t familiar with your chart then I will say that for the most part it is more important to be clear and concise with your communication and to not let disruptions that may befall you cause a meltdown. Ground yourself in some breathing practices and gather with people who you can mutually be held and hold space for if things do become overly difficult.
In this chart above we see the day Mercury stations direct. Most of the previously mentioned planets have evacuated Mercury's signs by this point with the expected exception of Uranus (because of its very slow movement through the zodiac).
The sun has joined Mercury in Leo by this point which can add some support for what is going on through this time. Though Mars and Venus have moved on from being directly impacted by this shift in Mercury’s direction, I wouldn’t suggest those areas of your life to be unaffected at this time. Maybe there will simply be more revealed around those storylines or some clarity being gained that can help you. Then, like Mercury, you can move on and forward with where you want to be headed after these shifts and/or changes.
Eclipses tied to the Mercury Retrograde:
I wish this was all I had to say about this upcoming couple of months. It would be completely unprofessional if I didn’t mention the eclipse cycle though. This year both the Mercury retrograde from last spring of 2025 and the one we are headed into lead directly into the eclipse season. These eclipses have been dramatically attached to very important world events that include the ongoing genocide being comited by Isreal over the people of Palestine and Isreal and the U.S.’s escalation of conflict with the state of Iran.
However, unlike the situation with Uranus where we can’t really contextualize its meaning in a more personal way because chances are high that you and definitely I were not alive 84 years ago. We can point you back to last March 14th and 29th. When these eclipses had last occured. Maybe, you might even find clues to what the Mercury retrograde might also bring you.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I’d like to end similarly to the way I started by saying “Welcome to the Shadow”. I hope that I, like Selene, have been able to cast light into the darkness and offer some illumination into our collective future. Taking notes of the events that transpire in your personal life during this time will be helpful in not only being able to put them outside of your body, but also to offer you the opportunity to see the astrology reflected in them.
At the store on my website you can download a workbook called “Hermes Stole My Cattle!”. It has a Mercury Retrograde Tarot spread to use for contemplation or forecasting, as well as some pages for journaling. It also includes all of the important dates. So if you wanted to print it out it would be something easy to reference back to in the future.
As always I hope that you’ve found this time we’ve spent together helpful and useful. I appreciate you coming here to read these words and I hope that we continue down the celestial path together.
May the fire inside guide you,
Devon Malone
Selene’s Initiate
The Esoteric Butcher
End: 09:04 pdt Portland Oregon
Day of Jupiter Hour of Helios
Great article! — & thank you for the download!