Mercury Retrograde Dates In 2022 - The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Mercury Retrograde Dates for 2026 Primary Image Photo Credit Parts of this image sourced from NASA

What Is Mercury Retrograde and What Does It Mean for You?

Written By: Celeste Longacre Gardener & Astrologer December 3, 2025 Share

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Mercury Retrograde will begin once again on February 26, 2026, and end on March 20, 2026. These periods of the year are thought to significantly influence your mood and actions. Learn more and find the 2026 Mercury Retrograde dates below. Discover what Mercury Retrograde means for communication, travel, technology, and how it might impact your daily life.

Table of Contents

What Is Mercury Retrograde?Read Next

• How Mercury Retrograde Affects Each Zodiac Sign
• February 2026 Horoscope for All Zodiac Signs
• May Horoscope 2025: What’s Up for Your Zodiac Sign

What Is Retrograde Motion?

Mercury Retrograde Dates for 2026

What to Do During Mercury Retrograde

When Does Mercury Retrograde End?

Mercury Retrograde and the Zodiac Signs

FAQs About Mercury Retrograde

What Is Mercury Retrograde?

Three to four times a year, the planet Mercury appears to reverse its course across the night sky. In astrology, these periods are called Mercury retrograde and are traditionally linked to confusion, delays, and disruptions in communication, travel, and decision-making.

Think undelivered love letters, email blunders, frazzled travel plans—and the classic “did I really just send that?” moment! That said, retrograde periods are also considered a valuable time for reflection. It’s said that your intuition may be heightened and that seemingly odd coincidences might carry meaning.

What Is Retrograde Motion?

The astronomical explanation for retrograde motion starts with understanding that the planets in our solar system orbit the Sun at different distances and speeds. While we orbit the Sun ourselves, we can observe the other planets moving across our sky, following their own paths.

Sometimes, it can appear (from our perspective) that a planet has abruptly switched directions and has started to move in reverse across the sky. In reality, Mercury doesn’t actually move backward. What we see is an optical illusion created by the positions and speeds of Earth and Mercury as they orbit the Sun.

Because Mercury orbits the Sun faster than Earth does, there are moments when it appears to slow down, stop, and reverse direction—like a car passing another on the highway. This is why we call the phenomenon apparent retrograde motion, as it only looks like the planet is moving backward (“retrograde motion”)!

Mercury in Retrograde Dates for 2026

In 2026, Mercury will be in retrograde during the following periods:

Mercury Retrograde Period	Dates (Eastern Time)
First Retrograde	February 26-March 20, 2026
Second Retrograde	June 29-July 23, 2026
Third Retrograde	October 24-November 13, 2026

Note: These dates are based on Eastern Time (ET) and may shift slightly depending on your time zone.

What to Do During Mercury Retrograde

The planet Mercury rules communication in all forms—listening, writing, reading, speaking, and so on—as well as activities closely related to communication, like negotiations and contracts. It also rules travel, automobiles, shipping, and mail.

So, when Mercury is retrograde, things in those areas may feel off. This doesn’t mean disaster is guaranteed—but it’s wise to proceed with extra care.

During Mercury retrograde:

• Avoid signing major contracts or making big purchases.
• Double-check emails, messages, and travel plans.
• Back up your data and devices.
• Be patient—especially with miscommunications.
• Revisit old projects instead of starting new ones.

Flexibility is your friend. You can’t stop your life, but plan ahead, have backup plans, and be prepared for people’s shorter fuses and miscommunication.

Reflecting During Retrograde

Some blame Mercury retrograde for all the chaos that happens in their lives. However, this is a good time to sit back and review what you put your energy toward.

Ask yourself:

• Are you focusing your energy where it matters? If family and faith are important to you, are you putting enough energy there?
• Or, have you overextended in certain areas—like career or obligations—at the expense of relationships or well-being?

Losing the balance between different parts of your life can cause them to suffer, so being aware of their connections—especially during Mercury retrograde—can help you maintain or at least better understand how that balance works.

Take a moment to reflect. Mercury retrograde can be an excellent time to take a step back and reanalyze who you are and what you are doing—but do refrain from making any drastic changes until after retrograde has ended.

When Does Mercury Retrograde End?

The next Mercury Retrograde ends on March 20, 2026 (Eastern Time).

When Mercury’s Retrograde ends, some astrologers believe there is a short “shadow period” of adjustment of a couple of weeks as Mercury moves forward again.

During this adjustment period:

• Don’t rush big decisions.
• Allow any remaining misunderstandings to resolve.
• Prepare to move forward with clearer intention.

This is a good time to polish that presentation, finalize travel plans, or revisit contracts with a fresh eye.

Once this shadow clears, it’s generally considered a better time to move forward with major decisions, contracts, and new projects.

Mercury and the Zodiac Signs

The type of influence you feel also depends on which of the 12 zodiac signs Mercury is in when it goes retrograde. For example:

• Mercury in Aries may spark impulsive words.
• Mercury in Pisces may cloud emotional clarity.

Find out how YOUR Zodiac sign is influenced. See Mercury Retrograde and Zodiac Signs.

FAQs About Mercury Retrograde

Q. Is Mercury really moving backward?

A: No. Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion caused by the relative speeds and positions of Earth and Mercury in orbit. The planet only appears to move backward in the sky.

Q: How long does a Mercury retrograde period last?

A: Typically, Mercury retrogrades last about 3 weeks, but the pre‑ and post‑shadow periods can extend the effect by a week or more before and after the retrograde phase.

Q: What is a Mercury retrograde “shadow period”?

A: The shadow period includes the weeks before and after the main retrograde when Mercury passes over the same zodiac degrees. Effects may begin to ramp up before the retrograde and linger afterward, making this a time to stay mindful.

Q: Is Mercury retrograde always negative?

A: Not at all. While challenging for communication and travel, Mercury retrograde is also ideal for reflection, review, and revising—especially existing plans rather than launching new ones.

Q. Does Mercury retrograde affect everyone the same way?

A: Not exactly. Each retrograde occurs in a specific zodiac sign, and that sign’s energy colors the experience. Your own birth sign may also influence how you experience Mercury retrograde.

Learn more about zodiac sign profiles in general, and check out our monthly horoscopes. Make sure that your gardening does not go awry when Mercury is in retrograde by reading your zodiac profile for gardening.

Astrology: Discover Your Cosmic Connection About The Author

Celeste Longacre

Gardener & Astrologer

Celeste Longacre has been growing virtually all of her family’s vegetables for the entire year for over 30 years. She cans, she freezes, she dries, she ferments, and she root cellars. She also has chi... Read More from Celeste Longacre

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Comments

Add a Comment <span>Marjorie Partch</span> Sun, 11/09/2025 - 09:46 Reply Hi, I have been a fan of this column for a few years. I am an astrologer myself, of a Jungian persuasion, so I especially enjoy finding well written and intelligent columns to check in and compare notes with. I'm always especially glad when I see a subject like Mercury Retrograde treated with insight - it's not all bad, there are special opportunities for growth - and astronomical understanding of the phenomenon: Just because it's not actually moving backwards physically doesn't mean nothing is happening - synchronistically, if not causally. So I was very surprised to see the error that slipped into this last column. Mercury doesn't appear to be moving backwards because its orbit is smaller than Earth's. After all, the outer planets also appear to move backwards from time to time, and their orbits are larger than ours. The illusion occurs because the planets' movements are circling the Sun, and not the Earth - so when they get to the end of the orbit, they appear to go the other way when they are traversing that part of the circle - in the same direction but seen from a different angle - it has nothing to do with the size of the circle, but everything to do with our perspective. Sincerely, Marjorie Partch in Connecticut [email protected] alephtalks.com/astrology https://alephtalks.com/blogs/archetypal-astrology/the-uses-of-adversity-mercury-retrograde/

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× <span>Ayla</span> Tue, 08/12/2025 - 13:48 Reply Well, I hate to admit it but the retrograde of the past 3 weeks had me by the short and curleys. I definitely revisited an arrangement that was made in March and I was the only one holding up my end of the bargain while the other party just did what he wanted to do which left me to fit the bill every month since. 10 days ago I felt this roar of energy welling up inside me with such force that I eventually erupted like a super vulcano - totally out of character for me. Issue has now been resolved and retrograde has ended. I feel so much better now. Except I am sure I read somewhere that I shouldn't have erupted. 🤔

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× <span>Natalie</span> Wed, 11/05/2025 - 19:52 Reply I did the exact same thing . I erupted in August 2nd, that was just IT for me. It’s like I stomped my foot and the whole earth shook. It was serious build up of things not spoken or expressed from the months before.

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× <span>Charlotte</span> Mon, 09/22/2025 - 11:27 Reply But you feel much better! And if YOU think you shouldn't have erupted, then that's something to work toward in the future, right? :) Reaffirming boundaries is uncomfortable sometimes. But I applaud you!

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× <span>Josiah</span> Thu, 07/17/2025 - 23:54 Reply This article actually says that it's all an illusion. Mercury only appears to be going in the opposite direction due to the our perspective. So, perhaps the lesson all along has been to change our perspective. See things differently. Don't trust what your eyes are telling you. I know people who anticipate their lives turning upside down way in advance of retrograde. It often feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy to me. Our minds are really powerful.

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× <span>Patricia Rardin</span> Sun, 07/13/2025 - 13:23 Reply As a Virgo, this always affects me and not in a good way either, always try to keep track of it and make my plans accordingly.

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× <span>Allan</span> Fri, 08/08/2025 - 06:35 Reply Yep, Virgo here, 3rd September. I hate Mercury retrograde and anyone that tells me it's a good time to reflect hasn't had the challenges that I've endured during Mercury retrograde over the years. My life turns to chaos and it's always a struggle during Mercury retrograde. Three, sometimes 4 times a bloody year I have to endure through it.

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× <span>Sheena</span> Thu, 07/24/2025 - 19:21 Reply After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when neew comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a way you are able to remove me from that service? Thanks! Feel free to surf to my website :: Earn Online Income

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× <span>Shellie</span> Fri, 07/25/2025 - 10:26 Reply Thank you for another great post. The place else could anyone get that type of information in such an ideal way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I am on the search for such information. Also visit my web-site: six flags magic mountain coupons

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× <span>Linda Banister</span> Tue, 06/24/2025 - 20:10 Reply Thank you!

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