The First Retrograde Mercury Period of 2021 begins on January 30. Mercury begins its retrograde @ 2 deg sidereal Aquarius. In this position Mercury is not under any malefic influence, so the usual Mercury Retrograde annoyances can be expected: Misunderstandings, Delays in Communications, Misinterpreting Data, Mistakes in Transactions, Equipment Breakdowns, etc.

On February 4, Mercury ‘backs into’ sidereal Capricorn. Now things start to get complicated, because Retrograde Mercury will be influencing, and being influenced by, the multi-planet conjunction already in progress in Capricorn. Retrograde Mercury Distorts the significations of whatever it combines with. Mercury Rx + Venus = Misunderstandings in Romance, Difficulty finding Compromise, Mistakes in Finances, Bad Advice, etc. Mercury Rx combined with Jupiter = Misplaced Belief, Bad Judgement, Misunderstanding of Truth, Bad Faith Reasoning, etc. Retrograde Mercury + Saturn adds an element of Stubbornness, making it hard to Admit to the Misunderstandings, Mistakes, etc.

Additionally, Retrograde Mercury will be in a Square Aspect Pattern with Mars. Mars is the planet of Force , Aggression, & Impatience; the square aspect is Inimical. This configuration produces Controversy, Anger, & Conflict in response to the Misunderstandings and Mistakes typical of Mercury Retrograde.

Due to the complications introduced by Mercury Rx interacting with other planets, the first three weeks of February is a Bad Time to be Making Important Decisions.

Finally, on February 20, Mercury Ends its Retrograde, @ 16 deg sidereal Capricorn. The planet of Communications, Rational Thinking, Facts & Information will slowly return to normal forward motion, and its significations will begin to operate normally again.