Mercury Retrograde January 2022 Dates
Pre-shadow Begins: 29 December 2021 Retrograde Begins: 14 January 2022 Retrograde Ends: 3 February 2022 Post-shadow Ends: 24 February 2022 Signs of Retrograde: Aquarius and Capricorn Degrees of Retrograde: 10 Aquarius back to 24 Capricorn
About Mercury Retrograde January 2022
This Mercury retrograde cycle has an interesting twist because it coincides with the Venus retrograde. Both Venus and Mercury are retrograde in the sign of Capricorn so we are getting a double dose of retrograde energy in the same part of the sky.
Venus retrograde will take place totally in the sign of Capricorn where Mercury retrograde will span over two signs, Capricorn and Aquarius.
I will be talking about both retrogrades at times in this article because I believe their retrograde energies will be working together. I wrote a Venus retrograde article that dives deeper into the Venus retrograde that you can read on my Astroblog.
I record videos every month for the new and full moon where I will discuss this retrograde energy as it relates to the quality of time of the moon phase. You can watch the recordings on my Facebook page. They are posted at the time of the new or full moon.
For a list of all Mercury retrograde dates in 2022, including shadow periods, you will find them here: Mercury Retrograde Dates 2022. This is an easy access list of dates that you can transfer over to your calendar.
Mercury and Venus retrograde cycles are good times to slow down, reflect on the past, and assess areas in your life you would like to refresh and renew. It is even more pronounced because we are right at the beginning of the year when we are thinking about what we want to accomplish this year.
Evaluating past progress as we develop our future goals is important for success strategy. We are blessed with this Saturnian energy that is serious about setting up structure in a part of your life and Saturn is about things that are long lasting. Saturn is the planet associated with Capricorn and Aquarius.
The Planet Saturn is found in everyone’s chart and represents the quality of energy that has to do with boundaries, structure, authority, responsibility, limits, restriction, and hard work. Saturn is not fond of laziness, but it produces results for those who roll up their sleeves and work.
Saturn is like the saying ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ When you accept the work laid out in front of you, and work through the struggle and difficulty, you get a payoff. Saturn is all about earning your keep through putting in the effort required to achieve something.
The parts of your chart where Saturn is active provides a lot of information about where you have to work hard, encounter struggle, achieve, and overcome. We all have this quality of energy in our chart through the sign Saturn is placed, and where the signs Capricorn and Aquarius fall in your chart.
Capricorn and Aquarius are where the January 2022 Mercury retrograde is active. Those areas of your chart are where you will likely be called on to look backward to move forward through some obstacle, struggle, or restriction from the past that shows up during the retrograde.
Capricorn is about commitment, discipline, strategy, and the long-term. When you think about what themes are coming up for you in life right now, it is likely they are tied to the Capricorn part of your chart or Saturn ruled parts of your chart.
Aquarius is about where you want the freedom to pursue what you hold dear. It is where you don’t want to be tied down and where you can be singularly focused on your goal and become someone stubborn about pursuing it.
Oftentimes the Aquarian part of your chart has some humanistic or social cause theme to it. Or it can take shape in wanting to do something differently from the crowd. There is a social component to Aquarius that is about the larger group and society as a whole, social justice, reform, and leaving the world more advanced than before.
If you don’t know where Capricorn and Aquarius are in your chart, it’s okay. You know yourself better than anyone. By taking quality ‘me’ time for deep introspection and evaluation of what has happened to you in the past, you will figure out which parts of your life this retrograde energy is active in.
All of January continuing into February is a fantastic time to carve out ‘me’ time. Turn off distractions like your television, phone, and computer. Sit with yourself and think about ‘what is going on in my life.’ What themes and topics are coming up that would benefit from a review, a freshen up, or a course correction. What unfinished business needs resolved?
Those areas and relationships that are occupying your thoughts and time are important. The relationships can be with yourself, others, families, friends, co-workers, your career, or money for example. This is Venus retrograde territory that is happening at the same time as Mercury retrograde.
Notice relationships that seem like they need evaluating, renewal, or clearing up something unresolved from the past. These are themes of Venus retrograde and are likely to be further activated by the Mercury retrograde. The retrograde energy of both planets are pointing to the same life topics.
Mercury retrograde is about communication, thinking, learning, and messaging styles. When we try to speed along at the same rate as always, we often get tripped up during Mercury retrograde. A good mantra is to try 3 times harder and slow it down. Focus on unfinished business over starting something brand new.
You will have more success getting to meetings on time, neutralizing stress in traffic, or avoiding a missed appointment when you plan ahead to move more slowly. The quality of time during a Mercury retrograde is to take a break from forward movement to do a check-up on where you have been.
To learn more about navigating Mercury retrogrades in general, read the ‘Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide.’
Mercury retrograde is nature’s way of reminding you to look back every now and then to be sure things are tidied up. Usually we have to do some trial and error to get things right. In order to do that, we have to move forward, reflect back, correct course, and move forward again. That is what Mercury retrograde is all about.
Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius
This Mercury retrograde spans across Capricorn and Aquarius. It starts in Aquarius and moves back to Capricorn. Aquarius and Capricorn are both Saturn signs, so we’ll have that Saturnian feel of practicality, focus, and seriousness throughout the Mercury retrograde cycle.
The first part of Mercury retrograde, 14 January – 26 January, will have the Aquarian flavor. This energy has a more social, rebellious, innovative, and thinking flavor. Then 26 January until 3 February Mercury retrograde will be in Capricorn.
This means that the first part of the Mercury retrograde, you may find that you want to think things through or even talk them out with others. When Mercury retrogrades to Capricorn, you may switch gears to be more strategic by writing goals, action plans, and to-do lists.
During this first part of the retrograde, look back at how innovative you have been. You may have covered new ground that needs tweaking now. You might be looking back at something that was like a first draft, or a beta test, that you can now edit and improve.
Aquarius is an air element with a fixed quality. It has a rational approach that is able to stay on track and maintain the course without bouncing around and losing focus. This is energy you can tap into that tends to have a mental and social focus. You could have innovative ideas for how to course correct or resolve unfinished business from the past.
This process leads nicely into the Capricorn part of the retrograde when you can get your feet on the ground and really strategize what’s next. The Aquarius part is mental evaluation and reform planning. The Capricorn part is strategy, goal writing, and action planning.
The Venus retrograde is completely in the sign of Capricorn, so that energy will still be prevalent during Mercury retrograde in the both the Capricorn and Aquarius time periods. This indicates the rational part of Aquarius is benefitting from the practicalness of Venus retrograde.
There can be a rational and practical approach to sticky emotional relationships allowing parties to resolve past issues without boiling into an emotional blowout.
It can also mean that conversations can be too cold and rational, so do be careful about refraining from using language that can come across as harsh, condescending, or cruel. The truth is important, and delivery is important too.
Of note, when the retrograde finishes in Capricorn, Mercury will journey forward again taking on a future oriented outlook once again. Mercury will travel back into Aquarius as it moves forward. When Mercury visits Aquarius again moving direct, you can push forward your goals, plans, relationships, and ideas.
You will head into Aquarius after Mercury retrograde refreshed, informed from all of your introspective evaluations, and ready to stand on solid ground to manifest in 2022. Be sure that what you are pursuing is practical and achievable. It’s nice to use the SMART goals concept.
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and have a time frame. When you work with me, we use this concept with goal setting. Contact me to learn more about combining astrology with goal setting.
Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn
Capricorn is a sign known for excellent strategic skill, determination, tenacity, and no nonsense. The Capricorn part of this Mercury retrograde cycle is January 26 through February 3.
If you feel like there is a heaviness in the air in January and February 2022, I agree. The quality of this retrograde is serious. Though this period is frill free, it has vast benefits we can tap into.
Capricorn is an earth element and an active leadership sign. This Mercury retrograde cycle gives you an opportunity to lay down practical and ambitious goals. Plus put those ideas into tangible steps that are long lasting. As you look look backwards to look forward to the future, look beyond the month.
This is a time for evaluating the past as it relates to where you want to go in the long-term future. Acknowledge the resources you have accumulated (not just money, include your skills, education, contacts, etc.), the achievements you have accomplished, and the goals you have been working on over the past few years.
Now is the time to revise those goals from before if needed, to determine how you are going to maximize the resources you have, and to strategize for what’s next. It really is a brilliant time to tap into your best and remember all your finest qualities for how they can help you moving forward in the future.Â
Saturn the planet, and Capricorn the zodiac sign, are about longevity. Which is why long-term strategy is indicated as a quality of Mercury Retrograde January 2022. In order to get to where you want to be in 3, 5, 10, 20 years, you want to build on what you have started. If your foundation is shaky, now is the time to fix the fault lines.
If you were hoping to party through this Mercury retrograde 2022 cycle, you may be disappointed. You may rebel against the serious nature of this energy, but I really encourage you to tap into it for your own benefit and maximize the potential benefits. It’s a use it or lose it kind of thing.
We don’t always have such grounded, practical, and productive energy during a Mercury retrograde. What you evaluate, refresh, and capture by writing down your goals will set you on a productive journey. You will come out on the other side of the retrograde with results that will propel you forward from the effort you put into introspective retrograde work.
Those results will have long-term legs. Those of us who take advantage of this time period are going to come out of it prepped and ready to take on the success we desire. Those who do not put in the work won’t get as much out of it.
Take advantage of the quality of time we have right now and set yourself up for what’s to come. The energy will shift, don’t worry, lighter fun times are coming in 2022.
For those who choose to ignore the introspective, renewing, and reflective quality of this Mercury Retrograde, January 2022, may lose the opportunity to put themselves ahead of the competition who are plotting, evaluating, and planning.
We can get further ahead this first quarter of the year by slowing down now, reflecting back, and using what we learn to propel us forward. The Venus and Mercury retrograde energy will pass and fade as we move through February and by early March will be in the rearview mirror.
Between now and early March 2022 you have the time to take advantage of strengthening your foundation.
Jupiter in Pisces
Another quality of the energy in January is the shift of Jupiter into Pisces. Jupiter hasn’t been in one of his own signs for a few years. This shift is good news! While we are doing all of this introspective looking backwards to move forwards, we have a sweet shift in our charts.
All of us have this sweet shift. We won’t all feel it in the same way because we have different charts, but this is a nice shift and hopefully it will indicate a pleasant experience around doing the retrograde interpersonal work.
I do use the word ‘work’ because it is a Saturn word. Capricorn and Aquarius are Saturn signs. As we have seen, there is a prevalence of Saturnian energy in January. Wherever we have Saturn signs Capricorn and Aquarius in our chart is where we work hard and get a nice payoff at the end of the cycle when we go all in starting now.
Capricorn and Pisces work super well together which gives a nice vibe to the Venus and Mercury retrogrades. Jupiter will travel through Pisces from the end of December 2021 until May 10 of 2022.
I talk more about Jupiter energy in the monthly horoscopes and articles in the Astroblog. You can sign up to get them delivered to your inbox free.
Mercury Retrograde and Pluto
Pluto has been going through Capricorn since November of 2008 and will leave Capricorn in January of 2024. Pluto is a slow moving planet that takes its time moving through the zodiac. So Pluto in Capricorn energy is not new.
It is a consideration in the quality of this Mercury Retrograde because of the significant amount of activity happening in Capricorn now while Pluto is already there. It indicates that the Pluto qualities will get tied up in this Mercury retrograde January 2022 cycle. Same goes for the Venus retrograde.
The retrograde qualities intensify when Venus and Mercury travel through the same degree that Pluto is in.
Pluto intensifies things. It purifies things. It can sometimes indicate difficult periods of loss at worst and times of renewal and transformation at best. All planets and signs have a spectrum of qualities that can range from difficult to opportunistic. Pluto’s can be more destructive at times, or highly renewing and transformative.
To know what it means in your chart depends on how it aligns with your chart. This article is general by requirement because it is not possible to speak to each person’s individual chart. What I can do is give you the dates when Pluto will make contact.
You can expect an intensification of how you are experiencing the energy of the two retrogrades meeting Pluto during these dates. These are also dates where you may want to plan more free time in your schedule to purposefully meditate on the past to move forward.
Venus Meets Pluto
Venus is going to meet up with Pluto on 3 March. This will be the third time these two planets travel in the same sign and degree in the Venus retrograde cycle. The first two times were 12 December 2021 and Christmas 25 (or 26 depending on where you live) December 2021.
You can look back to those dates in 2021 to get an idea of what Venus retrograde topics were coming up for you to get a feel of how this final Venus Pluto meeting may resolve those topics so you can move forward refreshed, transformed, and renewed.
Mercury meets Pluto
Mercury meets with Pluto a few weeks before Mercury goes retrograde on 30 December 2021. This date is just before the pre-shadow period starts and coincides with the beginning of the entire cycle.
The 29th or 30th of December could give you some hints as to where you may want to do some deep introspection during this Mercury retrograde cycle. Mercury will meet Pluto again when Mercury is retrograde over 31 January and 1 February 2022.
On and around these dates you may be more inclined to isolate and ponder the themes and topics coming up during this retrograde for you. Mercury meets Pluto one more time. This 3rd and final meeting happens after Mercury is direct, after the retrograde, on the 8th and 9th of February.
This could indicate a time where you actually experience some resolutions around the life themes and topics that came ups for you during the Mercury retrograde. Or you could experience an awareness or ‘aha’ moment giving you some indication of what significant changes need to be made to move forward strategically.
Wrap Up
This is a lot of information to take in and I hope I have inspired you to take some reflective and introspective action during this Mercury and Venus retrograde cycle of January (and February) 2022. The Venus retrograde in Capricorn coinciding with Mercury retrograde in Aquarius and Capricorn gives it a unique flavor.
Use these two retrogrades together to get a leg up on your long-term goals and action plan for 2022. This is a great time to strategize, strengthen your foundation, and resolve things from the past that were unfinished or need closure.
It is also a time to refreshen, renew, or resolve problems in relationships with yourself, others, or with important life topics. It is likely the Mercury and Venus retrograde energy will focus on the same life topic, bringing something into your awareness that needs adjusted by looking backwards to move forward.
Happy introspecting! Please let me know if I can assist you on this journey. Contact me to inquire about working with astrology and goal setting over multiple sessions with me. Or set-up a consultation here. I help people go from functioning to flourishing and helping people make their dreams come true is what drives me to offer my services.
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