Mercury in Aries retrograde dates
- 30 March 2011 24 Aries 19′ Mercury Stationary Retrograde
- 23 April 2011 12 Aries 54′ Mercury Stationary Direct
- 12 May 2011 24 Aries 19′ Mercury Leaves Rx Zone
Mercury Stationary
Don’t make promises you can’t keep on Mercury station days: March 29, 30 and 31 and April 22, 23 and 24
“Stationary” refers to the period of time when a planet appears to stand still.
Stationing periods are very powerful. The consequences of anything started, said, or done at these points will last for a long time. ~ Therese Francis, The Mercury Retrograde Book
Mercury Rx Zone, or Shadow
Don’t set all systems to “go” until Mercury passes through the shadow zone: after May 12th
When Mercury turns direct most people think that everything is back to normal. However, when Mercury turns direct it spends the following few weeks catching up to the degree it occupied before the retrograde. The time Mercury takes returning to where it was before the retrograde is the shadow period. The shadow period includes all the degrees that Mercury needs to go back over before it reaches a “new” degree that it hasn’t passed over yet.
For example, in this Mercury retrograde cycle, Mercury’s shadow period will start on the day that Mercury turns direct (April 23rd) and continue through May 12th when Mercury finally reaches 24 Aries again – the degree at which the retrograde started.
Mercury Retrograde periods are a great time to tie up loose ends.
- Finish unfinished business
- Fulfill previous commitments
- Complete current projects
- Review your work
- Catch up with friends
- Pay overdue bills
- Return overdue “thank yous”
- Do all the things you said you would do but didn’t
When Mercury is retrograde, you may feel that the Universe is staring at you. ~ Therese Francis, The Mercury Retrograde Book