The reputation of Mercury Retrograde has loudened over the years, often draped in fear, attaching mishaps, havoc, and confusion to its moment of introspection.
But what if we approached this planetary movement from another perspective? What if, as a cosmic teacher, Mercury’s intention holds far more depth and medicine than the accepted narrative – simply asking us to sink in a little deeper to gain the wisdom on offer?
The Spiritual Meaning of Mercury Retrograde
Ancient Astrologers viewed retrogrades as sacred journeys – moments when a planet descends into the underworld in search of alternate perspectives, hidden wisdom, and unseen insight. Beyond the brightness of our everyday awareness live the deeper layers of self – untouched, unspoken, waiting to be acknowledged, loved, and reintegrated into our wholeness.
When a planet retrogrades, it ventures into these depths. And when it emerges, so do we. We return with new clarity, reclaimed fragments of self, and a deeper knowing of what truly matters – what desires are aligned, what direction calls us forward, and who we are becoming.
Perhaps as Mercury passes Earth and appears to reverse course it is guiding us through an inner descent for the sake of our growth, joy, and a more fully lived life. And when it resumes its forward motion, we do too – transformed by what we’ve gathered in our depths.
Welcome to Mercury Retrograde.Â
Retrogrades in Astrology are opportunities for ‘re’ words like review, revise, reframe, retrace, renew, and realign. They are a sacred pause to return to our awareness, our inner guidance, our truth. They offer a moment in time to reconnect with what matters to us amidst the outside movement, noise, activity, and guidance. And they invite us to look back on the path recently walked, reminding us that there is always more to see, more perspectives to look from, and more wisdom waiting to be gained through reflection.
When is Mercury Retrograde July 2025?
Our second Mercury Retrograde of 2025, Mercury begins its retrograde on July 18, 2025 in the fire sign of Leo, stationing direct on August 11, 2025.
Mercury will be retrograde alongside Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto.
Mercury Retrograde July 2025 Astrology
A fire sign, Leo is related to our self-expression, ambition, creativity, drive, and adventure.
Fire is how we take action in our lives and harness our willpower. It is our life force, spirit, and courage. As Mercury moves through the fiery zodiac of Leo retracing its steps and re-writing the story – we too, are reconsidering and reframing the ways in which we channel our fire.
We are re-writing the narrative of our courage, will, drive, and ambition. We are reconsidering the ways in which we follow inspiration, take actions towards our desires, and express ourselves outwardly in the world. We are observing and making the space to better understand how we regenerate our life force, connect with inspiration, and create our lives.
Leo is here to express into the world a beautiful and bold stamp of who it is inside of itself. It is here to self-validate, create, play, and radiate, offering warmth to the world through simply being who it is.
As Mercury Retrograde journeys through Leo, it does so for empowerment. So that we may heal and reclaim the narratives held around our self-expression. So that we may re-write the stories of what it means to be seen, to take up space, and where we need to pour validation and love into ourselves.
Mercury Retrograde in Leo offers us the opportunity to re-frame and embody our own Leo – that is, to radiate the authentic, magnetic, and creative magic that we uniquely are.
Mercury Retrograde in Leo Horoscopes for Your Zodiac Sign
Explore the invitations of Mercury for you, based on your Rising Sign. To go deeper, explore a personal Astrology Reading based entirely on your unique birth chart.
Horoscopes written by Melina Sophia.
Aries Rising
This retrograde invites a sacred pause in how you express your spirit, your joy, and your fire. Old narratives about being seen, taking up space, or letting your light shine may rise for review – asking not for critique, but reclamation. How have you dimmed your creativity to be palatable? How often have you moved too fast to hear your heart’s voice?
This is a descent into your inner flame – not to burn, but to refine. Reignite your self-belief. Reconsider what brings you alive. And when Mercury moves forward, carry with you a renewed relationship with your power to create and inspire.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Taurus Rising
This retrograde draws your awareness inward to the roots – your inner foundation, your sense of safety, and the stories you carry from the past. There may be echoes of childhood desires, forgotten dreams, or old definitions of success asking to be re-examined. Let your inner child speak. Let your fire be nourished at home, in stillness, in softness. This is an invitation to rekindle your relationship with belonging – not just to a place, but to yourself. Reframe what it means to feel held, rooted, and radiant.
When Mercury moves forward, rise with a deeper trust in your inner sanctuary and sacred becoming.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Gemini Rising
Your thoughts, voice, and inner dialogue are under the retrograde’s gentle spotlight. How you speak, share, listen, and process is asking for reflection. This is an opportunity to become more intimate with your mind – not to fix it, but to understand how your thoughts shape your world. Where have you silenced your truth? Where has expression become performance rather than presence? Let Mercury guide you through the caverns of your inner storyteller. Rewrite the narratives that no longer support your light.
As Mercury shifts forward, return with a renewed connection to your voice—clear, bold, and rooted in authenticity.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Cancer Rising
This Mercury Retrograde touches your relationship with worth, value, and how you resource yourself. Not just financially, but energetically and spiritually, too. What do you pour your energy into? What defines your worth, truly? This is a sacred pause to realign with your natural radiance – to remember that value doesn’t need to be proven. Let the retrograde guide you into deeper layers of self-respect and sovereignty. Reconsider how you spend, save, create, and give – not just money, but time, attention, and love.
When Mercury moves forward, walk with the knowing that your worth is innate, and your abundance reflects your alignment.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Leo Rising
Mercury is retracing its steps through your very sense of self. Who you believe yourself to be. How you express your essence. How you lead, love, and live. This is an intimate reclamation. A remembering of your original fire before it was shaped by expectations or comparison. You’re being invited into the underworld of identity, not to lose yourself, but to refine the truth of who you are. This is not a time to force, but to listen. What does your soul truly desire to express?
When Mercury begins to move direct again, let your steps be led by that truth.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Virgo Rising
Your inner world, unconscious patterns, and unseen threads of influence are stirring during this retrograde. It’s a time to slow down and become quiet enough to hear what has long whispered beneath the surface. Old stories or forgotten wounds may re-emerge, not as problems—but as invitations for deeper self-love. This is a descent into your inner sanctuary, your spiritual life, your hidden strengths. Let yourself unravel what no longer needs to be held. Let yourself soften.
When Mercury moves forward, you’ll emerge with more inner spaciousness, clarity, and a renewed connection to your inner guidance.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Libra Rising
This retrograde invites you to revisit your dreams and visions for the future, your communities, and your sense of belonging. What groups or goals once felt inspiring, but now feel out of sync? What hopes still carry a spark, waiting to be nurtured back to life? This is a moment to reflect on what you’re building and who you’re building it with. To reimagine your role in the collective. Let yourself dream again, not from pressure, but from purpose.
When Mercury turns direct, carry with you a refined vision – and the confidence to shape a future aligned with your heart’s truth.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Scorpio Rising
Your relationship with ambition, purpose, and outward success is being reshaped. This retrograde may stir questions around direction, career, visibility, or the legacy you’re here to create. Not to derail you, but to deepen your alignment with what truly matters. Let yourself pause and ask: What am I chasing? And why? This is a sacred review of your path, not from the lens of productivity, but of soul. What lights you up from within? What honors your truth, not just your title?
As Mercury moves direct, let your next steps be infused with authenticity, vision, and renewed devotion to your why.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Sagittarius Rising
This Mercury Retrograde opens a portal into your beliefs, philosophies, and desire for expansion. The ways you make meaning from life. What truths are yours, and which ones were inherited? Let this be a time to return to the questions, to the wonder, to the teachers and paths that once called to your spirit. You may feel drawn to revisit a study, a spiritual practice, or a long-held dream. Let Mercury guide you back to what once inspired awe.
When it moves forward again, walk with your truth renewed – one that is shaped by lived experience and soul-level resonance.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Capricorn Rising
The retrograde invites a softening into the shadows you’ve carried around intimacy, trust, vulnerability, and shared power. This is a descent into your emotional undercurrents, where unspoken fears and long-buried desires dwell. Let it be a time of sacred honesty with yourself. A return to the parts of you that feel most tender and most true. Where have you withheld your truth? Where have you dimmed your needs? This isn’t about fixing, but reclaiming.
Let Mercury guide you into your depths, so that when it emerges, you rise with a lighter heart and a clearer sense of your own sacred power.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Aquarius Rising
This Mercury Retrograde brings attention to your relationships – the ways you give, receive, connect, and communicate. It’s a time to review old dynamics, rekindle essential conversations, or gently release what no longer aligns. Let your reflections soften into compassion. Let your insights come from the heart. How do you show up in love and partnership? How do you express your needs, your truth, your care? This retrograde invites you to reframe the balance between independence and intimacy.
When Mercury moves forward, you’ll emerge with clearer boundaries, deeper clarity, and a more aligned approach to the sacred dance of relating.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
Pisces Rising
The retrograde invites you into the sacred rhythms of your everyday life – your work, habits, rituals, and devotion to the small things that shape your world. You’re being asked to reflect on how you use your time and energy, how you serve, and how you support your own well-being in the process. Let this be a time of gentle re-evaluation. Where do you pour yourself out too thin? Where do your rituals need to be rekindled or reimagined?
When Mercury begins to move forward, you’ll carry with you a renewed sense of purpose in the ordinary, and sacredness in the simple.
Explore this transit and more in greater depth with a 1:1 Astrology Reading
