The first Mercury Retrograde of 2022 begins on January 14, just a few weeks into the year. Mercury will enter retrograde in the sign of Aquarius but will make its way back into Capricorn before turning direct again on February 3, 2022.
Mercury typically enters retrograde three times a year, but every so often we experience four retrogrades within the year. 2022 is one of those years, indicating that the Universe really wants us to slow down, reflect, and consider our mental health.
Mercury rules over our mind, and whenever it enters retrograde, it gives us an opportunity to assess our thoughts, our mental health, and what we are choosing to focus on. Mercury also rules over contracts, so we may find ourselves needing to adjust the promises and commitments we have made.
In ancient astrology, when a planet entered retrograde, it was said to be traveling through the underworld; through the hidden parts of our psyche in order to unearth new insights that we need to pay attention to.
Mercury is also the planet of communication, so during this window, we may find ourselves experiencing miscommunications or perhaps needing to change or adjust the way we are communicating with others, with ourselves, and with the world around us.
Our energy is always in conversation with the Universe. The energy we put out into the world is what bounces back in our direction. What conversations are you having with the Universe?
Under this first Mercury Retrograde of the year, see if you can take the time to think about how you are communicating with the world around you and observe how it communicates back. The Universe is always sending us signs, we just have to pay attention.
Part of being a good communicator is learning how to listen, and this first Retrograde of 2022, is the perfect time to listen to the signs, clues, and rhythms of the Universe around us.
How can you join with the flow of where you are? How can you look to the Universe for guidance rather than trying to push or force your way forward?
Mercury Retrograde tends to get a bad wrap, but it is actually a very spiritual time where we can connect with our subconscious and even our intuition with greater ease.
It is also a great time to focus on your dreams, as our dreams are often a portal into our subconscious mind and what we are truly feeling beneath the surface. (If you want guidance with this, check out the Mercury Retrograde and Dreams Workbook here.)
As Mercury Retrogrades through Aquarius from January 14- 27, our focus will turn to our mental processes. Under this energy, we will be given the opportunity to reshape some of the ways we are choosing to think and the thoughts that are running our lives.
Our thoughts are so powerful! So this is a chance to tune in and listen to see what our thoughts are saying and how they may be holding us back or helping us to move forward.
Use this time to really pay attention to the dialogue in your mind and what you are communicating. Are your thoughts aligned with abundance and opportunity? Or do you constantly find yourself entertaining thoughts that make you shrink back?
As Mercury Retrograde travels through the zodiac of Capricorn from January 27 to February 3, our focus will shift slightly to think about our commitments and the contracts we have made, whether verbal or written.
What commitments do you want to make to yourself? What “contracts” or agreements are no longer serving you? These questions may all come up for review as Mercury travels through Capricorn.
Throughout 2022, Mercury will retrograde prominently in earth signs, so these questions on our commitments will actually become a running theme for most of the year.
Mercury Retrograde will be helping us to refashion the commitments we are making and the agreements that we have entered into. We may have to do away with some that no longer serve, or we may have to readjust or add new commitments in order to get where we want to be.
Mercury Retrograde in earth signs is all about learning how to walk the talk. While we can observe our minds and reshape our thoughts, we also have to take inspired action too! That’s what we are being supported to do in 2022.
During this January retrograde, Mercury will not be the only planet moving through the underworld. Venus is currently in retrograde until January 29 and this will also flavor the energies we experience during this time.
In astrology, the general rule of thumb is that the closer the planet is to the Sun, the more intensely we feel the retrograde energies.
Both Mercury and Venus, being close to the Sun, create some powerful retrograde energies that may result in a sluggish feeling.
Retrogrades are not a time to move forward, they are a time to pause and reflect, so having both these planets moving through the underworld may create this sensation in our energetic bodies.
If you are feeling uninspired by the new year, or perhaps more tired than usual, know that you may be feeling the magic of these retrograde energies.
Instead of fighting against it, use this energy to focus on self-care, finding your stillness, and knowing that you don’t have to pressure yourself to make the start of the year one that is so goal-orientated.
Know that there will be plenty of opportunities for setting goals and getting ambitious as we move through the year. Don’t feel you are missing out, just because the calendar has flipped to a new year.
Part of our journey in 2022, is focusing on our health and healing, and under strong retrograde energy, we are often guided to go back and look over some of our habits and how they may be contributing to our overall health and wellbeing.
Tune in and ensure you are giving yourself what you need. Be gentle with wherever you are, and hold in your heart the wisdom that nothing lasts forever.
These energies are strong and may pull us back before we can move forward. Honor this moment to pause, reflect, and find stillness. Know that eventually, the Universe will bring waves to push us forward, but for now, it is perfectly ok to hold space and be where we are.
