Dates at a glance
| Phase | Date and time (UTC) | Mercury's position |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-shadow begins | 4 Oct, 09:10 | 5°02′ Scorpio |
| Stations retrograde | 24 Oct, about 07:15 | 20°58′ Scorpio |
| Inferior conjunction (between Earth and Sun) | 4 Nov, 14:25 | 12°10′ Scorpio |
| Stations direct | 13 Nov, about 15:52 | 5°02′ Scorpio |
| Post-shadow ends | 30 Nov, 06:16 | 20°58′ Scorpio |
Station times are approximate to within about a quarter of an hour. Local notes, after the UK clocks change on 25 October and the US clocks on 1 November:
- ✦Station retrograde: about 00:15 on 24 October on the US West Coast, so close to midnight that Pacific time sits on the 23–24 October line; 3:15 am Eastern, 08:15 in the UK, 12:45 in India and 15:15 in Singapore, all on 24 October.
- ✦Station direct: 13 November everywhere listed here, though in Singapore it comes just before midnight (about 23:52).
- ✦Post-shadow ends: 10:16 pm on 29 November in US Pacific time; 30 November in US Eastern (1:16 am), the UK, India and Singapore.
Mercury moves only between 5°02′ and 20°58′ Scorpio for the whole cycle, from the start of the pre-shadow to the end of the post-shadow. The general idea of retrograde motion is covered in what Mercury retrograde really means; this page is about this one.
A double retrograde with Venus
Venus stationed retrograde on 3 October and turns direct on 13 November in the Americas (14 November from the UK eastward). Mercury's retrograde fits inside it. From Mercury's station on 24 October to its direct station on 13 November, both planets are retrograde at once. They also turn direct about eight and a half hours apart: Mercury at about 15:52 UTC on 13 November, Venus at about 00:20 UTC on the 14th.
Three other events cluster around the start and middle of it:
- ✦Venus's inferior conjunction, at 03:39 UTC on 24 October (the evening of 23 October in the US), a few hours before Mercury stations retrograde.
- ✦The Sun enters Scorpio at 09:38 UTC on 23 October, so on 24 October the Sun, Mercury and Venus are all in Scorpio. Venus slips back into Libra the next day.
- ✦The Scorpio New Moon at 07:01 UTC on 9 November, at 16°53′ Scorpio. That is 11:01 pm on 8 November in US Pacific time and 9 November elsewhere listed here.
Astrologers tend to read a Mercury–Venus double retrograde as a period for reviewing both what is said and what is valued: conversations about a relationship, money that two people share, agreements about either. That is a reading, not a forecast. The Venus side is covered in detail in Venus retrograde 2026.
Mercury in Scorpio
In the traditional scheme of dignities, Mercury has no rulership, exaltation, detriment or fall in Scorpio. The sign belongs to Mars (many modern astrologers add Pluto as co-ruler), and Mercury there is neither strengthened nor weakened by sign.
Astrologers associate Mercury in Scorpio with investigative, probing thought: reading between the lines, wanting the real reason, keeping some information private. A retrograde in Scorpio is often described as a time when secrets surface, old conversations get reopened and people revisit things they had decided not to discuss. These are associations, not events that are bound to happen.
For the natal side of this placement, see Mercury in Scorpio in the birth chart. If you want to know your own Mercury sign, the Mercury sign calculator finds it from your birth date.
Which area of life: Scorpio’s house from your Rising sign
In Whole Sign houses, the sign on your Ascendant is your 1st house, the next sign is your 2nd, and so on. Because this retrograde stays in Scorpio, it runs through one house of your chart: whichever house Scorpio occupies.
| Rising sign | Scorpio is your | Themes astrologers link to that house |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | 8th house | shared money, debts, intimacy, endings |
| Taurus | 7th house | partners, close collaborators, agreements |
| Gemini | 6th house | daily work, routines, health habits |
| Cancer | 5th house | romance, creativity, children, play |
| Leo | 4th house | home, family, roots, private life |
| Virgo | 3rd house | messages, siblings, neighbours, short trips, study |
| Libra | 2nd house | money, possessions, self-worth |
| Scorpio | 1st house | self-presentation, body, how you come across |
| Sagittarius | 12th house | rest, retreat, what happens behind the scenes |
| Capricorn | 11th house | friends, groups, networks, long-term hopes |
| Aquarius | 10th house | career, reputation, public role |
| Pisces | 9th house | travel, higher learning, beliefs, publishing |
If your Rising sign is uncertain, check it with your birth time before reading the table. Planets in your birth chart between about 5° and 21° Scorpio are the placements astrologers watch most closely during this cycle.
Practical, not fearful
Mercury retrograde advice works best as ordinary care, applied a little more deliberately:
- ✦Back up your phone and computer before late October.
- ✦Double-check dates, times and addresses for travel and appointments between 24 October and 13 November.
- ✦Reread important messages before sending them, and confirm what was agreed in writing.
- ✦Give delayed replies the benefit of the doubt.
You will also hear that you shouldn't sign contracts, launch projects or buy electronics while Mercury is retrograde. That is a popular convention, not a rule. There is no established evidence that agreements made during a retrograde go worse than any others. If a contract needs signing, read it carefully and sign it; that is good advice in any month.
Shadow periods deserve the same caution. The pre-shadow and post-shadow are a modern convention marking the degrees the retrograde covers, from the first pass to the last. Traditional astrology doesn't use them, and astrologers disagree about how much weight they carry. If you use them, treat 4 October to 30 November as a long review window, not an extended alarm.
October–November 2026 retrograde questions
Is it Mercury retrograde right now?
Mercury is retrograde from 24 October to 13 November 2026 (UTC). Before that, from 4 October, it is in the pre-shadow; after it, until 30 November, it is in the post-shadow.
How often does Mercury go retrograde?
Usually three times a year, and occasionally four, because Mercury laps Earth every 115.88 days on average. Each retrograde lasts about three weeks. In 2027 there are three; see Mercury retrograde 2027 for all the dates.
What is the shadow period?
The stretch before and after the retrograde when Mercury is crossing the same degrees it will cover, or has just covered, while retrograde. For this cycle that is 5°02′ to 20°58′ Scorpio. It is a modern convention, and astrologers disagree about its importance.
Does it matter that Venus is retrograde too?
Astrologers read the overlap as a reason to give relationship and money conversations extra patience. Astronomically it is a coincidence of timing: the two planets are on different orbits and simply pass Earth's line of sight to the Sun in the same season.
Which signs are most affected by this Mercury retrograde?
Astrologers look first at charts with a planet or the Ascendant between about 5° and 21° Scorpio, the stretch Mercury covers. By convention they then look at the signs opposite and square to it: Taurus (opposite), and Leo and Aquarius (square), at roughly the same degrees. For everyone else, the retrograde runs through whichever house Scorpio occupies in their chart, as in the table above. None of this predicts a particular event.