Welcome to your guide to the Astrology of 2026! The year ahead is packed with major astrological events, setting the stage for a continued period of profound change which was set into motion in 2025, when 3 of the slower-moving outer planets entered new signs, then retrograded back into their previous signs in the fall to finish up business. The planets that entered new signs in 2025 will re-enter those signs for the long haul, with Saturn and Neptune entering Aries this winter, and Uranus re-entering Gemini in the spring.

Mercury Retrograde is always a time to slow down, look within, and create space in our lives so we can hear our inner guidance. This particular retrograde is split between Sagittarius and Scorpio, two signs that share a quest for truth, but approach it in vastly different ways: one through outward expansion, the other through internal probing.

Mercury is spending its retrograde in a part of the zodiac that is extremely active this year: the last degrees of Pisces and the first degrees of Aries. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, while Aries is the first. The pairing of this sign highlights the relationship between receptivity and activity, between being and doing. Mercury’s span of time in these signs invites us to do less talking and more listening. We must also silence the chatter so that we can hear our inner guidance about what steps to take next.

From November 25th to December 15th, 2024, Mercury will be retrograde in the adventurous and philosophical sign of Sagittarius. This Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius invites you to embark on a journey of introspection and re-evaluation, particularly in relation to your belief systems and perspectives on the world.

Although Libra is often associated with relationships, there’s more to it than that. Libra is the sign of creating peace and harmony within ourselves. It’s about the ways that we try to find balance in our lives. During the time when Mercury Retrograde is in Libra (and during the post-shadow), we will be shown what is out of balance in our lives, so that we might attempt to bring it to rights.

Every Mercury Retrograde has a pre-shadow and post-shadow period. The pre-shadow begins about two weeks before the retrograde, and the post-shadow ends about two weeks after Mercury stations direct. I often get asked how to use these times. Are the shadow periods just “Mercury Retrograde lite”? No. I’ve come to realize that, like any other planetary cycle, they go more smoothly for us when we align with the energies at play.

When I share with you about the current astrology, my underlying intention is always the same: To offer you useful, practical strategies for aligning with the energies at play. I want to help you work with the flow rather than against it.