The thing about retrogrades is that people love to complain about them.
They’re the cosmic scapegoat for every lost text, email, or conversation that goes sideways. And I get it – I used to blame them regularly, too, for unfinished projects or the clutter that {always} managed to pile up when I wasn’t looking. But the more I paid attention, the more I realized that retrogrades don’t actually cause chaos; They just reveal the chaos that was already there.
So, I don’t fight them anymore. Not because I enjoy them – they’re still frustrating, messy and full of delays and unanswered questions. I’ve just learned the hard way that resistance doesn’t stop the cycle from happening… It only makes it harder to move through.
It’s like trying to force the seasons to change before they’re ready. I can glare at the bare tree branches all I want, but that won’t make them bud any faster. I can throw seeds into cold soil, but they won’t grow just because I’m impatient. Some things need to go dormant before they can return. And as much as I want to push forward, make decisions and do all the things at once – I know that’s not what this time is for.
My awareness in feeling the retrogrades, before I check the astrology, has gotten much better, over time.
It starts as a shift in the air – subtle at first, but then I can’t get out of my head. Lingering feelings resurface. Familiar names pop up unexpectedly. I catch myself staring out the window, lost in a memory, wondering, Why am I thinking about this again?
That’s when I know.
And this March, the planets aren’t going to be subtle about it. Venus and Mercury will both be retrograding at the same time – The heart and mind, retracing their steps together?! Yikes.
Venus retrograde begins in Aries on March 1st.
Relationships, creativity, pleasure, self-worth – anything she touches – will come under review. It’ll be like unearthing a garden bed in Spring and realizing last season’s roots never fully broke down over the Winter. Things I thought I was done with, will resurface. Desires I ignored, will start tapping on the windows again.
And because Aries isn’t a delicate sign – he doesn’t care about patience or subtlety – all of the above will feel louder, bolder and harder for me to ignore. Aries energy is impulsive, raw and direct, while Venus much prefers harmony.
Venus will make this retrograde an emotional tug-of-war between what I want right now and what I actually need.
After months of Winter stillness, I still have to fight the natural instinct to emerge full force, to make up for my time resting. I get restless. I start projects I know I won’t finish because I just want things – new things, exciting things – even if I don’t fully understand why.
But not all new growth survives.
Some seeds start strong, only to wither and fade away into nourishment, and some don’t even make it through the last frost. I’m much better about minding my seeds than I used to be… Instead of chasing every impulse, I sit with them. Instead of forcing clarity, I let myself linger in the in-between until what I need comes to me, organically.
Mercury retrograde also begins in Aries on March 15th, before drifting back into Pisces on to April 7th… And that shift is very important.
Aries is all go-go-go, full of fire, impulse, and impatience. By contrast, Pisces is slow water. She’s intuition, ethereal and the deep undercurrents of things. Mercury retrograde will be a master class in knowing when to move and when to pause, when to speak and when to listen…
When to push forward and when to sit with things a little longer.
I see these challenges in the land, too. Early Spring can be a deceptive little thing – how she teases us with that first warm day, the itch to get outside and feel the tingling of the Sun on my skin. The need to get outdoors and do something, after months of cold and stillness, becomes insatiable.
But Winter doesn’t let go all at once. He gives us late frosts, unexpected freezes and days where the wind shifts, and without warning, it feels like January again. This retrograde is going to feel a lot like that – the last cold snap before real Spring.
So, I won’t be rushing into anything new, right now.
Instead, I’ll be planning my garden renovation. I’ll go through old notes for tidbits of missed wisdom, finish paintings I started and never got around to completing… I’ll also be taking stock of where I’ve been moving too fast and avoiding movement entirely.
Mercury retrograde is good for that – not forcing stillness, but inviting it. Instead of misfortune, these celestial events will give me a moment to pause, and take a deep breath before moving forward again.
Soon, Venus will ask me to reassess what I truly value – not just in relationships, but in all things I covet – and Mercury will remind me to rewrite, refine and return to unfinished ideas, artwork and unspoken words.
I can only trust that what’s meant to take root will, in its own time.