Retrogrades in 2026: Round One with Mercury

Merry Meet and Welcome to you magickal souls!!!!

It's time for the first retrograde of 2026 and, of course, it would be Mercury that kicks things off. This retrograde will last from 26th February until 20th March, so we'll be able to start the new astrological year without the main retrograde influence.

A lot of people have some trepidation when Mercury goes retrograde and will go on to blame everything that goes wrong on Mercury being retrograde. This is likely due to people not understanding that Mercury influences particular areas of life, namely communication and travel, so not everything can be blamed on Mercury.

Mercury is associated with communication and travel because of the connection with the Roman god of the same name. He is also associated with Hermes, who is the Greek "counterpart". Both of these gods were connected with communication as they were the messengers of the other gods, and would ferry messages (and souls) between Olympus or the Capitoline Hill and everyone else, including the Underworld.

Because of this, Mercury embodied boundaries, luck and eloquence. Words are a part of communication, whether spoken or written (even different forms of writing like artwork are included here). This mirrors His connection to boundaries as they include the physical, spiritual, transitional and conceptual.

Mercury was in control of the flow of information, hence the communication connection. Using the right words to communicate is an absolute necessity when mercury goes into retrograde.

So while I said before that Mercury is mainly associated with a few areas of life, He is connected to every other aspect of life. Everything Mercury is associated with is interconnected with everything else. I think this is where Mercury gets wrongly blamed for causing issues with every part of life.

This first Mercury retrograde occurs in the sign of Pisces so our emotions will be tied into this time in a big way. It could be that we need to be careful about how we express our emotions, or the way we express them. Or it could be making sure that we leave enough space and time for others to talk about their emotions, to listen as much as we talk because listening is as important when communicating as actually talking.

As deep as that sounds, it is an opportunity for us to go deep within and go on an emotional journey of self-discovery. We can think about why we react the way we do to the emotions of others, to how others try to communicate with us, how we communicate with them, what we communicate and when. It's almost as if the planets, specifically Mercury, are giving us the chance to do our own version of therapy but without a licensed therapist.

It can be a deep and challenging time but the main challenges are likely to be whether we are open and honest with our own selves. If we are in denial then we will struggle more with the areas we could grow in compared to if we are honest and finding it easier. (It's a bit like gardening because if we don't remove or deal with the weeds/issues then what we want to grow will struggle to bloom.)

This all sounds really deep so here's a collective reading for hhow we can navigate the next few weeks. I used the Wisdom of Avalon Oracle deck by Colette Baron-Reid.

What challenge do we most need to highlight about our emotions?

The Grail Knight

This card has the keywords of romance, illusion and seeking out the sacred. Just based on these, it seems as if tis card is saying that we face a challenge seeing past the illusions we have placed on our emotions.

Perhaps we have deluded ourselves into thinking that we don't feel a particular way about a situation, just one person or a group of specific people.

We may know that we need to talk things through but it's not always as easy as that. There's nothing wrong with knowing this but it is important that we do something about it at some point before emotions turn toxic.

How can we heal from this emotional challenge?

Forgiveness

This card may seem like it's the simplest answer in the world and to some, it is. But at the same time, it's not the easiest thing to achieve.

We may be told to forgive others to be the bigger person, to let things go and move forward but these aren't why forgiveness is how we can heal. The real reason is that it sets us free from the burden of this challenge because holding on to resentment and anger keep us connected to the original situation.

There's also the notion that maybe the person we need to forgive is ourselves because we've placed unrealistic emotional goals on our own selves.

In what way can we make space for others' emotions?

The Mystery

With this card, we are being told that it is a mystery how we can make space for the emotions of others.

That's because each individual will need space in a different way to everyone else. There is no "one size fits all" space/method of holding space.

Getting to know those around us will inform us as to how we can hold space for them. For some people, it will be easy for us to find out what best serves others, while other people will need to know that they can trust us before they open up and show us how to support them.

This is rarely a straightforward endeavour but it has its own rewards.

How can we improve our emotional communication?

Perception

This card is saying that perhaps we need to consider how we come across to others, and the effect our actions can have on them.

This isn't something that is meant to say a particular phrase or set of words is wrong but to be as effective and coherent as possible.

Understanding how we can affect others is but one step on the road to improving our emotional communication because sometimes it will be easier to write words down, to say them out loud, or even to draw particular images to show our emotions. Each one will have a different impact.

For me personally, these cards make a lot of sense and I can definitely apply them to my own issues that need healing. While this may not be the case, I ask that you be open to the messages of these cards as they may apply in different ways.

I hope this has been informative and prepares you for the next few weeks. If you'd like your own personal and private look at how Mercury being retrograde in Pisces could impact you, my diary and inbox are open.

Peace and love to all!!!!