The second Mercury retrograde phase of 2024 lasts from August 5 to 28, moving from 4° Virgo to 21° Leo.
Mercury retrograde causes problems with thinking and communication, which can negatively impact relationships and even travel. Mercury retrograde in August 2024 aligns with Venus, the planet of love, peace and money.
While Venus may have a harmonizing influence on communications, Mercury retrograde could complicate relationships, delay peace negotiations and cause financial stress. Venus is also influenced by a fixed star that favors war over peace.
Mercury Retrograde Meaning
From Earth, Mercury appears to move backward in the sky (retrograde motion) three or four times a year for about 24 days. Mercury in retrograde is generally problematic, affecting your thinking and communication. However, there are also positives, such as recalling fond memories or unexpectedly meeting up with people from your past.
However, the most common effects include confusion, anxiety, disagreement, technology breakdowns, lousy news, travel delays and lost items. Business negotiations may be in a state of flux. Some crucial details may not yet be available, and others may be unreliable or dishonest. For more information, see Mercury Retrograde Natal and Transit.
Shadow Phases
The retrograde phase is just one part of the retrograde cycle. Mercury travels direct, retrograde, and direct again over the same degrees, or “the retrograde zone.” The riskiest times for decision-making, negotiations, communication, and transport are the few days on either side of the exact retrograde and direct stations.
| 1st shadow phase | July 16 to August 5 | 21° Leo to 4° Virgo |
| Retrograde phase | August 5 to 28 | 4° Virgo to 21° Leo |
| 2nd shadow phase | August 28 to September 11 | 21° Leo to 4° Virgo |
Mercury Retrograde August 2024
Mercury stations retrograde on August 5, 2024, at 04°06′ Virgo. The only aspect to Mercury is the conjunction to Venus.
Mercury Retrograde August 2024
Mercury conjunct Venus encourages personal interaction, making communications more harmonious and pleasant. It helps you share your love and affection, which is ideal for socializing, making friends and dating. It usually brings people together and encourages cooperation by giving diplomatic and negotiating skills to resolve conflicts, find peaceful settlements to disputes, and break down barriers to progress.
However, Mercury’s retrograde influence may cause tension in relationships as differences in ideas or plans become more apparent. Carelessness with words and a tendency to be opinionated could lead to disagreements or conflict. Financial stress is also possible.
Mercury Retrograde August 2024 Constellation
Mercury stations retrograde is in the Sign of Virgo, but as the star map below shows, it is located in Constellation Leo. The Signs and the Constellations do not match up. Over the last 2000 years, the Constellations have moved nearly 30° out of alignment with the Signs because of the precession of the equinoxes.
The Zodiac was invented only as a measuring device. The degrees on the ecliptic line in the image below equate to those in the Mercury retrograde horoscope. I use the Fixed Star and Constellation like the ancient astrologers, not the Signs and Houses of modern astrology.
Mercury Retrograde August 2024
Mercury in Leo Constellation gives optimism, persistence, ambition, determination, self-confidence, organizing ability, a tendency to ‘lead and direct,’ high ideals, and a strong, positive and persevering intellect. It can make you impressionable, strong-minded, appreciative, witty, entertaining and dramatically eloquent but sometimes blunt and outspoken.
However, with Mercury retrograde, it can give a tendency to brag and make you too abrupt, rude, crude, prejudiced, demanding, tactless, officious, arrogant, fickle, blunt in speech, overbearing in attitude, of a low sensual nature and inconstant in affections. [1]
Mercury retrograde does not align with any major fixed stars, but it is affected by Venus conjunct fixed star Regulus at 00°09′ Virgo.
Regulus gives violence, destructiveness, military honor of short duration, with ultimate failure, imprisonment, violent death, success, high and lofty ideals and strength of spirit, and makes its natives magnanimous, grandly liberal, generous, ambitious, fond of power, desirous of command, high-spirited and independent.
With Venus: Many disappointments, unexpected happenings, violent attachments and trouble through love affairs. [2]
Summary
- Mercury entered the retrograde zone on July 16, 2024, at 21°24′ Leo.
- Mercury stations retrograde on August 5, 2024, at 04°06′ Virgo.
- Mercury stations direct on August 28, 2024, at 21°24′ Leo [see chart].
- Mercury leaves the retrograde zone on September 11, 2024, at 04°06′ Virgo.
- See Mercury Transits for more detail on how Mercury retrograde April 2024 affects your birth chart.
Mercury Retrograde August 2024 Times
- Los Angeles – August 4, 9:56 pm
- New York – August 5, 0:56 am
- London – August 5, 5:56 am
- Delhi – August 5, 10:26 am
- Sydney – August 5, 2:56 pm
Mercury Retrograde 2024 Dates
- April 1 to 25, 2024 – 27° to 15° Aries
- August 5 to 28, 2024 – 4° Virgo to 21° Leo
- November 25 to December 15, 2024 – 22° to 6° Sagittarius
References
- The Power of the Fixed Stars, Joseph E. Rigor, 1979, p.327.
- Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, Vivian E. Robson, 1923, p.195-196.
Surprising that you didn’t mention the Yod between Venus-Neptune-Pluto, Jamie. That seems significant.
With Neptune and Pluto at the base and Venus as the finger, it appears that God is performing some divine transformation of Love!
Hi Des. It is very significant but I tried keeping things simple and directly about Mercury retrograde. There will be many of these yods with Neptune sextile Pluto in affect for years to come.
Oh yodda yodda. My achin IC. I’d write a country western song, but that just ain’t my beat. Strive strive strive forward.
Hi vic there is no going back for human being since loss of “paradise” anymore. Thats true meaning of pro-gression. The step into seperation from us and nature. You can acknowledge the past and your ancestors but thre is no way back. Thats the spell of being human. Loss of unity and therefore the permanent need for going more and more away from nature, from the source. So man builds up and lives more and more inside his own world. But that doesn’t get easier the more he proceeds…in fact the work and the problems gets more and more…
I suffer when I am not connected to nature. I live in nature but right now I got the major interruptus with the thing going on.
Since I am energy sensitive am doing double time to understand the magnetic field so I can cope.
Warning: do not let roofers onto your home when mercury is retrograde in cancer of all places. Water water everywhere. A chance I should not have taken. But was not retro when outbuildings were done so they are really just a lousy company. I did not dig into it like I should have before hiring them. A roof was a roof way back then. No knowlege at all. Expensive mistake. And I am no longer nice about it.
Thank you Jamie!
Thank you for the post Jamie.
I have been contemplating how this might work with this Mercury SR on my natal Uranus 5’01” Virgo going back over Natal mars 24’09’ Leo both in 6th house. I have had quite significant health issues since 2017 and with 3 ‘malefics’ natally in the 6 house, 2 in Virgo. it’s been quite a trip.
I’m in the middle of trying to take a prison down for violating inmates protected rights. I’ve sent like 20 emails. I’ve been enveloped since the beginning of July. I’m also having horrible anxiety; struggling to take a deep breath. My husband is in Okinawa, as he is an active duty Marine. My dad gets out of jail next week. I’m sure there’s more. Lol
Why travel delays on Mercury, even if it is retrograde? I thought travel delays caused by Saturn.
I have a sister who was always travelling during mercury retrograde for some reason. This went on for years. Only once did she have a snafu when her luggage took awhile to catch up with her.
On the other hand, I worked with a woman who had all these outrageous disruptions when travelling she would talk about. Great stories though. I told her either you or your husband must have natal mercury retrograde. Sure enough, it was her husband.
Deal and Merger/Annulment announcement, https://postimg.cc/2L6VXnX5
Two political parties in British Columbia working out a new arrangement between Mercury Rx and Stationary Mercury direct.
Noteworthy learning triangle at Deal time, Moon,Venus,Uranus
The Deal is made “in the late evening”, and I use a time of 9:59pm, which is not particularly late, but it follows a rule of a BC politician who told me once he prefers not to talk politics after 10pm. This was a long time ago, 27 years. We were on a ferry between Vancouver and Nanaimo, and it was getting late. A bunch of us were on an official visit to Nanaimo to check out the Performance art venues.
Just remember, Mercury Rx politics is in play here, the story of ‘software updates’ comes to mind.
The Deal and announcement, two British Columbia political parties merge and one dissolves, 27/28 August, not altogether a Mercury retrograde affair. Uranus moves retrograde September 1, and find Neptune on the descendant, pst
https://postimg.cc/WDgWPD5w
A well known aspect at Astrologyking most recently chronicled May 2024 full moon Sagittarius
https://astrologyking.com/full-moon-may-2024/
“When Neptune on the descendant, ie. opposite ascendant, partners dissolve into one another. “
…or into the void…
Well well well, mercury back to its retro degree. My head is so clear all of a sudden. The path rolls out before me. Where was I? I should not try to force myself to do during merc retrograde. Does no good. No good at all. Just frustrating. And I beat myself up.