Why This Mercury Retrograde Is One to Watch out For

On October 23, the Sun leaves light and airy Libra and dives into Scorpio, changing your atmosphere dramatically in the process. You’re leaving the romantic, social vibes of Libra season and the mood takes on a more quiet, introverted, and mysterious quality. The superficial chatter of the last month is out, and you’re not feeling so much like a people-person anymore. Scorpio energy doesn’t eagerly connect with others, and it doesn’t make you want to talk just for the sake of talking—Scorpio energy is more intense and serious, and you’re only interested in connecting with people on a deep, intimate level. For the next month, the water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are thriving with this change in the astro-weather, while the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, and Aquarius are having more trouble staying afloat. 

Even if your only knowledge about astrology comes from your Co—star app or memes, everyone knows that Scorpios get a bad rep and get labeled as manipulative, crazy, or worse—which might be true if you know a particularly shitty Scorpio—but that isn’t always the truth. Scorpio is the sign of sex, death, and transformation, so they’re naturally very intuitive, interested in “taboo” topics, are psychological masterminds, and they’re very mysterious and intense. They can come a little scary to some, but even though pop-astrology likes to label them as the zodiac’s psychomaniacs, they’re not bad! Scorpios have unmatched passion, they’re great at keeping secrets (if they like you), and they’re that “one friend” that will go to the moon and back for someone they care about. For the next month, you’re exuding these vibes and getting closer to your loved ones, creating more intimate bonds, and (probably) having way better sex while you’re at it.

Venus, planet of love, is already in Scorpio, and so is Mercury, planet of communication, so you’re already feeling these ~deep~ and ~mysterious~ vibes, and they’re only getting more and more prominent now. There are a few things to watch out for, though. Scorpio is an incredibly perceptive, cunning sign, and they’re very in touch with their habits, urges, and subconscious mind, which is why they’re such psychological and investigative signs. They want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth from others, but at the same time, they’re afraid of their own secrets getting spilled, so they tend to put up walls they refuse to let down for anyone unless they’re 200% sure nothing shady is going on. When you finally get a Scorpio’s trust, you have a friend for life, but getting through to them takes work. When it comes to your already established relationships, this time of year can be great, but when it comes to opening up to new people, it ain’t easy to trust them. You’re hyper-aware of everything going on around you, you’re able to immediately feel out the vibe in the room, and your intuition is stronger than ever—but it’s easy to overthink things, get paranoid, or obsess over what someone said/did to you trying to find the “deeper meaning” behind it. “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar” are great words to live by this month, because not everything has a deeper meaning.

One other thing: Mercury goes retrograde this month, on Halloween, and it’s backtracking through Scorpio until November 20—almost the entirety of Scorpio season. This means that gossip and rumors are more common than ever, you’re probs seeing an ex or two wandering back into your life, and with all this psychological Scorpio energy in the stars, you can expect to start overthinking the fuck out of all of the retrograde drama. Save yourself from stressing over a (probably) insignificant action, and try to be as open and honest with people as you expect them to be with you—and don’t give in to shit talking and spreading rumors, which is super common during Mercury retrograde. That way you can avoid tons of unnecessary anxiety this Scorpio season.

Despite the retrograde madness, there are a few things to look forward to this Scorpio season. On November 1, Venus enters jovial Sagittarius, helping you feel more extroverted and making it easier to connect with new people, and on November 12, fiery Mars and Jupiter, planet of abundance, connect, helping you feel lucky, energetic, and motivated enough to get sh*t done and push through any challenges that come your way. Scorpio rules transformation, and by the end of Scorpio season, you’ll notice that your relationships, friendships, and your sense of self-awareness have changed dramatically. With Scorpio season, there’s never an “average” or “boring” day—every moment is an experience, and it’s up to you to make sure they’re all good ones! 

Best Days:

November 1: Venus enters Sagittarius! This is the start of a three-week period where your relationships are thriving. You’re making new connections, learning from all of them, and trying new things (and people) in the bedroom.
November 12: Mars in Libra and Jupiter in Sagittarius team up, bringing good luck and positive vibes to your relationships.

Worst Days:

October 27: Your ruling planet, Mars, squares off with Saturn, planet of blockages. This brings trouble at work, and the stress can trickle into your relationships. Try to keep your hot-headed attitude in check.

November 19: Mars enters Scorpio. Mars is your sign’s fav planet, and it rules Scorpio as well, but it’s not the best transit for you. This mostly brings financial struggles and intimacy/performance issues for you, and lasts six weeks.

Best Days

October 25: Venus and Pluto, planet of transformation, connect. This brings an intense level of passion to your relationships. Sex is great, and you’re able to emotionally connect on a deep, deep level with others today.

November 8: The Sun forms an easygoing, harmonious angle with Neptune, planet of dreams. This is an especially emotional day, but there’s a feeling of compassion and love in the air, so it’s great for being around your S.O. or your besties.

Worst Days

October 28: The Sun is opposite Uranus, planet of disruption, bringing all sorts of craziness to your relationships. This could be fights and arguments, major breakups, or intense new connections. Uranus rules over surprises, so there’s not much you can do to get ready—just try to remain flexible (which is hard for you) and level-headed.

November 14: Venus forms a harsh aspect with misty Neptune, which can signify lies, deception, and manipulation from others. This connection carries a very brain-foggy, disorienting  vibe, and you’re more prone to idealizing others and projecting an idea of who they are onto them instead of actually paying attention to what they’re doing or saying.

Best Days

November 1: Venus enters Sagittarius, which is your opposite sign. This activates your chart’s relationships zone, and you’re attracting a variety of new friends, new lovers, and exciting new experiences. Oh, and it also makes work way less of a drag.

November 12: Mars, in your chart’s love/sex zone, and Jupiter, in your chart’s relationships zone, team up to bring you a kickass day of fun! Hang out with your crush, your friends, your boo, anyone that makes you feel nice, and today promises to be the best day of your entire month.

Worst Days

November 5: Mars and Pluto, planet of transformation, square off, bringing a-fucking-lot of drama into your love life. This could turn something minor—like your boo not being in the mood—into a huge argument, and promises to pull up any underlying tension/secrets that aren’t being shared between you. Do yourself a favor, and don’t run your mouth. Think before you speak, Gemini, and you’ll float on alright after this transit.

November 19: Mars enters Scorpio, where it remains for six weeks. If you’re feeling ill, see a doctor. If you’re not taking good care of yourself, being healthy, etc. then Mars in Scorpio brings out symptoms related to what you’re doing wrong. Inflammation, headaches, and indigestion are common now, so eat a vegetable or two and take better care of yourself to get through this.

Best Days

October 25: Venus and Pluto, planet of intensity and transformation, have a supportive, productive connection. All of Scorpio season’s energy is activating your chart’s love/sex zone, and Pluto is chilling in your chart’s relationships zone, so this is the day where you have a ballin’ hookup, a profound connection with your partner, or can turn your crush into your boo.

November 19: Mars begins its six-week-long stay in Scorpio, amping up your libido, making you feel more confident, and helping you get out of your shell more.

Worst Days

October 27: Mars and Saturn square off, bringing trouble to your home life and work life. This could be your boss denying you of a raise/promotion you know you deserve, arguments with the fam/roommates, or appliances at home breaking down. Take a deep breath and don’t stress too hard—it only lasts for a couple of days.

October 28: The Sun and Uranus, planet of disruption, get into a tiff. This can indicate a bad falling-out with a friend, or an ex-flame starting drama in your life. Uranus is also the planet of surprises, however, so the opposite could happen—maybe you’ll meet someone that you instantly want to make your best friend, for example. 

Best Days

November 1: Venus enters like-minded fire sign, Sagittarius, bringing aaaalllll the good vibes to your love/sex life for almost four weeks!

November 12: Mars and lucky Jupiter connect and bring exciting new connections of the romantic variety. A great day to slide into your crush’s DMs, or surprise your boo with a gift, and have some kickass sex afterwards.

Worst Days

November 5: Mars and Pluto, planet of transformation, bump heads. This can bring bad news your way related to work or health, so try to stay on your best behavior on the job and make sure you’re taking your daily vitamins this month to make this tough transit as easy as possible.

November 19: Mars dips into Scorpio, bringing a ton of kinetic energy into your home. This can be productive, and great for remodeling, cleaning house, getting organized, or moving house if you happen to be relocating this month, but it can also indicate fights with your family, drama with roommates, or issues with electronics and structural problems at home.

Best Days

October 25: Venus and Pluto link up and bring new connections that can potentially transform your love life. This is an intense day where you can feel like you’re falling in love at first sight with someone new, or you experience something incredible with your partner that reinforces your connection, making your relationship stronger.

November 8: The Sun harmonizes with dreamy Neptune. You don’t like to get overly emotional, but you’re 200% in your feelings today. Luckily, the Sun is sharing a positive exchange of energy with Neptune, so you’re connecting deeply with others and feeling an amazing sense of compassion between you and your friend/lover.

Worst Days

November 5: This might be a big breakup or falling out. Mars and Pluto square off and there may be a heated argument between you and someone else that reveals that you and them just are not on the same page about something important. As much as you need to always be right, make sure you don’t shove your opinion down anyone’s throat and hear them out. Try to compromise and meet in the middle and keep your relationship in one piece.

November 14: Venus and Neptune have a rough moment together. This is another mega-emotional day, but not as light and airy as November 8. Lies and vicious rumors or hidden secrets might come out today, so if you’re hiding something from your partner, try and open up about it before shit hits the fan today.

Best Days

November 1: Venus enters Sagittarius, which means for a few weeks you’re feeling like the most popular person around. Your birthday season may be over now, but you’re still the life of the party everywhere you go, and you’re making new friends every day.

November 12: Mars in your sign and lucky Jupiter team up to bring important news and exciting new connections to your life. If you have to send an important message or proposal to someone, today’s the day to do it.

Worst Days

October 28: Your bank account is struggling today, thanks to Uranus, planet of surprises, butting heads with the Sun, in your chart’s finance zone. Don’t make any huge purchases, because you’ll regret it when an unexpected late fee shows up next time you pay your bills.

November 5: Mars and Pluto, planet of transformation, square off. This is a rough day, where a big fight might break out between you and your roomies or your family. You’re usually all about compromising, but Mars in your sign is making you a little more aggressive than usual. Don’t get too heated, make sure you’re listening just as much as you’re talking, and try to meet in the middle.

Best Days

October 30: HBD, Scorpio! Today, Mercury and lovely Venus connect in your sign. Mercury hasn’t turned retrograde quite yet, but it’s close enough to its retrograde that the effects are being felt pretty strongly already. That being said, this is actually a pretty great day where old connections can re-enter your life, and you can have a nice time together. Maybe that one friend from school that you haven’t seen in years runs into you and you decide to spend the day together, or one of your frienemies from forever ago reach out to make things right—the point is, it’s a good time to have a good time.

November 19: Mars, your fav planet, enters your sign! It stays here for six weeks, bringing you extra confidence and a more assertive, motivated temperament. You’re more ready than ever to get shit done now, and life feels a little more lively again. 

Worst Day

October 28: Uranus, planet of disruption and revolution, butts heads with the Sun, AKA you’re having a rough time in your relationships—platonic, professional, romantic, all of ‘em. This is a day where there can be some sort of conflict or fight going on that seriously shakes up your relationship. You’re stubborn as they come, but if you choose to be flexible and insist on finding a middle ground, you’ll be aight.

November 14: Venus and hazy Neptune have a harsh moment together, making it easy for you to get manipulated or deceived by someone else. If you hear a rumor, insist on getting the receipts before believing it. If someone asks you for money, don’t give it out unless you never want to see your cash again. Luckily, this transit only lasts for the day. 

Best Days

November 1: Venus enters your sign, making Scorpio season (which is usually a shit show for your sign) waaaay more tolerable. You’re looking and feeling better than ever, and attracting aaallll the hotties—including your ex, since Mercury is retrograde now. Hookups are more frequent and more fun for the next few weeks.

November 12: Mars in Libra forms a supportive connection with your fav planet, Jupiter, and the mood is high-energy and super social. Plan some kind of event or get together with your whole squad for a smoke sesh and enjoy the vibes.

Worst Days

October 27: Assertive Mars and Saturn, planet of restriction, square off. The parts of your chart being effected are the zones of social circles and your values/self-worth, respectively, so if you hear someone talking shit and making it personal, try to shrug it off. Rumors and gossip around you could be going around, and you finally catch wind of it today. Not fun.

November 19: Mars enters Scorpio, where it stays for six weeks. This can bring trouble with shit-talkers and frienemies stirring up drama, because Mars is now in your chart’s zone of hidden enemies. 

Best Days

October 25: Venus and Pluto, planet of transformation, form a positive aspect. Today’s the day to go out of your way for your crush, a friend, or your partner, because even though they’re not speaking up about it, they’re having a bad time and you have the power to turn it all around, impress them, and change your relationship for the better.

November 8: Saturn, planet of structure, and dreamy Neptune share a supportive connection. This connection has been building up all year long, and represents long-term dreams and your vision of the future coming to life through hard work. All of the progress you’ve made this year reach a culminating point around this time and you’re rewarded for your hard work. The effects of this are directly impacting you for the rest of the year, too!

Worst Days

November 1: Venus enters Sagittarius for the next few weeks. Venus rules love, pleasure, and beauty, but is now in your chart’s zone of isolation. This is the time to break cycles and bring an end to unhealthy patterns in any of your relationships, spend a lot of time alone, and decide how to deal with toxic relationships—probably by cutting them off.

November 14: Venus in Sagittarius and misty Neptune square off. This is a day where lies and vicious rumors about you come to light, and probably because someone you’re close to lets it slip out. Not fun. This is a major day where you learn who your real friends are, and which members of your squad don’t actually have your best interests at heart.

Best Days

October 25: Venus and Pluto team up, but the effects aren’t super noticeable. There’s some type of behind-the-scenes action going on in your professional life, and your boss is planning something big for you. You might catch wind of a potential promotion or raise today.

November 1: Venus starts to live it up in Sagittarius for the next few weeks! Your life’s been fairly work-focused lately, but now your social life is coming back to life. Finally!

Worst Days

October 28: The Sun and Uranus, planet of disruption, oppose each other in the sky, bringing some craaaazy news your way regarding your home/family and your career. This could be a great or awful day, and the most important thing is to try and remain flexible. Things are crazy now, but after everything is shaken up you’re given the opportunity to rebuild yourself in a more structured way.

November 19: Mars enters Scorpio, where it stays for the next six weeks. This turns up the heat at work, and all eyes are on you. You’re being given more responsibilities, but at the same time you’re feeling energized to get shit done! Use this energy to impress your boss, and knock out everything on your to-do list, but you’re feeling impatient, and pretty assertive (maybe even aggressive) which could turn off your coworkers and cause drama if you’re not careful.

Best Days

November 1: Venus enters Sagittarius, where it remains for a few weeks. This makes life on the job pretty effing nice, because everyone at the office is more congenial with you, your boss is complimenting you, and you’re way less stressed out about your job. Also—a potential raise might be the result of this transit.

November 19: Mars enters fellow water sign, Scorpio, for six weeks. You might be given the chance to travel, take a class, or both, and every day is an opportunity to grow. Use this time to broaden your horizons, learn as much as possible, and expand yourself.

Worst Days

October 27: Mars and strict Saturn square off, and turn up the heat in your most intimate relationships—but not in a sexy way. You and your partner aren’t on the same page, as far as the future of your relationship goes. Financial issues may play a big role in the drama that comes up today as well. 

November 14: Venus and dreamy Neptune form a tough aspect, making life at work pretty difficult today. You’re feeling brain-foggy, fucking up at your job, and feeling a general sense of confusion, like you’re lost. If you receive any work-related messages, good or bad, don’t believe it at face value, because it’s likely to be fake news.