It’s time to fight for your truth and broadcast your most passionate messages — again. After a few weeks of conversations going sideways in Pisces, Mercury re-enters Aries, where it’s easier to get straight to the point. While the planet of communication travels through the sign of the ram from April 15th to May 10th, you may find yourself returning to the scene of long-simmering debates, charged exchanges, and bold revelations that require further unpacking — or damage control.

As Mercury retreads familiar ground from its retrograde journey, heated discussions from weeks past could come back around, so prepare to pick up where you left off. Apply everything you’ve learned about finessing the tone of your transmissions and listening as actively as you’re yapping. Above all, remember that you don’t have to “win” every argument. When the cosmic messenger lodges in this competitive fire sign, misinformation and rage-baiting can run amok, and it can be tempting to puncture holes in someone’s reasoning before you’ve had a chance to absorb the whole story. Avoid these traps and save your mental energy for the causes where your courage can make a difference.

Instead of rushing to spark an inflammatory war of words, practice giving your thoughts time to cool off. Gather information at your own leisure, pause to reflect, and then boldly articulate your conclusions. Finally, rejoice in the clarity that’s come back online now that Mercury is moving direct. Even if you still feel tempted to blurt out your hottest takes and spiciest opinions, at least you’ll have less trouble reaching a consensus — or agreeing to disagree.

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Mercury retrograde revisits familiar waters in Pisces from March 29th to April 15th, giving us another opportunity to engage with our intuition — and shore up our channels of communication. Though Mercury in Pisces excels at expressing itself through more mysterious mediums like poems, tarot spreads, and film montages, it can be fast and loose with concrete details and precise definitions. The messenger planet is in detriment in this mutable sign, meaning it can struggle to get its point across in a cut-and-dried fashion. With Mercury in this placement, we may be extra receptive to subtle signals from the cosmos, but translating that info may be less straightforward.

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Keep dreaming deep, and remember to come up for air

Mercury in Pisces is known to get so immersed in dreams, impressions, and speculations that they feel objectively real. And when the planet of communication is retrograde in this water sign, its slippery grasp on meaning is even likelier to go awry. (Think: asking your crystal pendulum to solve a math equation.) But the good news? Mercury retrograde periods give us a chance to clean up our messes. The snafus and hijinks of this time can pinpoint where our fleeting whims have misled us and where we need to be more logical. It’s worth interrogating moments when you’ve acted on a gut feeling or a vague hunch without posing follow-up questions to clarify what’s going on. Fact-checking your fantasies is always a good practice, but especially during this transit. Noticing when your mind tends to get carried away can help you identify any life experiences that you may be subconsciously avoiding.

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Smoother sailing ahead

Over the coming weeks, especially after Mercury stations direct on April 7th, explore the systems of organization that will free up even more time for your mind to access its mystical genius. Whether you scrawl a to-do list on the draft of your latest sonnet or choose an ethereal pop song for your phone’s reminder alarms, foolproofing your mundane tasks can be liberating. You’ll thank yourself later when your watertight schedule opens up even more space to roam fantastical realms or write odes to the angel numbers displayed on your microwave.

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If you’ve been pining to drop that mic or get something off your chest, your moment has arrived. While Mercury travels through Aries from March 3rd to March 29th, our ideas zing and our hot takes crackle, blazing through polite facades to get to the heart of the matter. With the messenger planet in this intrepid fire sign, we’re less likely to mince our words and finesse our tone; instead, we may be more inclined to blurt it all out and deal with the consequences later. Still, a temperature check is always wise before you offer a spicy truth or send a feisty text message.

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Mercury retrograde: Timing is everything

When Mercury stations retrograde in Aries on March 14th, even playful fighting words can spiral into misunderstandings. Remember: If there’s something incendiary you’re burning to express, an unsent letter or a scream into a pillow can work wonders. 

Though this kind of frankness can be thrilling, there’s an important reason to temper the flames of our boldest thoughts during this transit. This retrograde period partially coincides with eclipse season — and on March 29th, the solar eclipse in Aries occurs just before Mercury re-enters Pisces. It pays to be extra circumspect in your exchanges around this date, when it’s all too easy for wires to get crossed and feelings to get hurt.

Eclipses can be activating, and with the planet of communication backtracking at the same time, err on the side of reflection rather than reaction. Pour your heart out in your journal pages. Interrogate the inner critics, unhelpful stories, and negative self-talk patterns that are due for a reset. And if you find yourself in a conversational horn-lock, give yourself permission to exit the chat and protect your nerves.

There’s no such thing as too many pep talks when either a Mercury retrograde or an eclipse season is dishing out plot twists. Thankfully, Mercury in Aries loves a hyped-up morale-boosting session. Think: inspiring coach with a boisterous, rebellious streak. Over the coming weeks, no matter how the cosmos rolls the dice, trust that you’ve got the ace of a can-do attitude up your sleeve.

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