2026 astrological key dates: Mercury retrogrades
When Mercury — the planet of communication — stations retrograde, tech hiccups, travel delays, and other forms of logistical mishaps tend to pop up. To help you plan for these moments, we’ve compiled all of the key Mercury retrograde dates of 2026, including shadow periods, cazimis, and the days when the trickster planet stations retrograde or direct. Use it to find the best times to pause, prepare, reflect, review, and take a big sigh of relief.
PRIMARY TRANSITS, INGRESSES, AND RETROGRADES
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Mercury RX #1
- Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow on February 11th, 2026, at 2:13 pm PT (8°29 Pisces)
- Mercury stations retrograde on February 25th, 2026, at 10:48 pm PT (22°33 Pisces)
- Mercury is cazimi on March 7th, 2026, at 3:03 am PT (16°52 Pisces)
- Mercury stations direct on March 20th, 2026, at 12:32 pm PT (8°29 Pisces)
- Mercury leaves its post-retrograde shadow on April 9th, 2026, at 4:36 am PT (22°33 Pisces)
Mercury RX #2
- Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow on June 12th, 2026, at 5:54 pm PT (16°18 Cancer)
- Mercury stations retrograde on June 29th, 2026, at 10:35 am PT (26°15 Cancer)
- Mercury is cazimi on July 12th, 2026, at 6:31 pm PT (20°42 Cancer)
- Mercury stations direct on July 23rd, 2026, at 3:57 pm PT (16°18 Cancer)
- Mercury leaves its post-retrograde shadow on August 6th, 2026, at 8:31 pm PT (26°15 Cancer)
Mercury RX #3
- Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow on October 4th, 2026, at 2:12 am PT (5°02 Scorpio)
- Mercury stations retrograde on October 24th, 2026, at 12:12 am PT (20°58 Scorpio)
- Mercury is cazimi on November 4th, 2026, at 6:37 am PT (12°10 Scorpio)
- Mercury stations direct on November 13th, 2026, at 7:53 am PT (5°02 Scorpio)
- Mercury leaves its post-retrograde shadow on November 29th, 2026, at 10:14 pm PT (20°58 Scorpio)
Mercury RX #4
Mercury RX #5
Curious how these events will show up in your life?
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