Mercury Retrograde & a Feisty New Moon
This Week’s Astrology Nov. 25 - Dec. 1
Before we get to the meat of this week, here’s the actual astrology:
Nov. 25 – Mercury stations Retrograde in Sagittarius, 22°
Nov. 26 – Sun in Sagittarius trine Mars in Leo, 5°
Nov. 30 – New Moon in Sagittarius, 9°
Yep, it’s here. Mercury Retrograde. This week’s astrology kicks off with a loud, in-your-face backpedal for the Messenger / Megaphone planet in fiery Sagittarius. The good news? Well, there’s actually quite a bit of good news this week (believe it or not). The first bit of good news is that we have an expansive, forward-thinking new moon in Sagittarius. (YAY!) The second? Well, it actually has to do with Mercury Retrograde on Nov. 25.
But before we get into that, I want to talk about 2025 real quick, because I don’t know if YOU know this, but 2025 is just around the corner, and there are some MAJOR astrological changes happening.
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If you’ve been wondering why your career / business / relationships are at a standstill, it’s because both Mercury & Mars have been in their pre-retrograde shadow phases. Which has essentially forced everything down to a crawl. Now, Mercury is finally retrograde. Contrary to what many astrologers are undoubtedly saying about this astrology: I’m not pre-hating or pre-fearing this Mercury Retrograde. Yes, this retrograde gets a lot of flack for being messy, for causing miscommunications and mix-ups, but I feel like this retrograde will be slightly less of a chaotic mess. (At least, initially.) Why? Well, because of Jupiter. Let me explore this real quick.
Mercury, the planet of quick thinking, facts, figures, and details struggles to function in Sagittarius’ big-picture, broad-minded energy. Mercury in Sagittarius can’t focus on the smaller scale facts, figures, numbers, and data as much as it would like; instead, it’s looking at things more expansively and extensively. So, keeping track of the numbers is already a struggle for this planet / sign combo. Jupiter, on the other hand, is ALL about the big picture: growth, expansion, the accumulation of knowledge, etc. Whereas Gemini (you guessed it) is more curious about bite-sized information, superficially gleaning the surface of topics, ideas, and even conversations.
Even so, the two planets are still in each other’s signs (also known as mutual reception). They see each other, they can (kind of) speak one another’s language; this helps ease some of the retrograde chaos. What also lessens the blow of Mercury Rx is the fact that Jupiter is the planet of optimism. With optimistic Jupiter in mutual reception to Mercury Rx, we get an increase in positive thinking, an uptick in confidence, and some much-needed hype.
Now, the issue this could create during the retrograde is overconfidence or excess optimism that makes you not look at a) the reality of things, and b) the facts, figures, and information you desperately need to triple check. (I’m aware that I might be leaning into excessive optimism by not fear mongering Mercury Retrograde; I’m also aware that this entire forecast is typifying the energy of Mercury in Sagittarius, as it involves a lot of words and rambling that haven’t really gotten to a point. Anyway!)
The Sun-Mars trine on Nov. 26 is absolutely wonderful (IMO—but that’s because it affects me personally. Lol.) Seriously, this is the penultimate transit for conjuring excitement, getting loud & proud about your goals/accomplishments, and for summoning some much-needed faith in yourself. Fire signs like to drum up enthusiasm and drama about…well, anything, so you want to choose your battle (aka: promo) wisely. Avoid the soapbox and the bombastic storytelling; instead, rally yourself and others into taking a bold step towards a goal, project, or plan you’ve been unafraid to chase. Courage and confidence are on your side.
They also remain there for most of the week as we skyrocket towards the Sagittarius new moon on Nov. 30. I love this new moon! It’s optimistic, joyous, and full of expansive vibes. This is a new moon for setting BIG goals, and letting yourself go wild in your ambitions for the future. Yes, Mercury is retrograde on this new moon, which could cause a little mental mayhem and slow the results of your seed growth; and yes, Saturn in Pisces squares this new moon, but I still think it’s a moon worth working with. The square from Saturn encourages you to ground your fiery aspirations in reality, and to get serious about moving towards them; and Mercury Retrograde supports inspired self-reflection.
If you want to know how this new moon is landing for YOU, check out my New Moon / Full Moon birth chart reading. In this reading, I look at exactly where the New Moon is activating your chart, what planets it’s interacting with, and how to work with the unique astrology to set more meaningful goals.
Mercury Retrogrades happen three times a year, and they’re really good for slowing down and looking at what is/isn’t working. Yes, Mercury in Sagittarius struggles with details, but this transit is excellent for zooming out. If you’ve been stuck in the weeds of your life, this retrograde can help you see the broader themes and patterns that need attention; but in order to see those themes, you’ve got to slow down and reflect.
Just be careful not to get too lost in the big picture. Sagittarius’ lofty ideals can clash with Mercury’s need for logic, leaving you chasing ideas that feel exciting but don’t hold up under scrutiny. Mistakes and mental mix-ups are to be expected during Mercury Retrograde. For one, the retrograde energy could produce some chaos by making it harder to get clear answers or cohesive plans. Because let’s be real, here: Neither Sagittarius or Gemini are particularly skilled at focusing their attention. Secondly, Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius might feel like you’re trying to run a marathon blindfolded—adventurous, maybe, but full of stumbles. This transit is a bit like putting a scientist in a philosopher’s debate—they’re speaking two different languages—and the retrograde makes it even more challenging for them to find a common tongue.
Last week, Mercury & Jupiter officially opposed each other, and what I said about that transit still applies to Mercury Retrograde: “something you say / write / send has the potential to blow up—in a good way—thanks to an opposition from Mercury to Jupiter Rx. So, think about the messages you want to send this week, think about the things you want to say, the books or stories you want to write, but mostly think about the future you want for yourself and for the collective.”
You can still plan, ponder, and get excited about big-picture projects during Mercury retrograde—and this week’s new moon in Sagittarius encourages it; you just don’t want to launch anything or start anything brand spanking new. Instead, work on exploring what’s already in front of you—or, better yet, what you’ve put on the backburner. Pause. Reflect. Get curious about what you want not just tomorrow, but for the next few years.
Find out where this astrology lands with your Mercury in Sagittarius Horoscope & Jupiter Retrograde in Gemini Horoscope.
+Need a cosmic break from the politics and noise? Escape it all with my novel Jupiter Returns, a fresh comedy-romance with heaps of astrology and loads of laughs. Get into the Jupiter groove with the ~official~ Jupiter Returns playlist on Spotify—it’s basically a cosmic soundtrack! And for all the visual feels, check out the Jupiter Returns board on Pinterest.