On March 15th, 2019 Mercury retrograde is conjunct Sun at 24° Pisces, which means a new Mercury cycle begins.
A New Mercury cycle starts on March 15th, 2019 (if you live in Europe, Asia or Australia) or on March 14th, 2019 (if you live in the US) and ends on July 20th, 2019.
A Mercury cycle lasts for about 4 months, so if you plan to do something that will require 4 months to complete, the days around March 15th, 2019 are a great time to start it.
This cycle starts at 24° Pisces, with Mercury square Jupiter in Sagittarius. Mercury in Pisces is compassionate and imaginative. Jupiter in Sagittarius is optimistic and focused on growth.
You are confident and optimistic about the possibilities that are opening up for you. A positive mindset is proven to produce better outcomes and increase your chances of success.
Pisces and Sagittarius are in fact both ruled by Jupiter and represent the two facets of spirituality: the confident, generous but dogmatic belief system that guides our actions (Sagittarius) and the compassionate, everembracing and everpresent quality of the soul that knows no rules and no boundaries (Pisces).
The sabian symbol of this Mercury cycle is “A religious organization succeeds in overcoming the corrupting influence of perverted practices and materialized ideas”.
The religious organization is a metaphor for our belief system, for Jupiter. “The perverted practices and materialized ideas” are a metaphor for our mind, for Mercury.
The only fight is with yourself, is with your own consciousness.
Generation after generation, we’ve been raised to believe that we were born in sin. Jupiter in Sagittarius square Neptune, together with the Mercury cycle in Pisces will challenge that belief.
A sin is nothing else but our inability to come to terms with our own consciousness. The time has come to forgive yourself. In fact, when you embrace yourself, when you embrace the world, there is nothing to be forgiven.
Mercury Retrograde And Mercury Cycles
Whenever Mercury Retrograde makes a conjunction to the Sun, a new Mercury cycle begins. Just like the Moon has cycles, Mercury has cycles, too.
Every year we have 3 Mercury cycles.
A retrograde planet conjunct the Sun is called an interior or inferior conjunction. A direct planet conjunct the Sun is called a superior conjunction.
If inferior conjunctions are like New Moons and are time for new beginnings, superior conjunctions are like Full Moons and mark a culmination of what has been started at the time of the inferior conjunction.
A Mercury cycle lasts for approximately 116 days and begins with the inferior conjunction with the Sun.
The Mercury-Sun conjunction takes place in the middle of Mercury Retrograde. That’s why Mercury Retrograde periods can be confusing. A 4-month Mercury cycle ends, and a new 4-month Mercury cycle begins. Change is always confusing! But nevertheless necessary.
Mercury Retrograde conjunct Sun is similar to a New Moon and it’s a time to start something new.
If New Moons (Moon conjunct Sun) are great to start an activity you can complete in one month time, if Jupiter cycles (Jupiter conjunct Sun, happens only once a year) are great for initiating a goal you can complete in one year, Mercury cycles are great for starting projects you can complete in a 4-month time.
The duration of the cycle (approx. 4 months) is ideal to focus on medium-term projects.
The Four Phases Of A Mercury Cycle
The Mercury Cycle, just like all the planetary cycles, shows Mercury’s journey around the Sun, as seen from Earth.
There are four Mercury “phases” in a Mercury cycle, determined by Mercury’s direction from the Sun (clockwise or counterclockwise) and whether Mercury is direct or retrograde.
Phase I – Observe and Insight: Phase I starts at Mercury’s inferior conjunction to the Sun (in the middle of the retrograde) and lasts until Mercury turns direct.
In the current Mercury cycle, Phase I starts on March 15th, 2019 and ends on March 28th, 2019.
This is a shorter phase, but is absolutely important because this is when we build the foundations for the next 100 days of the cycle.
In this phase, Mercury has a strong will and a clear sense of purpose, thanks to the encounter (conjunction) with the Sun. Things start to fall into place. You can have sudden clarity about what you need to do in the coming months. You find new ways of doing things or find new solutions to your problems.
And although this phase might not yet lead to clear answers, right now you are aware of what’s going on and you can envision new possibilities.
Phase II – Prototype and Test: From Mercury direct until Mercury’s superior conjunction to the Sun.
This phase starts when Mercury is stationary direct and ends around 50 days later.
In the current Mercury cycle, Phase II starts on March 29th, 2019 and ends on May 20th, 2019.
Mercury is at its highest speed now – this is when we are capable of intense mental work. This is a good phase to kick off and work towards fulfilling the initiative you started at the time of the inferior conjunction.
This is a good time to test different elements of your plan. Try to get feedback, see what works and what doesn’t. This is when your mind has “free will” and you’re more creative and original. Test the boundaries of what’s possible.
Phase III – Build: From Mercury’s superior conjunction until Mercury turns retrograde
In the current Mercury cycle, Phase III starts on May 21st, 2019 and ends on July 7th, 2019.
Mercury gets more information from the Sun (Self) about how to best proceed forward. This is a phase of aligning the inner reality (what you’ve worked on in the first two phases) with the outer reality (what the world expects from you).
Mercury’s superior conjunction with the Sun is a phase of culmination. You no take what you started in phase I and “prototyped” and “tested” in phase II and bring it to the world. Your project finally takes shape.
You’ve done it! Now is the time to “go live” with your project.
Phase IV – Analyze From Mercury retrograde station until Mercury’s inferior conjunction to the Sun.
In the current Mercury cycle, Phase IV starts on July 8th, 2019 and ends on July 17th, 2019.
Mercury’s fourth phase is contemplative and introspective. You now want to discover the higher meaning of what you have done in the past 3 months.
The last phase is great to “analyze” what you did in the first three phases and see how the outcome can lead to an even better outcome, which you can focus on in the next cycle.
Mercury cycles last for almost 4 months. It is well known that the ideal timeline for a project is from 3 to 4 months. This is enough time to delve into a topic, do your research, test and build, and then analyze your outputs.
Anything that goes beyond 4 months loses momentum or becomes the point.2 version of the previous project.
You always want to keep your projects within this timeframe. Do you have a goal that takes more than 4 months to complete? No problem! Simply break it down into 4-month mini-projects. That’s how you can make your greatest goals come true!
How To Work With The Mercury Cycle
Take your time to focus on a project you want to undertake.
Follow these 3 steps to identify your project and plan it according to the Mercury cycle:
1) Consider your current priorities. What’s the most important thing you should focus on? Decide on a key topic. These topic should not require a long time to complete. Getting a master’s degree, building a house, personal transformation will take longer than 4 months.
Similarly, your Mercury focus topic should require enough time so you don’t complete it in a few days only – for example writing an article, finishing a presentation or taking a one-week online course.
You want to identify something in between, a project you could complete in 3 to 4 months.
2) For more guidance look in your natal chart to see in which house the Mercury cycle starts – for example, if it starts in your 2nd house you may want to start a project to generate a new source of income, if it falls in your 3rd house you may want to learn a new skill, in your 6th house you may want to start a diet and so on. Here you can find a tutorial to calculate the transit How To Read Transits In Your Natal Chart – Step By Step Instructions
3) After you have identified your project – split it into 4 different phases according to the 4 phases of the Mercury cycle. Try to stick to the timeline. You want to spend 2 weeks for the 1st and 4th phase, and around 5 weeks for the 2nd and 3rd phases.
What is your plan for the upcoming Mercury cycle?
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Hi, when you say look into my natal chart to sees where my mercury starts do you mean where and if I have pisces? Or where my Mercury is? I have Pisces in my 8th house. But Mercury in Capricorn which is my 6th house. Thank you. Love your posts!!
Rose just want to help.are you Leo?if yes then mercury is in your 8th house of shared resources.
Hi Frances
I’m an Aquarius. So does that mean mercury is in my 12th (Capricorn)?
You look at the rising sign, not the Sun sign. If your rising sign is Aquarius, then the new Mercury cycle falls in your 2nd house (Pisces is the 2nd sign from Aquarius)
I thought Astro Butterfly wrote Natal chart which would mean from my rising sign (Cancer). If that is the case where would Mercury fall? Would it fall where my solar mercury is? Sorry. Just want to be sure.
If your rising sign is Cancer then the Mercury cycle falls in your 9th house (Pisces is the 9th house from Cancer)
This is such a cool explanation! I love the picture showing Mercury’s path, it really helped me understand the geometry.
My ruler mercury and the sun conjuct in my 7th house of love and marriage.What should i expect or start at this new mercury cirle.Mercury retro hitts me tough and i can feel it.Then am advised by you not to start ir sign anything during this time.So which is which?Start something or wait untill the end of mercury retro shadow ends on april 17th?
Where do i find my natal chart ?? Just found you and all of this up coming murcury shifts is very very interesting
Hi Everyone,
I’m unable to interpret which house the mercury cycle starts in my chart?
Mercury is in the 6th house on my chart at my birth time.
Is it this simple?
or is there something to be understood about when the mercury cycle actually starts in being Conjunct to the sun?
Thanks,
Brett
You refer to your natal chart, look which house is Pisces. If you have an Aquarius ascendant for example then the new Mercury cycle falls in your 2nd house (because Pisces is the 2nd sign from Aquarius)
Thank you for opening my eyes to the mercury cycle! Never knew!
Mercury is in my 11th house so I’m very open to what to focus on for the 4 months? Perhaps something career related as that is a current topic for me. Thanks!!
Make sure you differentiate between your natal Mercury and the Mercury transit. Here is a tutorial to find out how a specific transit ‘hits’ your natal chart https://astrobutterfly.com/2017/09/25/how-to-read-transits-in-your-natal-chart-step-by-step-instructions/
You wrote the same dates for phase 3 and for phase 4. Is this correct?
I enjoy the siginficant chat
My Mercury is in the 9th house. Cool.
I only had time to read your New Mercury Cycle in Pisces today.
But Im CONFUSED. You write:
“Phase III – Build: From Mercury’s superior conjunction until Mercury turns retrograde
In the current Mercury cycle, Phase III starts on May 21st, 2019 and ends on July 7th, 2019”.
AND THEN YOU GIVE PHASE IV THE EXACT SAME DATES AS PHASE III. (???) —
“Phase IV – Analyze From Mercury retrograde station until Mercury’s inferior conjunction to the Sun.
In the current Mercury cycle, Phase IV starts on May 21st, 2019 and ends on July 7th, 2019.”
I can clearly see that I started Phase I on March 15 – I had started getting electromagnetic hypersensitivity symptoms in early February from living next to 36 electric smart meters for at least 1 and 1/2 years.
Adding to that was the frightening knowledge that 5G small cell antennas will be installed in my neighborhood sometime soon.
(I live in a suburbs of Chicago where T-Mobile has its headquarters.)
For a month, I was in panic mode. Finally, I got rid of my metal frame and metal coil mattress bed, and am sleeping on ‘green’ latex and an organic wool mattress on top.
And now I don’t wake up with severe anxiety and weird, unhealthy feelings in my head ! !
So I’ve bought myself some time, and I’m looking for a place to move to where there will (hopefully) be fewer 5G antennas.
It looks like, astrologically, I have 4 months to move. I hope it will work out.
(If not, like you say, I’ll just have to start another 4-month cycle.)
I hope you know about the dangers of Electromagnetic radiation. I’m including an article on 5G by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the heroic environmental attorney son of Bobby Kennedy — https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/the-dangers-of-5g-to-childrens-health/
And here’s a website which covers many ways to shield and protect yourself from EMF radiation — https://www.emfanalysis.com/
Thank you so much for YOUR GREAT INTERPRETATIONS of astrological transits and cycles.
Love from Sally
Thanks for sharing, very useful!
Thanks soooo much for this amazing info! Mercury went retrograde exactly on the day it conjuncted my Natal Sun at 29 degrees in my 10th house.
Then the new Mercury cycle at 24 degrees conjuncted my MC at 25 degrees. I have to say all of this has really shook up my world in only a few days. I had thought I was happy with the direction of my life and career since I’d made several changes in the last couple of years. YET I had somehow managed to overlook so many important areas that were so significant and meaningful to my overall path, and now I’m no longer able to ignore them – I see it all so clearly now. I see also the path to course correct – how did I not see this before? It’s like a miracle or magic – the magic of Hermes!
I have always loved Mercury Retrogrades, cos it’s the time I gain the most clarity for my life path. Maybe it’s because I was born with a Mercury Retrograde, and I am a Gemini Rising, who knows!
This is amazing information! Thankyou so so sooooo much, finally a system schedule I can understand and really use to better my life. Truly, from every fiber in my body and every star speck of my soul, I send you the biggest THANKYOU!!!!! that I have ever wanted to send to anyone.
I’ve marked out my calander with the mercury cycles for the whole year and am so happy I can now properly schedule the time for the mercury ideas to appear, and get the projects completed in time before the next awesome mercury inferior conjunct sun project ideas in my mind appear.
Thankyou thankyou thankyou!!!!
Thankyou Astro Butterfly, You have bettered my life in the best way 🙂
All my love
Samira