This week, both Mercury & Jupiter stationed Retrograde. Mercury is the traditional ruler of Gemini, and Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius. On the Astrological Wheel, these two signs oppose each other, so during this time when both of these planets are retrograding, we are reviewing the dynamic relationship between student/teacher, merchant/priest, intellect/belief, communication/expansion.
Does all this Retrograde energy mean that you’re in some kind of Astrological purgatory and cannot move forward and take action on things, especially when your Inner Authority (Sacral, Emotional, Splenic, Environmental, etc.) moves you to do so?
Hell no!
Your Inner Authority should always be the one making the decisions on when & how you move through life. Ignoring or suppressing your Inner Authority because of an Astrological transit is Not-Self Mind fuckery. Remember that.
I don’t know about you, but personally, one of the things I love about Mercury Retrograde is that it always seems to call me back to my esoteric studies. I find myself pulling out my books, making all kinds of diagrams, or going down rabbit holes on the internet during this time. For the next 3 weeks, Mercury opens the lines of communication with our inner worlds.
To add to that, for the next 4 months, Jupiter Retrograde will be helping us to expand our inner horizons. Jupiter is the scholar, philosopher, teacher, and adventurer, and he’s here to empower our belief in the bigger picture for our lives. Together, these two will be enhancing our communication with our inner realms for an adventure of inner expansion.
General Retrograde Overview
I always say that every Retrograde cycle
is like 3 books (or movies) in a Trilogy…
Book One
Book One is when the planet first moves through what is called the “Shadow Period,” when it is crossing the same degrees that it will retrograde back over when it has to retrace its steps during the Retrograde cycle. In Book One, we are blissfully unaware, frolicking along, and somewhere along the way we pass some important information without registering it, overlook an important experience, or drop/misplace something we were carrying on our journey.
Mercury Book One: Oct 10 – Nov 8, 2025
Jupiter Book One: Aug 15 – Nov 11, 2025
Book Two
Book Two (where we are right now) is when the planet Stations Retrograde and turns around to retrace its steps all the way back to when it first entered the “Shadow Period.” In Book Two, our attention is more focused inward (related to the particular planet in question), and we go on an inner alchemical journey, consciously or unconsciously looking for whatever it was that we missed, dropped, or overlooked in Book One.
Mercury Book Two: Nov 7 – Nov 29, 2025
Jupiter Book Two: Nov 11, 2025 – Mar 10, 2026
Book Three
Book Three is when the planet Stations Direct and, now moving forward, walks back over those same steps for the 3rd time (also called a “Post Retrograde Shadow Period”). In Book Three, we have hopefully found/retrieved/experienced whatever it was that we missed the first time, and can now apply those lessons moving forward in our lives
Mercury Book Three: Nov 29 – Dec 16, 2025
Jupiter Book Three: Mar 10 – June 6, 2026
It’s kind of like we’re in a fairytale where we must journey through the dark forest, narrowly escaping the demons & beasts that lurk in the shadows. But then we get to the end of the forest only to find a locked door. On the door, there’s a note that says the key to the door can only be found by answering the riddle of the creature that lives in the swamp back at the beginning of the forest. So we go back, this time facing the demons & beasts, finally making it back to the swamp, where we answer the riddle, and finally receive the key…
Then we journey back through the forest for the third time, which is now filled with light and life, making friends with those creatures that haunted us before, until we finally make it back to the door where the key fits perfectly, and we continue on our journey, much stronger, grounded, and confident than before.
Mercury will be Retrograde until November 29, 2025, and will be retracing his steps from 6° Sagittarius back to 20° Scorpio (Gates/Gene Keys 9, 34, 14, 43)
During this time, you may find yourself focusing on previous studies, reminiscing on travels or transformational experiences, finding new strength by diving back into hidden mysteries or occult studies, having insights related to healing old wounds, and reclaiming your power so you can expand your optimistic belief in the bigger picture of your life by the end of the year.
Jupiter will be Retrograde until March 10, 2026, and he will be retracing his steps from 25° Cancer back to 15° Cancer (Gates/Gene Keys 62, 53, 39).
During this time, you may find yourself reviewing & refining what makes you feel safe, your relationship to your body, family, and the past. You may be provoked to reconsider the details of a home project or development that started in August. Come March, the inner adventures you take now will expand your world in grounded & comforting ways.
MERCURY & JUPITER RETROGRADE JOURNAL PROMPTS
- Where are you feeling called to review, reflect, and perhaps rewrite your thoughts and ideas around your personal power and ability to transform your life? (Check your chart for 20° Scorpio – 6° Sagittarius).
- Take some time to reflect on your inner dialogue around expansion & empowerment since August 25, 2025… What old mental habits from that time to now need to be rewired?
- If you feel called, you can do a simple ritual of writing down these old thoughts & beliefs that are no longer serving you and burn them (safely), asking the benevolent, healing energy of Scorpio to alchemize the energy into something empowering for you.
- Where are you feeling called to review, reflect, and perhaps rewrite your stories & beliefs around your sense of safety, family, home, and what it feels like to be nurtured by the world?
- Do you feel like the world you live in is a safe place?
- How is your relationship with your body and your Inner Authority? Do you trust your Authority/body to guide you through times when you feel unsafe?
- If not, would you like to strengthen this connection? (This article here has a description of all of the Human Design Inner Authorities and how they work).
- Jupiter Retrograde is a wonderful time to study & learn about your own Inner Authority and how strengthening this connection can help you feel safer in your body.
- If you feel called, you can do a simple ritual, placing your hand over your body (perhaps focusing on the center that gives you your Authority if you like), and send loving, healing energy to your body, letting it know that you love & trust it. Feel the vibration of love expanding in your body. You can do this practice as often as you like over the next 4 months while Jupiter is Retrograde.
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If you’re curious to learn more about how the Astrological energies influence you personally, I have 1:1 Sessions available here. *Please Note: my books will be closed for the month of December to honor my 12th House Season.
Empowering & supporting you to love your uniqueness,
Rakai’el
*AI free zone. Everything on this page was written by me. If you see any mistakes, they are genuinely human, and the result of my Receptive Mind (I can’t see the details). I hope you enjoy!
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