Mercury Retrograde Ends Today: Here's What It Means And What To Expect Next

The ongoing mercury retrograde has finally reached its season finale on July 23. The turbulent phase that started in late June was marked with miscommunication, instability and last-minute delays. In the last month, several people might have experienced disruption in plans and relationship problems. While not all can be blamed on the astrological event, Mercury being in retrograde might have aided the stressful time a little. The good news is that the difficulties might be ending soon.

Over the last month, social media was abuzz with reels about the planet of communication being in retrograde. Followers of astrology highlighted that the celestial event brought weeks of misunderstood conversations and unexpected travel hiccups. In astrology, Mercury is considered the planet that governs communication, travel, learning, technology and decision-making. During a retrograde, Mercury appears to move backwards in the sky due to an optical illusion caused by the planets' relative positions. While the planet doesn't actually reverse its orbit, astrologers believe this period encourages reflection, reassessment and slowing down rather than rushing into major decisions.

What happens when Mercury stops being in retrograde

Mercury coming out of retrograde is generally considered a favourable time. As the planet resumes its direct motion, many astrologers believe situations that felt stalled may gradually begin to move forward. Miscommunications may become easier to resolve, travel plans could become smoother and technical issues may occur less frequently.

However, it takes time to see these transitions. The Mercury retrograde also follows a  "post-retrograde shadow period," during which Mercury retraces the same degrees it covered while retrograde. This phase is said to last a couple of weeks before things eventually begin settling down.

What to do as Mercury comes out of retrograde?

With Mercury moving direct, many people use this period to restart projects that were put on hold, finalise important conversations or revisit plans that needed revision. If you've been waiting to sign a contract, make a significant purchase or launch a new initiative, astrologers often consider the weeks following the shadow period to be more favourable.