What Needs To Be Said: Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius & Scorpio, November 2025

Kaitlyn Maura
Nov 15, 2025
9 min read

Introduction

On Sunday, November 9th, 2025, Mercury stationed retrograde at 6'51° Sagittarius, sign of its detriment. The planet of communication & logic will re-enter the sign of Scorpio soon after, where on November 29th, it will move direct at 20'42°. This article discusses a little bit about what you might expect from this.

It's worth noting Mercury entered the retrograde zone (i.e. crossing over 20'42° Scorpio) on October 21st, a date that interestingly coincided with a pretty intense New Moon in Libra. So, it's possible that you may have already begun to feel little hints about what to expect during this period (also known as it's pre-shadow phase) before the retrograde, which interestingly took place only a few days after an intense Full Moon in Taurus. Mercury also made its exact conjunction to Mars at 19'11° Scorpio around this time, on October 20th (my birthday!) to be exact, which is also important to mention since during the retrograde, Mercury will conjunct Mars again, emphasizing an important theme.

Mercury Retrograde: What Does It Mean?

A retrograde planet is one that appears to be moving backwards from the vantage point of the earth. From an astrologer's perspective, this means that the energies symbolized by the planet are also directed "backwards" or "inward" instead of functioning in its usual way.

In Roman mythology, Mercury is considered to be the "messenger of the gods," ruling over letters, divination and pretty much all forms of communication, as well as commerce and travel. Due to "his" ability to travel between two worlds, he is the god of translators and interpreters, but look out: he is also the god of tricksters, pranksters, and thieves. In astrology, Mercury represents the logical mind, intelligence and the way we think. Ruled by the mutable signs, Virgo (the virgin) and Gemini (the twins), there is a dualistic nature to the planet that gave birth to the word "mercurial," (meaning unpredictable or changeable).

So, when Mercury goes Retrograde, you can expect delays and disruption around areas such as travel, technology, communication and thought. Misunderstandings may occur and/or you may gloss over important details. It is best to double-check your work and try your best to be as clear as you can when you communicate to avoid these mishaps. That said, while these periods can definitely be unpredictable and maybe even a little bit chaotic, this doesn't necessarily make them negative, especially if you use this as a time for reflection rather than action. In fact, sometimes the unexpected can instead feel wonderfully fated. It's a good time for re-thinking, re-doing, and returning to the past, finishing up former projects and having clarifying conversations that you should have had long ago. Its a period often loaded with a feeling of magic & synchronicity, and a favored time for contemplation & meditation. Things from the past might come back to us during this time, as well, whether this be people (including but not limited to exes), situations, memories or a second chance at things we failed to achieve and/or learn the first time around.

Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius: November 2025

So, Mercury is already considered to be detriment when in Sagittarius, a mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter, which in contrast to the detail-orientated, analytical nature of the planet Mercury, is more concerned with faith, meaning and the bigger picture. The centaur has its bow and arrow aimed toward the sky in search of a higher meaning, beyond the narrow boundaries of reason and logic. As appealing as this more spiritual outlook might sound to some of us on paper, there can be some downsides to this. For example, prioritizing beliefs & feelings over fact can lead to a distorted perception of the truth, while an over-emphasis on personal honesty can wind up hurting other people's feelings if lacking in tact. It's these potentially 'detrimental' qualities that may become even more pronounced when Mercury is Retrograde in the sign of Sagittarius over the next four weeks.

There are many ways that these themes can play out in real time. By prioritizing our own beliefs at all costs, we may fail to really truly listen to others or understand things as they actually are, leading to misunderstandings between ourselves & others. While honesty is important, it is important to be honest with ourselves too in asking if the self-righteous rant we're about to go on is really helpful, or necessary, or might it even be the result of our own misjudgment? We could also overlook details, leading to mistakes in our work and other matters. That said, of course, there are many positive things to take away from this transit too. For example, this time might be best used for reflecting on our beliefs and truly pursuing the full truth, rather than simply the side of it that supports our own preferences for what we want to believe. Similarly, this conversation can help clear up misunderstandings or conflicts with people from our pasts by bringing out honest conversations that, while they may be brutal, reflect truths that, nevertheless, needed to be said.

This brutal honesty is particularly prevalent considering that Mercury's Station Retrograde at 6'51° Sagittarius is conjunct Mars (the ruling planet of Scorpio) at 3'46° of the archer or centaur, with the conjunction going exact at 6'04° on November 12th. This might bring a fiery bluntness to our speech, that causes us to blurt out the unfiltered truth of what we think and feel, even if we are not used to doing so. While this energy can certainly be freeing, and might even help us resolve conflicts, particularly with exes or people from our past, it can lead to conflicts too. Mars is the planet of war and aggression, after all, and while in some cases, a fight may be necessary, there's the dangerous probability that most are simply the result of misunderstanding. This transit could cause feelings of anger and outrage to cloud our judgement, leading to impulsive reactions that result in division, arguments and break-ups that we may later regret. We need to be careful not to rush too quickly toward assumptions, that upon further examination turn out untrue. It's possible too that our words might be misread as harsher than we intend. While a "filter" is thought of as something dishonest, used to make our words come across as sweeter and more palatable, the reality is that it is sometimes necessary to use a filter (i.e. think before you speak) in order for true communication takes place (i.e. getting your intended message across in a way the other person can actually understand). When we all speak directly from our own private languages, instead of making the effort to translate, the truth goes unheard.

While on the date of Mercury's station Retrograde in Sagittarius, Uranus will be Retrograde back at 29'55° Taurus, making the opposition out-of-sign, I think it's still important to mention. After all, Mercury & Mars in Sagittarius made their opposition to Uranus in Gemini only a few days before. This opposition emphasizes a desire for freedom & openness in our communication that might even come across as rebellious, or in contrast with other people's expectations, which can people lead to conflicts or misunderstandings. Other people might be shocked by the honesty of what we say, potentially getting us into trouble. It's possible we might hear from people from our pasts that we weren't expecting to or receive a message that surprises us. Essentially, it reinforces the overall theme of truth coming out, although whether it is understood or not is a different matter.

Taking a look at the chart for Mercury's Station Retrograde on November 9th, we see it took place during a grand trine between the Moon at 16'51° Cancer, the North Node at 16'13 ° Pisces, and the Sun at 17'37° Scorpio, with Saturn Retrograde at 25'27° Pisces trine Sagittarius's ruler Jupiter at 25'08° Cancer (which also went retrograde two days later, which I am in the process of writing an article about too). On one hand, Jupiter Retrograde ruling over the sign of Sagittarius might be especially important here, emphasizing a similar energy, one of looking back on the past and learning from it, of examining and and on our beliefs. On the other hand, however, I wanted to note the presence of all this water energy because I believe it adds a significant emphasis on the emotional dimension of this Mercury Retrograde period. It suggests that the issues surrounding this current period of Mercury Retrograde might surround our deepest feelings, and innermost thoughts. However, while for some of us this may be about gaining the courage to be vulnerable enough to honestly share these emotions with others or finally gain clarity on a loved one's feelings toward us, for others, the ambiguous, hidden and unknowable nature of emotions may simply lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

I think the presence of the Full Moon at 13° Taurus that took place only four days before Mercury's station retrograde is significant enough to mention too. This was an especially heavy Full Moon, which resulted in the revelation of some heavy truths for many people. I believe this adds further emphasis to the importance of the emotional dimension on this retrograde period, and this may especially be true when it comes to our most personal and intimate relationships. This is also seen with Venus's presence at 3'34° Scorpio square Pluto at 1'32° Aquarius, leading romantic feelings buried under the surface to come back out, whether this is a break up, a reunion, or an unhealthy obsession.

Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio

On the 19th or 20th of November, Mercury will Retrograde back into the sign of Scorpio, signaling a slight shift in energy. No longer detriment but peregrine, the themes of this Mercury Retrograde period will likely remain the same but may take on a somewhat different tone. The sign of the scorpion is a fixed water sign ruled by the planet Mars, meaning that the martial vibe remains. However, in contrast to the blunt directness of Mercury in Sagittarius, Scorpio is traditionally known as a mute sign, meaning that Mercury here may be much more secretive and/or strategic about what is spoken. It's probably important to mention too that both of these signs tend to be concerned with truth, albeit in different ways, and related, but different, ways this Mercury Retrograde can play out in these two different signs.

More specifically, when Mercury Retrograde moves back into Scorpio, some dirty secrets may get revealed for some. Old wounds may be re-opened, and some deep conversations may be had. You might speak to someone from your past, or about your past, and have an important realization about something that was previously hidden from your knowledge in the process. While for many, this transit is about digging underneath the lies to see what's true, Mercury Retrograde makes things tricky, and in Scorpio, it could be that we're digging for a truth that's never even there. Do you know those sorts of people who read so deeply into everything to the point that they'd rather believe in the craziest-sounding conspiracy theories rather than acknowledging the simple truth of what's in front of them? Well, that's the sort of energy we're dealing with here, and it's exactly how Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio might inevitably wind up leading to misunderstandings and miscommunication between others.

Mercury Direct in Scorpio & Sagittarius

Mercury will go Direct at 20'42° Scorpio on November 29th, finally putting an end to all of this confusion & miscommunication, or at least, we would hope.

Things may not fully get back to normal until after the post-shadow phase on December 16th. However, with Mercury Direct in Scorpio, we should be able to see things more clearly, putting the lessons we learned into practice, and the reflections we've had over the retrograde period can now be used to make actual decisions.

Looking at the chart for this event, Mercury is involved in a grand trine when stationed direct, yet again in the water signs. First of all, Mercury will be trine Jupiter at 24'36° Cancer, a sign of positive thinking, optimism, and clarity regarding our spiritual growth. Essentially, decisions we make, or realizations we have, we have faith on how to move forward. Ideas are likely to come across more easily and we may find that certain connections lead to serendipitous opportunities. Second of all, Mercury (and Jupiter, too) will also trine the Moon conjunct Saturn at 25° Pisces, showing a seriousness and practicality to how we handle our emotions at this time, demonstrating a practical path forward basically. Again, emotions, sensitivity, and spirituality are emphasized especially in connection to are most personal and intimate relationships, something further emphasized by Mercury's (however wide) conjunction to Venus at 28° Scorpio, which opposite Uranus at 29'06° Taurus might involve some unexpected but nevertheless exciting surprises.

Source: "Mercury's Summer" by Collagesoul

Conclusion

As some of you may know, in the past, I used to write horoscopes with these things. However, I have been very busy and honestly, if you would like to know more about how this retrograde will affect you personally, you are better off scheduling a reading with me, by clicking here: but please remember to book at least three days in advance.

Apart from that, this Mercury in Retrograde period will most significantly affect those with angles or planets (particularly luminaries) between 0 and 9 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius & Pisces) and/or between 17 and 29 of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius). Overall, we can expect mishaps and misunderstandings to occur during this time, particularly in relation to our beliefs. However, it is a good time for re-examining what it is we truly believe in and why.