What to do during
Mercury retrograde.
A practical, phase-by-phase checklist for Mercury retrograde: what to finish before the station on February 9, 2027 at 17:36 UTC, what to review until March 3, 2027 at 12:32 UTC, and what to relaunch after post-shadow ends March 23, 2027 at 14:58 UTC.
First, the dates
Advice is only useful against a calendar. The next Mercury retrograde begins February 9, 2027 at 17:36 UTC and ends March 3, 2027 at 12:32 UTC, in Pisces and Aquarius. Pre-shadow starts January 25, 2027 at 18:58 UTC, the cazimi falls on February 18, 2027 at 16:39 UTC, and post-shadow ends March 23, 2027 at 14:58 UTC. Those times are UTC; the cycle page converts them to your clock. Nothing below is a prediction. It is the traditional way of using a known three-week window, and it works as a planning rhythm whether or not you give the planet any influence.
Before the station: finish and back up
- Send the final version of anything you have been polishing. Tradition says retrograde is for revising, not launching.
- Back up your phone and computer. The retrograde's reputation for broken devices is folklore, but a backup before any three-week stretch is good practice.
- Confirm travel and appointments in writing: times, places, names.
- Read contracts you are about to sign one more time, and sign before February 9, 2027 if you can.
During the retrograde: review, revise, reconnect
- Re-read before you send. Most retrograde stories are about a message that went to the wrong person or said the wrong thing.
- Use the time to edit what already exists: drafts, budgets, plans, code. The tradition's prefix is "re": review, revise, repair, reconnect.
- Expect delays and leave slack in the schedule. Not because the planet causes them, but because a plan with slack survives any three weeks better.
- Reach out to people you have lost touch with. The retrograde is traditionally the time old threads resurface.
- Postpone what can wait: a new contract, a product launch, a major purchase. If it cannot wait, do it anyway, with the paperwork read twice.
The cazimi: one clear day
In the middle of the retrograde Mercury passes exactly between Earth and the Sun. In the tradition this cazimi is the one bright window inside the retrograde: a day to set a single clear intention, make the decision you have been circling, or start the conversation that matters. For this cycle it is February 18, 2027 at 16:39 UTC.
After the station direct: relaunch, slowly
- Mercury turns direct on March 3, 2027 at 12:32 UTC, but moves slowly for another two to three weeks, through post-shadow, until March 23, 2027 at 14:58 UTC.
- Relaunch what you paused, in the order you planned, and send the revised version rather than the first draft.
- Check what was agreed during the retrograde against what was written down.
What not to do
Do not cancel your life for three weeks. Mercury is retrograde about one week in five, and in shadow for several more, so a calendar that avoids all of it avoids most of the year. The useful habit is smaller: know the dates, and in those weeks slow the send button down. Cazimi's today page and the iPhone app tell you which phase you are in, to the minute.
Born during a retrograde?
About one person in five was born while Mercury was retrograde. The birthday checker looks it up against every cycle from 1900 to 2050, including the shadow periods.
Questions
When should I finish things before Mercury retrograde?
Before the station retrograde on February 9, 2027 at 17:36 UTC; pre-shadow, which traditionally is the finishing window, begins January 25, 2027 at 18:58 UTC.
What is the best day during Mercury retrograde?
Traditionally the cazimi, when Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun: for the coming cycle, February 18, 2027 at 16:39 UTC.
When is it safe to start new things again?
Tradition says after the station direct on March 3, 2027 at 12:32 UTC, and for anything major after post-shadow ends March 23, 2027 at 14:58 UTC.