Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio 2026: What It Means, What to Do and What to Avoid
Okayyyy baddies, Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio from Saturday 24 October to Friday 13 November 2026, moonwalking backwards from 20°58' Scorpio to 5°02' Scorpio, which means three whole weeks of rereading, renegotiating, revisiting and FINALLY saying the thing you've been swallowing, in the sexiest, most secretive, most private-investigator sign of the entire zodiac. 🦂
Venus is retrograde at the exact same time, so your love life, your bank account and your sense of what you're worth are ALL up for review, and the move here is to stop panicking about your Wi-Fi, slow right down and use this as your excuse to clean up every person, habit and money leak that's been draining your magic before Mercury turns direct and you get to go full speed again. 💅
Mercury retrograde 2026 dates and times
Screenshot these, babe. Every date comes from the same Swiss Ephemeris that powers every chart inside MY SZN, New York time first, with the UK and LA right beside it.
Pre-shadow begins: 4 October
Mercury first crossed 5° Scorpio on 4 October, so the conversation, the contract, the person or the feeling that popped up from then onwards is part of this storyline, and it's almost definitely coming back for a sequel.
Mercury stations retrograde: 24 October
Exact at 3:12am in New York on Saturday 24 October (8:12am in the UK and 12:12am in LA), at 20°58' Scorpio, AKA the moment the group chat got weird.
The cazimi reset: 4 November
Mercury meets the Sun right in the middle of the retrograde on the morning of Wednesday 4 November in New York (afternoon in the UK), and this is your lightbulb day, when the fog lifts and you suddenly SEE what this whole saga has been teaching you. Keep your notes app open allll day. ✨
Mercury stations direct: 13 November
Exact at 10:53am in New York on Friday 13 November (3:53pm in the UK and 7:53am in LA), at 5°02' Scorpio, and Venus turns direct later that SAME day, so the whole sky exhales at once.
Post-shadow ends: 30 November
Mercury gets back to 20°58' Scorpio on 30 November, so let your big launches, signatures and life-changing decisions marinate until then if you possibly can.
What Mercury retrograde actually means
Mercury rules your mind, your mouth, your messages, your contracts, your tech, your travel and every single deal you make, and roughly three times a year she looks like she's moving backwards from where we're standing on Earth, so everything she rules slows down, doubles back and demands a second look.
That's why emails vanish, plans flip at the last minute, your laptop freezes mid-pitch and the ex you blocked in 2023 suddenly reappears with a 'hey stranger', and it's also why retrogrades are POWERFUL for anything starting with RE: reviewing, rewriting, reconnecting, renegotiating, reclaiming and releasing. 🔁
Why Mercury retrograde in Scorpio hits different
Scorpio is the sign of secrets, sex, power, shared money, psychology and total transformation, so when the planet of communication goes backwards here, the small talk is OVER and the conversations become the ones that change everything: the confession, the money talk with your partner, the truth about why you really walked away. 🖤
Mercury stays in Scorpio for the entire retrograde, so these three weeks have ONE flavour, and it's depth. Hidden information floats to the surface, you can see straight through anyone performing for you and your intuition gets so sharp it's borderline witchy, which makes this a STUNNING time for shadow work, therapy, research and getting to the bottom of anything that's felt murky.
With Venus retrograde alongside her, slipping back from Scorpio into Libra on 25 October, the review covers your relationships and your money too, so expect the past to show up in your heart AND your bank account at the same time, babe.
What to look out for
Here's where this retrograde loves to show up, so you can clock it the second it happens. 👀
🔮 Secrets spilling
Scorpio hides things and retrograde Mercury digs them right back up, so the receipts you weren't meant to see, or the truth you've been sitting on yourself, are verrrry likely to surface.
💌 Exes and old flames
With Venus retrograde too, the person you swore you were SO over may slide into your DMs fishing for closure, a second chance or simply your attention, and you get to decide from your throne whether they deserve a reply.
💸 Money mix-ups
Scorpio rules shared money, debts, taxes and investments, so keep an eye out for invoice errors, late payments, surprise fees and wildly confusing chats about who owes who.
🔥 Power struggles
Words cut deeper under a Scorpio retrograde, tempers spark faster and people blurt out things they mean but would normally keep locked away, so pick your battles like the queen you are.
📱 Tech and travel chaos
The classics still apply, so back up your phone, leave extra time at the airport and screenshot every booking like your sanity depends on it.
What to do during Mercury retrograde
This is your season to go back, clean up and get CLEAR, so use these three weeks on purpose, babe. 🧹
Do your shadow work
Journal on the stories you inherited about power, sex, money and trust, because Scorpio Mercury hands you the exact words for things you've only ever felt in your body, and naming them is how you take your power back.
Read the small print like a lawyer
Reread every contract twice, ask the awkward questions and get every agreement in writing, especially anything involving shared money, loans or investments.
Finish what you started
Pick up the half-written book, the course you bought and never opened and the launch you shelved, because unfinished business LOVES getting finished under a retrograde.
Reconnect on YOUR terms
Message the old friend, the former client or the mentor you lost touch with, and let the past bring you something FABULOUS for once.
Get rich-girl honest about money
Audit your subscriptions, chase every unpaid invoice, look at your debts with total honesty and plan your 2027 price rise, all from clarity rather than panic. 💰
Rest like it's your job
Retrogrades are heavy on the brain, so sleep more, say no more often and let your mind catch up with everything this year has thrown at you.
What not to do during Mercury retrograde
You're allowed to do allll of these, babe, they just go sooo much smoother after 13 November, or even better, after 30 November. 🙅♀️
Rush-signing a big contract
If you absolutely have to sign, read every line, ask every question and get a second pair of eyes on it before your pen touches paper.
Buying a new phone, laptop or car
Mercury rules all three, so wait for her to turn direct, or keep every receipt and warranty like they're love letters.
Launching something brand new
Relaunching, rebranding or reopening something you've done before is PERFECT retrograde energy, while a totally fresh launch thrives once Mercury goes direct.
Running back to the ex for comfort
The nostalgia is REAL under a double retrograde, so make the reunion prove itself after 13 November before you hand over your heart again, babe.
Sending the 2am text
Scorpio Mercury will gift you the most devastating sentence you've ever written, so type it in your notes app, sleep on it and decide in daylight with a face mask on. 🌙
Assuming you know what they meant
Clarify everything, confirm every plan and ask people what they actually meant, because messages are landing sideways right now.
Journal prompts for Mercury retrograde in Scorpio
Light a candle, write fast, write messy and keep it completely private, Scorpio style. 🕯️
The truth I keep almost saying
Write the thing you've rehearsed in the shower a hundred times, exactly how you'd say it if there were zero consequences.
Where I handed over my power
List the people, habits and money patterns holding more of your power than they deserve, then write how you're snatching each one back.
The unfinished business
Name the project, conversation or relationship that never got its ending, and write the ending YOU choose for it now.
What Mercury retrograde in Scorpio means for every sign
Read for your rising sign first, because it tells you which house this retrograde is moving through, then read for your sun sign as your second layer. ♏
Aries
Your house of shared money, intimacy and other people's resources gets the retrograde, so debts, taxes, investments and the money conversation with your partner all want a second look. Slow down with the numbers and let the deep emotional talk happen too, warrior queen.
Taurus
Partnership is where this plays out for you, so a lover, a client or a business partner circles back with unfinished business. Listen more than you speak, then say EXACTLY what you need without softening a single word.
Gemini
Mercury is your ruler and she's reviewing your house of work, health and routines, so expect the schedule to wobble and your body to beg for rest. Fix the systems that keep failing you instead of white-knuckling through.
Cancer
Romance, creativity and joy are under review, so an old flame, an old hobby or a creative project you abandoned comes back to life. Play with it again before you decide what deserves a place in your next chapter.
Leo
Home and family carry this one for you, so family conversations, a move, a renovation or something about your roots needs a rethink. Old family stories are ready to be rewritten in your own glorious words.
Virgo
As one of Mercury's own signs, you feel this loudly in your house of voice, siblings, neighbours and short trips, so messages go astray and your words carry extra weight. Proofread everything, then use the time to write something brutally honest.
Libra
Your own money, income and self-worth are in the spotlight, with Venus, your ruler, retrograde too, so invoices, pricing and spending habits need a clear-eyed review. Raise those rates once both planets are direct on 13 November.
Scorpio
The whole retrograde is happening in YOUR sign, so you are the project. How you show up, how you speak up and who you're becoming are all being rewritten, so give yourself full permission to change your mind about who you want to be.
Sagittarius
This moves through your most private house of rest, dreams and the subconscious, so old memories and buried feelings rise up, usually at 3am. Rest, journal and keep a notebook beside the bed for the downloads.
Capricorn
Friends, community and long-term dreams get reviewed, so an old friendship or a group you left reappears and a goal you shelved starts calling your name again. Decide which circles truly deserve your energy in 2027.
Aquarius
Career and reputation are where Mercury doubles back, so a past employer, an old pitch or a professional decision returns for round two. Polish your plans now and take the big public leap after 13 November.
Pisces
Your beliefs, your studies and your travel plans get rearranged, so triple check bookings and revisit the course or teaching you started and never finished. A big dream about your future comes back louder than ever.
Do this retrograde with a coven behind you
Retrogrades are SO much easier when you know exactly where they land in your own chart, and that's what the Baddie Coven is for: a platform written for YOUR birth chart and Human Design, so every retrograde, full moon and eclipse is explained for you, plus a live coven circle every month, rituals for every new and full moon and a whole coven of baddies to voice note the second your ex texts. 📲
The Baddie Coven opens on 5 November for three days only, the day after the Mercury cazimi, and founding witches lock in $44 a month for as long as they stay. Our FIRST EVER event is the 11/11 manifestation workshop, two days before Mercury and Venus both turn direct, so you get to call in everything you want for 2027 right as the sky starts moving forward again. Join the Baddie Coven and do this retrograde with us, babe. 🦄
When is Mercury retrograde in 2026?
The last Mercury retrograde of 2026 runs from 24 October to 13 November, entirely in Scorpio. It stations retrograde at 20°58' Scorpio at 3:12am New York time on 24 October and turns direct at 5°02' Scorpio at 10:53am New York time on 13 November.
When does the Mercury retrograde shadow period end?
The pre-shadow began on 4 October, when Mercury first reached 5° Scorpio, and the post-shadow ends on 30 November, when Mercury returns to 20°58' Scorpio, the degree where the retrograde began.
What does Mercury retrograde in Scorpio mean?
It brings hidden information, secrets and deep conversations to the surface, and asks you to review shared money, intimacy, power dynamics and anything left unfinished. It's an excellent time for shadow work, research and honest conversations.
What should you not do during Mercury retrograde?
Avoid rushing big contracts, buying new tech or a car, launching something brand new or making assumptions about what people mean. If you have to do any of these, read everything twice and keep every receipt.
Is Venus retrograde at the same time?
Yes. Venus is retrograde from 3 October to 13 November 2026, moving from Scorpio back into Libra, so love, money and self-worth are under review alongside communication. Both planets turn direct on 13 November.
Should I read for my sun sign or rising sign?
Rising sign first, because it tells you which house of your chart the retrograde moves through. Your sun sign works as a second read, or as your main one if you don't know your birth time.
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The Baddie Coven: An Online Coven for Women Who Want BIG, Magical Lives
An online coven for women who want to live BIG lives, manifest outrageous things and make seriouuuus money, with a monthly circle, a platform written for your chart and a whole coven of baddies doing it with you.
do this retrograde with your coven.
The Baddie Coven opens 5 November for three days only. Founding witches lock in $44 a month for as long as they stay, and our first ever event is the 11/11 manifestation workshop.