Stop Blaming Mercury Retrograde and Start Using It: A Birth Chart Approach to the Virgo Eclipse and Inner Growth (A must-read for Leo rising)

Mercury retrograde has become such a huge part of pop culture that it’s essentially trending to approach it in one of the most basic ways. Yes, Mercury is the planet of communication, and yes, it rules technology, contracts, negotiations, etc. So yes, one of the most common ways we understand and think about Mercury retrograde is to consider that some of the aforementioned topics will be affected. Things will veer off course, contracts will need revisions, agreements may not mature enough or be aligned with the bigger picture, etc. If I can help it, I won’t make a lot of impactful, important decisions during Mercury retrograde. But that’s if I can help it. I have accepted a job and signed a contract during a Mercury retrograde, and that job brought me multiple 6-figures (and also a lot of lessons 😉).

So yes, pop culture is correct about the topics we’ve already discussed. But when you look at a chart, you are looking at the full picture. The deeper, more impactful lessons from Mercury retrograde are not necessarily a part of the pop culture narrative. Because let’s not forget that very soon, a lunar eclipse will occur in Virgo, the sign opposite of where Mercury has stationed retrograde. When you are working with how this impacts your chart, you have to consider the bigger picture and the full narrative the chart is expressing.

Mercury Retrograde in the 8th House: A Personal Example Using Leo Rising

And I can break this down using my own chart.

My rising sign is Leo, which means Mercury is retrograding in my natal 8th house. My 8th is ruled by Pisces. Pisces rules emotion, spirituality, and the subconscious. When Mercury stations retrograde in a sign like Pisces, we are not being asked to push. We are being asked to feel. To sit in our emotions. The 8th house is the house of transformation, depth, and the unseen. It’s the house of the psyche, of connections, intimacy, and even other people’s money.

If you have Leo ruling your Ascendant (i.e., Leo rising), you will experience similar themes. But of course, the rest of the chart plays into this, so how it plays out will have a different effect for each person. But stick with me because I am going somewhere with this that everyone can relate to.

The Virgo Eclipse on March 3rd and How This Affects Everyone

Now that we’ve established the bigger picture has to factor into this narrative, we can weave in the upcoming eclipse in Virgo. (March 3rd, 2026). Virgo rules my natal 2nd house, which governs how I value myself, money, self-worth, and my identification with the material world and material items. Virgo is asking me to purify my body, my vessel, in order to receive. I am experiencing a big push to start approaching how I work and how I serve others in a new way. And, my ability to align with the energy of money is being created through this process.

So if we just looked at the pop culture narrative of Mercury retrograde, we would lose the forest for the trees and miss the most valuable lessons Mercury retrograde can offer. Even if your Rising sign is not Leo, the same themes apply. You are being asked to go within, to meditate, to be still, to sit in imagination and the energy of pure love. From here, whatever emotions arise, whatever “uncomfortable” feelings start to surface, that is your gold nugget. That is where you focus and observe. That is where you ask yourself: What is this emotion? What is it really saying to me? What does it need from a higher version of me? And how can I integrate this into my current reality with my future goals in mind?

You sit with this during the retrograde period, and you resist the urge to take action in cases where things can wait. (Again, use your discernment; if something can’t wait, you have discernment to make a choice and should, without guilt.) Your time to explore your emotions is just as important as the output of actually doing something in the physical world.

Going a Level Deeper: What the Psyche Reveals During Retrograde

Now I am going to take you a layer deeper, into the psyche. Again, using my own chart. The lessons I am being asked to review are non-negotiables for my personal growth. If I ignore these, I will just veer further away from my desired path. Therefore, it is so important to embrace this. In meditation, I was shown that my energy system is still connected to the “old grid” of Earth. The older energy system, the older collective way of existing around money, worth, and work. I was guided to understand that I needed to be attached to the new Earth grid, because we are collectively transitioning to a new way of making money, and of existing. As above, so below. Everything is connected, and everything is created by the fabric of this connection within us all. (I literally unplugged my life force from the old grid, moved it into the new grid system in a Reiki session with Rhianna Mays of rhiannamays.com).

What this means is, I have to let go of the idea that if I am not “doing” something, I am not being productive. Sitting, and being in the Piscean energy of creativity, meditation, spirituality, resting my vessel, and being in emotion, is equally as productive as sitting here and writing a blog post. Or setting up my email funnels and creating systems in the backend of my business.

The new energy I am being asked to assimilate into my body is one where my nervous system is not tethered to stress and to constant output. It’s kind of funny when I think about it because I come from a background in sales, and that is the ultimate adrenaline rush and stressor career choice! Not a surprise given I come from the generation of kids who moved out of the house at 18 and worked multiple jobs while still finding time to party it up. That is exhausting to think of now. I am actually tired from the mere thought of this lifestyle.

How Virgo and Your Nervous System Are More Connected To This Energy

Virgo wants us to think about how we can be of service to others and ourselves, in a holistic, healthy way. How can we build systems and structures that are efficient, and allow our nervous systems to breathe. If your body perceives the world as unsafe, or making money as “difficult,” you will absolutely create a reality that affirms your belief. And further than that, if your body is not in safety, you will not be capable of holding space for a new reality to take shape. Your body will continue to be affected by the thoughts that create the feelings, which, in turn, trigger chemical reactions that reinforce the thoughts and feelings. Creating a cycle of auto-repeat that keeps you stuck, quite literally, in the past.

See how far this takes us from the pop-culture version of Mercury retrograde? Sure, maybe you should try to avoid a lot of travel, and maybe don’t sign a contract or buy a new electronic device if you can help it. But if you don’t see your chart with any level of depth beyond that, astrology is essentially useless.

How I Weave Astrology Into 1:1 Coaching for Real Life Integration

The way I practice astrology is by weaving it into 1:1 coaching. I want my clients to understand how to integrate the energy of their chart into everyday life. Sure, I can tell you the themes of your chart and of the year to come. And that is incredibly insightful, validating, and helpful. And if it stops there, it’s still a beautiful thing. I am, after all, an astrologer, and I still offer standalone 1:1 birth chart and transit sessions. Where I like to take it a step further is by partnering with my clients after an astrology reading into 1:1 coaching, where I teach my clients how to become the conscious observer of their life, integrating the lessons, experiences, emotions, and fears into their wider range of capacity. We do this by processing it somatically and energetically. Then I help my clients collapse time to become a conscious creator of their reality by utilizing Universal Laws.

If you have a question, book a discovery call with me, and we can chat.

Want to start with an astrology reading? Book a 1:1 full birth chart reading to dig into your chart!