11/13/2025
The Trickster’s Descent: Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio
November 9th–29th, 2025
(All times Pacific)
Every Mercury retrograde is a myth in motion, a story about the Trickster retracing his steps through the underworld of the mind. This one begins in Sagittarius, the sign of belief, prophecy, and ideology, and ends in Scorpio, the sign of truth, secrecy, and transformation. What we say, what we think we know, and what we believe to be true are all on trial.
This retrograde is not just about miscommunication or delays. It is a pilgrimage backward through meaning itself. Mercury, messenger of gods and mortals alike, begins his descent with a torch in hand, ready to challenge what we think we know.
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Phase 1: The Battle of Beliefs (Nov 9–17)
As Mercury moves backward through Sagittarius, the realm of stories, law, and philosophy, he first revisits his conjunction with Mars on November 12th. Words become weapons here. This is the battlefield of conviction, where arguments flare and rhetoric turns to fire. Sagittarian Mercury speaks in absolutes, but Mars demands proof. The tension between speaking truth and defending ego can ignite fierce debates or inspired declarations.
By November 17th, Mercury forms a sextile to Pluto in Aquarius. Hidden agendas and secret motives surface. This is the investigator’s window, where we glimpse the deeper systems shaping our thoughts, institutions, and media. The Trickster meets the Innovator, and together they expose the wiring behind the message.
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Phase 2: Descent into Secrets (Nov 18–22)
On November 18th, Mercury retreats into Scorpio’s shadowed waters. The tone shifts from preaching to probing. What was declared with confidence now demands proof and intimacy. The Trickster dives beneath appearances, forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths we have glossed over.
The 19th is the heart of the storm. Mercury opposes Uranus in Ta**us and trines Neptune in Pisces, creating a day of revelations, psychic insight, and emotional lightning strikes. At its perigee, when Mercury is closest to Earth, its influence grows visceral and personal. Messages hit close to home, and long-buried memories or confessions may rise unexpectedly.
Here, words carry weight. Silence can reveal as much as speech. The myth of Hermes entering Hades echoes. He becomes a psychopomp of thought, guiding us into emotional depths we normally avoid.
By November 22nd, Mercury trines Saturn and Jupiter. What was chaotic begins to clarify. Structure returns to the mind. Patterns reveal themselves. The lessons of this retrograde start to crystallize into wisdom. Saturn offers discernment, Jupiter offers grace. We begin to see why the journey mattered.
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Phase 3: The Heart’s Confession (Nov 24–29)
As the cycle nears completion, Mercury conjoins Venus in Scorpio on November 24th. This is the whisper after the storm, a moment when words of love, apology, or reconciliation may finally find voice. What was once hidden is now offered in tenderness. Conversations gain emotional gravity, and honesty becomes a form of devotion.
Finally, Mercury stations direct on November 29th, rising from the underworld renewed. The Trickster returns with new stories, ones less certain but far more alive. We have learned that truth is not a doctrine to defend but a process of listening, revising, and revealing.
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How You Can Use the Energy
• Revisit what you have been preaching or defending. Does it still hold under scrutiny?
• Allow curiosity to lead you into mystery instead of certainty.
• Journal dreams and strange coincidences. They are clues, not distractions.
• Repair or clarify old misunderstandings before the direct station.
How the Energy Can Use You
• Heated arguments or dogmatic thinking can burn bridges instead of building understanding.
• Secrets unearthed too abruptly can destabilize fragile trust.
• Impulsive speech during the Mars conjunction can cause long-term fallout.
• Trying to win a debate rather than listen may trap you in your own echo chamber.
