Brace Yourself: The Year’s First Mercury Retrograde Is Here

The past couple weeks of astrology have already plunged everyone into eclipse season and heralded some once-in-a-lifetime planetary activity, so energetic intensity levels are already high. However, things are about to get even more chaotic, as Mercury retrograde starts on Feb. 25 PT/Feb. 26 ET. That’s right — everyone’s favorite cosmic trickster is back for another round of tech glitches, timing snags, and messy miscommunications. This is the first Mercury retrograde of the year, but it doesn’t actually have to be a negative experience, especially if you know what to expect and how to work with these slightly-wonky vibes.

Mercury in astrology is the planet that governs information, communication, and most things related to people’s day-to-day logistics. If you’re scheduling meetings, texting your friends, putting together an Excel spreadsheet for work, dialing up a Lyft, or talking through an issue with a lover, then you’re dabbling in Mercury-ruled realms. Every three or four months, Mercury stations retrograde for a few weeks straight. The planet appears to loop backward through the heavens during this time, retracing its recent steps through the zodiac and moving at a slower-than-usual pace.

Whenever Mercury takes one of these moonwalks, it’s believed that all things falling into the planet’s purview are subject to the retrograde’s effects. Because Mercury appears to move backward during its backspins, not forward, it can be a difficult time to get new projects off the ground, make headway in important conversations, or set viable plans into motions. Details can easily get overlooked or misunderstood, words can get mistyped or misconstrued, and timing can go off the rails.

However, these periods are great for slowing down and reevaluating whatever’s currently on your plate. It gives you a chance to tie up loose ends on any unfinished business or revisit past opportunities, and it encourages reflection instead of action — which can ultimately help you ensure that you’re on the right path.

Mercury retrograde winter 2026 could feel like trying to listen or speak underwater, especially with the destabilizing energy of eclipse season running in the background. But there are lots of opportunities for growth, refinement, and realizations, so long as you know what to look for. Here’s everything you should know going into 2026’s first Mercury retrograde.

How Long Is This Mercury Retrograde?

This year’s first Mercury retrograde kicks off on Feb. 26 at 1:48 a.m. ET (or just before midnight on Feb. 25, if you’re on the west coast). It’ll station direct again on March 20 at 3:33 p.m. ET, so everyone will have to deal with this Mercurial moonwalk for three long weeks.

Every retrograde comes packaged up with a pre- and post-retrograde shadow period which bookend the backspin, allowing people to ease into each cosmic reversal and then gently get themselves back up to a normal speed afterward. The pre-retrograde shadow to Mercury’s winter 2026 backspin began on Feb. 11, so pay attention to any conversations, opportunities, or general themes that have come up since that date — as they may resurface for further review during the retrograde itself.

Once the retrograde ends, the post-retrograde shadow period begins, and that’ll go on until April 9. Think of this stretch of time as an integration cycle, during which you can process the revelations of the retrograde, clear up any drama that may have bubbled up, and start actively applying the lessons you’ve learned.

What Does Mercury Retrograde In Pisces Mean?

Emotional and ethereal Pisces is one of the zodiac signs that Mercury struggles in most — as this planet’s practical and detail-oriented objectives get easily muddled and mixed-up in Pisces’ free-flowing and fantasy-laden seas. That’s why in traditional astrology, it’s known as one of Mercury’s signs of “detriment.” Having a Mercury retrograde take place entirely within this water sign casts an especially thick haze of fog over mental matters, so communicating with clarity or keeping track of lots of little moving parts may prove especially difficult this time around.

Logistical matters might take a hit and schedules can easily turn to sludge, but Mercury retrograde in Pisces can be a helpful time to lean more deeply into your intuition as a form of problem-solving. Feelings aren’t the same as facts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t provide you with important data.

Soothe your soul by enjoying media and memories that remind you of old times.

Try reviewing your current trajectory through a more sensitive lens, considering the emotional impact that certain decisions or details have made in your life instead of only weighing things pragmatically. This will give you a much more well-rounded idea of how you’d like to move forward once the retrograde concludes.

Pisces zodiac energy is also deeply poetic and romantic, so revisiting creative projects that you’d abandoned may be more fruitful now, as could rekindling emotional connections from the past. Nostalgia will run rampant during this period too, so soothe your soul by enjoying media and memories that remind you of old times. You might also want to look for spiritual symbols and signs that you may have missed previously, as these could help to push you in a more aligned direction post-retrograde.

Mercury Retrograde: Dates To Know

Unresolved relationship conversations, past issues in your dating life, or full-blown ex-lovers could come bubbling back into the present moment at the end of February, as Mercury retrograde will align with romance planet Venus on the night of Feb. 27 PT (or just after midnight on Feb. 28, if you’re on the east coast). If you have the urge to text your ex or find yourself struggling to express yourself to a partner, this is probably why. However, you can use this vibe to find closure or resolution, so work with the energy.

The next major retrograde moment is the Mercury cazimi on March 7, which refers to a conjunction between the sun and Mercury. Think of this as a clarifying bright spot amidst an otherwise confusion-riddled retrograde. You may suddenly be able to see an old situation from a helpful new perspective, or have some other mental or creative breakthrough in an area where you’ve had trouble moving forward.

This is one of the most positive and constructive period of the retrograde, made even more auspicious by the fact that Mercury will be making a beautiful trine with lucky planet Jupiter on March 9. Keep an open mind and be willing to look at things in a fresh light.

Energy could intensify during the final week of the retrograde, as Mercury will align with hot-headed and impulsive Mars on March 15. You might feel a little more reckless when it comes to making decisions, reacting to others, or speaking your mind, so it’ll be helpful to slow down before you do anything too definitive and wait until the retrograde ends in a few days’ time.

On March 17 — the day before the heart-opening new moon in Pisces, and three days before Mercury retrograde ends — Mercury will hook up with the North Node of Destiny, allowing you to clear some deep blockages that have stood between you and your higher purpose. It’s a powerful way to wrap up this backspin, and it’ll set the stage for a major mental and emotional growth spurt post-retrograde.

Speaking of wrapping up the backspin, Mercury stations direct on March 20, and the significance of this timing shouldn’t be overlooked. March 20 happens to be the first day of Aries season, the astrological new year, and the spring equinox in the Northern hemisphere, so this retrograde serves as the final review period ahead of a powerful new beginning. As everyone moves into a new season and the sun begins fresh spin through the zodiac, Mercury gets back on a forward-facing course again, offering a refreshing boost that can jump-start your equinox with mental clarity.