What Mercury Entering His Shadow Zone Means For Your Love Life & Relationships Until Turning Retrograde On February 17th
Sometimes it's not people we need to revisit, but our feelings.
getty On Feburary 1st, our zodiac signs see the start of our first retrograde of the year when Mercury in Pisces slips into his pre-shadow phase. This will pull us back into the emotions that we tried to sweep under the carpet.
In astrology, Mercury is the planet that governs our communications and thought processes. As he moves through different signs, it affects what we feel within ourselves, and those conversations we have with others change as well.
Mercury in Pisces is frustrated because he’s not allowed to be logical; instead, he's challenged to delve into the depths of his emotional world.
A retrograde with this planet often occurs approximately three times a year. Famous for bringing exes back into our lives, this planet can encourage us to revisit things in our lives that we had previously thought were settled or finalized.
Mercury retrograde is a time where we are encouraged to redo, review and redesign our lives. It’s a season of second chances and the time to make good on those things we thought had passed us by forever.
Pisces is seen as this planet’s most difficult placement, but that doesn’t mean it’s a negative for us, only that it’s likely we’re going to be challenged in some way because of it. Pisces is the twelfth sign of the zodiac and arguably one of the most emotional. It’s sensitive, mysterious and intuitive. Pisces would follow their heart right off a cliff if that’s where it led them, often learning with age that we need to take our brains too.
This is always a water sign that’s incredibly romantic and in their feelings, which means we will be too. Essentially, we’re bringing together our feelings with the planet that likes to talk, which means not only are we going to have to acknowledge them but discuss them with others.
The Mercury pre-shadow phase lasts from February 1st to February 17th, before officially turning retrograde from February 18th to March 9th.
This is an active retrograde period that begins with an intensity that focuses on our feelings and asks the really hard questions. What do we feel? What do we want? Who do we love? And, most importantly, what we are going to do because of it?
While it’s uncomfortable to be faced with these big questions, it’s also a necessity because we can’t grow until we do. We can’t change until we know what we must focus on, and we can’t do that until we get clear on the truth that is in our hearts.
Mercury in Pisces is likely going to bring back some feelings we thought were over. Mercury in Pisces may not just bring that ex back, but also that love and the realization that not even time could change the connection.
For many, we often feel this pre-shadow phase even more strongly than the regular retrograde because a planet is at its most potent just before and just after it turns retrograde. This means we must ready ourselves for a surge of emotions that may lead to us feeling frustrated or confused, which could then lead to avoidant behavior. Avoidant behavior is when we become so overwhelmed with something that we consciously or unconsciously refuse to deal with it.
Many of us use this tactic when we’re dealing with feelings that we don’t know how to process, not because it’s outside of our ability but because it requires us to step out of our comfort zone. In order to make the most of this Mercury in Pisces retrograde, we need to suspend our beliefs about what is possible and what isn’t. We need to try to bring awareness to our feelings and reactions so that we can deal with whatever is brought to the surface instead of setting it aside for a later time.
No one wants the past to come back. No one, especially this year, wants to go back to 2019. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to have to.
Truthfully, we need to take a deep breath and accept that we’re going to have to deal with what we washed our hands of, because there’s more to learn there. There’s more to experience and there’s more to the story than we had written off.
To be in the place to do this, we must give up how we think things should be. We must let go of who we think we are and the storylines we’ve lived by. We must get to the place where we simply flow with the rhythm of life and also with the spirit, the universe. Trusting that if we practice that faith, if we suspend our belief system and walk forward with confidence, we will end up precisely where we’re meant to.
As we begin to have these old feelings creep in, we must accept them, smile at them and welcome them in. Invite them to sit with us, to tell us what we need to know. Because when we have these feelings from our past return, it’s not to mess us up but to help us move forward.
To be that reset button we’ve all wanted to hit from time to time so that maybe, just maybe, it’s not about getting over anything or even anyone, but simply growing beyond what was so we can welcome what can be.
These first few weeks of this Mercury retrograde are just the beginning. We will be in this energy of reviewing aspects from our emotional past until mid-March, so instead of pushing away what’s uncomfortable, decide to welcome in what can grow.
Kate Rose is an artist, writer, passionate yogi, spiritual astrologist, relationship and life coach, and motivational speaker. As a spiritual intuitive, she practices the religion of astrology and love. For more of her work, visit her website.