When: April 1st – 25th, 2024

What: Mercury retrograde in Aries

Takeaway: When Mercury appears to move backward in the sky, tech and communication glitches ensue. Occurring in the intrepid sign of Aries, it’s easier than ever to make mistakes when we rush. These tricks, delays, and snafus all pinpoint the areas of our lives that need a system upgrade.

Hone in on the details as Mercury enters trickster mode

Mercury stations retrograde on April 1st — the cherry on top of April Fools’ Day. So amp up your appreciation of the absurd. A sense of humor is your best insurance policy as Mercury gets up to its usual tricks and pranks. The messenger appears to spin backward three or four times a year, which is all the more reason to take the glitches in stride. Yes, Mercury retrogrades tend to correspond with delays, lost mail, and malfunctioning devices here on Earth. But sometimes an excuse to pause is a blessing in disguise.

Though slowing down isn’t always the ram’s first instinct, it’s certainly good practice. There are always ways to flow with this transit rather than succumbing to frustration. As we respond to the plot twists with a few deep breaths and a willingness to reframe, rewire, and reassess what’s gone awry, this moment opens the way for us to create more efficient and functional systems in our lives. Once Mercury has regained its forward motion, that is.

This time around, Mercury stations retrograde in Aries, ushering in a potent reset of the ways we launch into action and fight the good fight with our words. In 2024, Mercury retrogrades predominantly occur in fire signs (apart from Virgo in August). So this year is teaching us to take stock before we leap. To interrogate our fiery impulses. To err on the side of reflection rather than reaction. By bringing more discernment to our life’s passions, creations, and spiritual paths, we’ll have more energy for the undertakings that truly fuel our fire. And the wisdom to release what’s merely a cortisol drain.

Aries is the sparkplug of the zodiac, ready to rush in and get there first. However, acting on instinct alone might not fly in the coming weeks. Barbed words can spiral into long-standing arguments, so do a temperature check of the room before poking the hornet’s nest. Your brave leaps require extra calculation now — especially if you want to stick the landing.

Double down on self-care — eclipse season adds unexpected plot twists

As if Mercury’s hijinx weren’t enough, this particular retrograde also coincides with the volatility of eclipse season. The solar eclipse on April 8th occurs in Aries as well. Eclipses can bring a frenetic pace and unexpected turns, so give yourself ample wiggle room to finish tasks around this date in particular. Rest, reflection, and emergency naps are recommended. Carve out time to process everything that’s surfacing, but avoid rash decisions. The urgency crackling in the air is best observed rather than acted upon.

Though poring over plan B’s and C’s isn’t exactly Aries’ forte, you can reframe organization as your next courageous campaign. Reflection and rest as your righteous allies. “Sleeping on it” as the ace up your sleeve. For every fiery flash of inspiration, spend time reinforcing the hearth that will nurture this flame. The gift of Mercury backtracking in this sign is the initiative to start fresh when something isn’t working. If anyone can return to the drawing board with gusto, it’s Aries.

The cazimi lights the way forward

Clarity briefly comes back online around 4:03 pm PT on April 11th, when Mercury joins the Sun in an auspicious moment called a cazimi. Occurring just a few days after the solar eclipse, going inward will bring revelations about everything that eclipse season dislodged. Big endings and beginnings will sharpen into focus on this day, though there’s still no rush to act. Stay alert for clues that arrive in dreams, synchronicities, bodily reactions, or sudden flashes of insight.

This cazimi is the lightbulb moment of this retrograde period, highlighting the revelations that this transit is trying to impart. Occurring in Aries, and alongside eclipse season’s twists and turns, the intel it reveals could inspire ways to begin again in your life. Bold reframes might drop for long-standing problems. Sudden urges or inklings all deserve your investigation now.

Mercury’s meetings with Chiron and Venus add healing and connection

Hot off the heels of its cazimi, Mercury makes a couple of potent connections. On April 15th, Mercury conjoins Chiron, the wounded healer. The April 8th solar eclipse in Aries was also conjunct Chiron, so stay alert for healing insights or conversations that unravel more of that story. As the second of three meetings between Mercury and Chiron, a final piece of the puzzle may be yet to come. May 6th is the last in this series of Mercury / Chiron meetings, so keep your journal or notes app handy for potential closure. For each of these days, turn the volume down on your inner critic and practice being your own best friend. Fill your journal pages or break a couple of guitar strings with the angst that’s on tap. When life’s thorns are named, they tend to lose their sting.

Mercury’s next retrograde rendezvous is decidedly more delightful. The messenger merges with Venus — the planet of beauty, love, and connection — on April 19th. Venus in Aries is considered to be in detriment, which means its expressions of love and beauty challenge Venus’ usual agenda. Freedom, independence, and pluck are not qualities we typically associate with Venus, but playing against character creates its own charm. This approach to pleasure takes on a punk edge. Let yourself be thrilled by flyby flirtations. Distress your favorite jeans. Invite the muses with the spiked collars to your desk. Double dare yourself to drop into the DMs of that creative collaborator. Just make sure to keep that draining ex or frenemy blocked, as ancient connections are known to come out of the woodwork during retrogrades.

When Mercury stations direct on April 25th, it will usher in that new car smell — and renewed conviction too. Throw yourself into life’s symbolic spring clean with the wisdom of what’s no longer working. Or what requires a few incisive tweaks. Muster up the courage to pivot your plans entirely. For every last jangle in the narrative, trust that these course corrections will prove fruitful in time. Until then, here are some helpful tips for navigating this tricky transit with relative ease:

Our Mercury retrograde survival guide

Do…

• Expect delays. Schedule buffer time for everything. When things do go smoothly, you’ll have room to relax. And when they don’t, you’ll be grateful to have plans B and C.

• Back up your files. Emails, photos — all of it. Get ahead of potential technology glitches. (Your future self will thank you.)

• Reflect, edit, organize, review, and take note of anything you repetitively think about during this period. There is meaning in what you keep returning to.

• Interrogate your first instincts, reactions, feelings of urgency, or desires to leap into action. Letting your plans percolate will help you act from a neutral rather than activated state.

• Focus on long-term solutions. Decisions made in the heat of the moment don’t always support your best future self. Commit to making choices that are aligned with your broader goals.

• When in doubt, pause, rest, or scream into a pillow. Frustration can arise during Mercury retrograde, but especially in Aries. Just remember that anger can be creative fuel when channeled with intention.

• Laugh at yourself when you make obvious mistakes. The point of this transit is to keep you humble and open to learning.

• Listen to the Astrology of the Week Ahead podcast, as well as Your Reading in the “This Week” section of the CHANI app. There, you’ll also find journal prompts and other resources that will help you work with the lessons Mercury is bringing you this retrograde season.

• Check the Transits tab in the CHANI app to discover if Mercury will be impacting one of your natal placements. You can also read your free Current Sky horoscope for Mercury in Aries to learn how your rising sign will be affected during this time.

Don’t…

• Fear Mercury retrograde. It may be annoying, but remember that worrying is simply focusing on what you don’t want. Instead, treat this period as an opportunity to reassess your strategies.

• Let the uncertainty of this period dampen your enthusiasm or curtail your courage. You can still make bold moves behind the scenes. Allow the knowledge of what’s not working to embolden your pivots, course corrections, and system upgrades.

• Buy tickets, sign contracts, or plan events during this time, if you can avoid it. If you can’t, stay flexible and assume that adjustments may be needed after the retrograde cycle is over. And maybe even during it.

• Plan for big launches or make major changes to the way you do things during this period if you can help it — unless you plan to do them around when Mercury is cazimi at 4:03 pm PT on April 11th. (That said, you may still want to work with an astrologer to pinpoint the best possible moment for you.)

• Put your life on hold. There are some things you should put off if you can, but otherwise, just make room for hiccups. Again, you shouldn’t fear this moment — just be wise to it.

Looking for more intel? Read your daily horoscope:

Aries | Taurus | Gemini | Cancer | Leo | Virgo | Libra 

Scorpio | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Aquarius | Pisces

Then download the CHANI app on iOS or Android for additional horoscopes, meditations, affirmations, readings for the current Moon phase and sign, and more.