Mercury retrograde has a rep for throwing just about anything and everything in life off-track, whether you’re dealing with text messages that mysteriously vanish into the abyss, feeling like you’re speaking a different language from your partner or navigating traffic delays that lead to missing crucial appointments. But the truth of the matter is that the frequent transit — which occurs three to four times a year — also comes with plenty of silver linings.
When the messenger planet, which oversees communication, transportation and technology, moves back for the third and final time in 2025 from Sunday, November 9 to Saturday, November 29, you can reflect on and revise how you’re pursuing personal growth, deep emotional and even spiritual connection and joint financial goals. This is thanks to the fact that the last Mercury retrograde of 2025 falls in Sagittarius, the mutable fire sign associated with the Ninth House of Adventure, and Scorpio, the fixed water sign associated with the Eighth House of Intimacy and Shared Resources. Read on for all the details on the latest Mercury retrograde.
Big picture takeaways
- The final Mercury retrograde of 2025 falls in Sagittarius and Scorpio, requiring retracing your footsteps when it comes to broadening your horizons, personal growth and intimate relationships.
- Mercury moves back through gregarious Sagittarius from November 9 to 18 before cruising back through mysterious Scorpio between November 18 to 29.
- During this Mercury retrograde, we’ll move through the annual Scorpio new moon on November 20. While you’ve likely heard that it’s best to avoid kicking off anything new when Mercury is retrograde, this can still be a powerful moment for setting a bold intention.
What is Mercury retrograde, and what does it mean?
In astrology, Mercury is the planet of communication, transportation and technology, and when it’s moving at its typical clip forward through the zodiac, all of those areas of life generally run more smoothly. But three to four times a year, for about three weeks at a time, the messenger planet moves at a slower pace than usual before appearing to move backward from our vantage point on Earth. When this happens, Mercury-ruled aspects of life tend to get delayed and decelerated. You’ll experience crossed wires while trying to communicate with coworkers, lagging technology and frequent holdups while trying to make your way across town.
Moments like these during Mercury retrograde can be aggravating, but there are opportunities presented by the astrological event, as well. For example, we’re all encouraged to retrace our footsteps, revise, reimagine and reevaluate. Mercury fuels not only how we express ourselves but how we think, and when it moves backward, it allows us a chance to prioritize inner work and walks down memory lane — both of which can lay the groundwork for more productivity and motivation once Mercury moves ahead.
You’ve heard that when Mercury is retrograde, you should avoid signing contracts, starting new projects, buying electronics and even traveling based on your zodiac sign. This isn’t always possible, of course, so the next best thing to do is to just be extra cautious, double-checking all the details to hopefully prevent any miscommunication, glitches or roadblocks. And yet, that can be particularly challenging to do until Mercury moves forward, so this period is a chance to work on adaptability and tapping into your sense of humor to move through potentially headache-inducing incidents.
If you’re frustrated to learn that Mercury is retrograde once more, I can reassure you, as an astrologer and the author of Mercury Magic: How to Thrive During Retrogrades and Tap Into the Power of the Messenger Planet All Year Long, that it’s possible to capitalize on a pre-retrograde shadow.
When is Mercury retrograde in November 2025?
Mercury goes retrograde on Sunday, November 9 at 2:20 p.m. ET/11:20 a.m. PT and will end on Saturday, November 29 at 12:38 p.m. ET/9:38 a.m. PT.
Over the course of the retrograde, Mercury will move back from 6 degrees of mutable fire sign Sagittarius to 20 degrees of the fixed water sign Scorpio.
What is Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio?
With Mercury moving forward and then backward through, first, mutable fire sign Sagittarius and then, fixed water sign Scorpio, this retrograde is wired to spur introspection around how you’re pursuing personal growth and satiating your wanderlust, exploring different points of view, nurturing your closest bonds, experiencing transformation, power and control and driving toward shared financial goals. You can revise game plans related to higher education, travel, spiritual wisdom or personal philosophies as well as your sex life and deep-rooted emotional wounds.
During 2025’s Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio, watch out for exaggerated and stubborn communication.
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, so the fire sign excels at hyping themselves and others up with grand plans and entertaining, unfiltered self-expression. What can fall by the wayside here is attention to detail, which is often incredibly important for clarity within any conversation or information exchange.
Scorpio is co-ruled by Mars, the planet of action, and Pluto, the planet of power, and the water sign is known for being resolute and, at times, obstinate when asserting themselves. They can struggle with nuance and may insist there’s only one specific path forward.
That said, while Mercury moves back through gregarious Sagittarius, the sign of the Archer ruled by go-big-or-go-home Jupiter, from November 9 to 18, you could find that miscommunications tend to result from exaggerated, brash statements and the conflation of facts and opinions. From November 18 to 29, Mercury’s backspin through Scorpio may cause crossed wires that are rooted in someone holding their cards too close to the vest or digging their heels in.
2025’s Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio hosts a new moon you won’t want to miss
Over a week before Mercury goes direct, it overlaps with a new moon in Scorpio on November 20. Chances are you’ve heard that Mercury retrogrades are for dealing with current and past business versus forging ahead into a new chapter, which new moons invite us to do. While it might be tougher to fully launch a new game plan — be that searching for a new home or nailing down the best approach for a work assignment — until after November 29, don’t hesitate to reflect on your vision and set a powerful intention in the days around this lunar event. Scorpio is extremely driven, determined and laser-focused, so the new moon in the water sign is a fantastic opportunity to commit to a goal — even if it might shift and change in the coming weeks and months.
How the Mercury retrograde in November 2025 will impact your sign
Here is how the 2025 Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio will affect you, based on your sign. (Be sure to read your rising sign, if you know it. If you don’t, you can find it in your birth chart or by using this CafeAstrology calculator.)
Aries
Mercury’s backspin from November 9 to 18 happens in your adventure sector, inviting you to do some soul searching around how you’ve been listening to and trusting your gut instincts. How can you better satiate your wanderlust, expand your mind and pursue personal growth? Then from the 18th to the 29th, the messenger planet backs up through your intimacy zone, allowing you to take a magnifying glass to the way you’ve been nurturing your closest bonds and tending to deep-rooted, challenging emotions. You can also reassess a particular approach to shared finances (like taking a closer look at what you’re spending on a particular expense, like health insurance or putting aside for retirement).
Click through for more on Aries.
Taurus
Prepare to feel like you’re going back in time within your one-on-one bonds, because this Mercury retrograde falls in both your intimacy zone — from November 9 to 18 — and your partnership sector from November 18 to 29. If you’ve been clashing with a significant other or someone special or having trouble figuring out the best strategy for hitting a shared aspiration, this retrograde urges you to tie up loose ends and face down lingering challenges so you can truly move forward. If you’re able to do a bit of mediation or negotiation with a friend, loved one, significant other or colleague prior to November 20, you can take advantage of the new moon there in your partnership zone by zeroing in on an intention that feels intuitively right to you both.
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Gemini
Mercury retrogrades impact you more than most signs (save Virgo), because it’s your ruling planet, and this time, you’ll be experiencing its backspin in terms of your one-on-one bonds — platonic, professional or romantic — and your health and daily routine. You tend to prefer to be on-the-go and flitting from one event, get-together, meeting or trip to the next, but slowing down now can only serve to benefit your bonds and your vitality. From November 9 to 18, you can smooth over conflicts with a partner or perfect your approach to fulfilling a shared desire (like kicking off a side hustle together or defining the relationship). Then, when Mercury backs up through your wellness sector from the 18th to the 29th, you can revise your everyday self-care routine, perhaps going back to a practice you previously loved (like yin yoga or morning walks).
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Cancer
This retrograde falls in your wellness and romance zones, nudging you to think about how you’ve been caring for your health and finding room for fun, self-expression and magic. For starters, from November 9 to 18, you could be inspired to switch up everyday to-dos that simply aren’t adding up to the results you had originally intended to get. Maybe you want to see a different health care provider or go back to a fitness routine you once loved but hit pause on. Then, from the 18th to the 29th, you have the green light to hit pause on working so hard, instead prioritizing spontaneous, lighthearted activities that bring you bliss, especially alongside a significant other or loved ones. Even sending flirty texts to someone special or taking a walk down memory lane by going to see a classic movie you’ve always loved sends sparks flying.
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Leo
Mercury moves back through your romance and self-expression zone to start, making you yearn for more creativity and playfulness in your life — ideally alongside your significant other or closest friends. Life has felt downright frenetic and heavy lately, and from November 9 to 18, you’ll be reminded that you deserve to have fun and carve out space for more joy and lightness. This could be the ideal moment for booking a whimsical rendezvous to a destination you’ve always loved or resuming an artistic endeavor you previously hit pause on. From the 18th to the 29th, as Mercury backs up through your home zone, you’ll be compelled to work through any ongoing rockiness with a loved one, tackle projects around the home that have been nagging loose ends and take stock of how you’ve been caring for your emotional well-being.
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Virgo
All Mercury retrogrades impact you more than other signs, because your sign is ruled by the messenger planet (like Gemini). This one will be most noticeable in terms of your home life and in terms of self-expression and short-distance travel, because it falls in your home zone and then your communication sector. You can make the most of its trip back through your home sector from November 9 to 18 by prioritizing heart-to-hearts with loved ones that are long overdue. It may be time to assert certain needs or clarify long-term goals. You could also deal with any loose ends related to repairs around your physical home and healing old emotional wounds through self-work. Then, from the 18th to the 29th, anticipate a surge of frenetic energy and feeling pulled in a bevy of directions. Mercury’s challenging you to assess and set boundaries around how you’re exerting your mental and social energy.
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Libra
With Mercury moving back through your communication zone from November 9 to 18, you’ll feel the stereotypical effects of this transit more than most signs (with the exception of Virgo). This could mean missed flights, delayed packages, tech issues and feeling like you’re speaking a different language than people in your life who you’re generally in sync with. The greater purpose of these frustrating moments may be to reflect and work on your own self-expression, but it’s also a chance to bolster patience, diplomacy and a sense of humor. From the 18th to the 29th, Mercury backs up through your money sector, and you’ll have a unique chance to revise how you’re bringing in cash, saving, spending and investing. You can also do meaningful self-work around your self-worth, which could ultimately benefit your bottom line as the two are inextricably linked.
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Scorpio
This Mercury retrograde falls in your money sector to start, from November 9 to 18, encouraging you to take a microscope to cash flow and how you’ve been bringing your skills to the table to earn your paycheck. If you’ve been feeling unfulfilled or as though the results simply don’t reflect what you deserve, you can do some soul searching and game-planning around your next best moves. Then, as Mercury backs up through your sign from the 18th to 29th, you can think back to events that unfolded when it was direct there from October 6 to 29. What secrets or uncomfortable truths might need to be spot lit now so that you can show up as your most authentic self out in the world? How can you reframe, refresh or brush up your sense of style, resume or even strategy for hitting a long-term goal? Going inward is the key to moving the ball in the ideal direction you’ve been envisioning. Your annual new moon on November 20 can be a fruitful time to devote yourself to a certain path.
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Sagittarius
Mercury’s retrograde impacts your self-image sector from November 9 to 18 and then your spirituality zone from the 18th to the 29th, so this could be a deeply restorative, personal and emotional month. You’ll do well to make time for reflecting on how you’ve been showing up in your life — in relationships, at work and for yourself, in terms of self-care — and then musing about how you can feel even more gratified. Then, as Mercury backs up through your spirituality zone, you could feel more drained and in need of solo time spent resting, dreaming and recharging. This could be a little bizarre, to be fair, because you generally prefer to be out and about, but know that allowing yourself to decompress now actually sets the stage for more satisfying social experiences in the near future.
Click here for more on Sagittarius.
Capricorn
Mercury kicks off its retrograde in your spirituality sector, requiring you to prioritize introspection, rest, reflection and tuning into your intuition. This slower, less energetic and industrious pace could be a bit frustrating for you at first, to be sure, but trust that finding room to go inward and care for your psychological and emotional well-being will ultimately serve to bolster your productivity, as well. Then, from November 18 to 29, Mercury’s backspin continues through your networking and friendships zone, urging reflection around who you’ve been surrounding yourself with. You want to feel aligned to your community, social circle and colleagues, and if something’s off, you have the ability to reimagine your platonic bonds now.
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Aquarius
This Mercury retrograde initially impacts your long-term wishes zone, encouraging you to reassess how you’ve been pursuing your aspirations. Would connecting with other likeminded people as part of a new community or leaning on friends help you to make even more impressive strides? How could a team project set the stage for a new, fulfilling role? From the 18th to the 29th, Mercury moves back through your career sector, so you’ll be tying up loose ends related to professional endeavors and potentially also doing self-work around your definition of success. Meditating on your ideal endgame can help you hone your sense of authority and lay the groundwork for feeling even more fulfilled.
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Pisces
Mercury moves back through your career sector to start, which presents an opportunity to rethink and revise how you’ve been pursuing your big picture dreams. Could you potentially make your mark in a different way than you had previously imagined? How has your approach to taking the reins on the job served you — or inhibited your growth? Asking yourself questions like these can pave the way to more success down the road. From the 18th to 29th, you could experience restlessness as Mercury makes its way back through your adventure and higher learning sector. Though it may be tougher to satiate your wanderlust than usual, you could find creative ways to broaden your horizons now, like researching a future vacation or reconnecting with a mentor to brush up on a particular skill set.
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