02/26/2026
Surviving the Shift of Mercury Retrograde:
February 26, 2026, at 1:18 am EST begins the first day of Mercury retrograde, a "Murphy's Law" period lasting three weeks that occurs three times a year. The planet goes direct on March 20, 2026, at 3:33 am EDT, and problems start to subside as life goes back to normal.
Mercury retrograde has a lead-in (pre-shadow) period which begins about two weeks before on February 11, 2026, at 5:14 am EST (pre-Retrograde), and has a lead-out (post-shadow) period which ends about two weeks after on April 9, 2026, at 7:37 am EDT (post-Retrograde).
The entire Mercury retrograde period, including lead-in and lead-out (shadow) periods, lasts about seven weeks. Afterward, one realizes Mercury Retrograde was definitely a "wipe-my-brow" or "that-was-a-close-one" period which was so stressful. Take time to rest as you need it and pace yourself.
During Mercury retrograde, communication can become strained or spotty, routine actions may be difficult, simple things become complicated, unexpected roadblocks crop up, and there are always delays. Mechanical and electrical items start to function poorly or break down completely. Relationship issues come to the forefront. Enough said.
Mercury retrograde is a time period to get in sync with adversity especially during the first week. Once a natural rhythm and new baseline are established, and you're going with the flow instead of swimming upstream, a period of consolidation and completion occurs. Finish old projects instead of starting new ones. It's best not to sign contracts or make large purchases. Stick with the tried and true to maintain the status quo.
Throughout the entire period, double-check your work, reconfirm appointments, check on associates and friends, and communicate as effectively as possible. Expect the unexpected as things break, get delayed, never happen, or exceed their budget. Get out your To Do List and start checking off completed tasks one at a time. Pat yourself on the back at your accomplishments.
You're moving forward if you've survived Mercury retrograde and didn't pull out your hair, lash out, quit your job, or go wacko. Just think, it's another three months till Mercury retrograde happens again. Are you psyched with anticipation?
Mercury Retrograde Periods in U.S.A.: (Dates reflect Eastern Time U.S., not Universal Time.)
o 2026: Feb. 26-March 20, June 29-July 23, and Oct. 24-Nov. 13.
o 2025: March 15-April 7, July 18-Aug. 11, and Nov. 9-29.
o 2024: April-1-25, Aug. 5-28, and Nov. 25-Dec. 15.
o 2023: (Dec. 28, 2022) - Jan. 18, April-21-May 14, Aug. 23-Sept. 15, and Dec. 13-Jan. 1 (2024).
o 2022: Jan. 13-Feb 3rd, May 10th-June 2nd, Sept. 9th-Oct. 1st, and Dec. 28-Jan. 18 (2023).
o 2021: Jan. 30th-Feb 20th, May 29th-June 22nd, and Sept. 27th-Oct. 17th.
o 2020: Feb. 17th-March 10th, June 18th-July 12th, and Oct. 14th-Nov. 3rd.
o 2019: March 5th-28th, July 7th-31st, and Oct. 31st-Nov. 20th.
o 2018: March 22nd-April 15th, July 26th-Aug. 18th, and Nov. 16th-Dec. 6th.
o 2017: till Jan. 8th, April 9th-May 3rd, Aug. 12th-Sept. 5th, and Dec. 3rd-22nd.
Copyright © 2017-2026 by Frank Michel
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