Mercury and Venus Retrogrades of 2026

A Venus retrograde and Mercury retrograde are happening in the sign of Scorpio next week. October 3rd, at 8 degrees Scorpio, Venus begins her apparent trip back through the depth of Scorpio’s watery underworld. Mercury stations retrograde 3 weeks later on October 24th, at 20 degrees Scorpio.

Some themes the astrological weather in this period will cover include:

Romantic love, art, justice, sex, intimacy, gossip, people pleasing, pleasure, power, abuse of power, abuse, trauma, rebirth, rebellion, taboo, exploitation, tyranny, food, nature, water (including stagnant or poisonous water), communication, miscommunication, money, investment, property, property damage, natural disasters which clearly show the effects of rampant earth abuse, machine malfunctions, technical difficulties and more!

To get a Venus reading in which I interpret this astrological weather’s impact on your personal natal chart, send me an email. Venus readings are $25 for a 10-11 minute audio file delivered within a few days. For urgent readings delivered within 24 hours the cost is $40.

In a game called Life Mercury is the player which thinks, communicates, transmits and receives. While Venus is the player which values, loves, appreciates and exudes beauty, and rules the experience of sensuality. Venus and Mercury both rule two signs in astrology. Venus rules both Taurus and Libra while Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo. Folks with significant placements in these signs may experience the retrogrades as more impactful than those of us without those placements. Read more below on some of the impact and keep your eyes and ears open as more is exposed in the news as it pertains to stories like the Cornell 7 and the Epstein files.

Generally, if revenue slows down or payment is otherwise delayed and miscommunications abound, keep in mind that Venus is surreptitiously tending to your Scorpio and later Libra placements while Mercury is bringing mental attention to the similar matters, however at a different pace and at a slightly different location in your chart. Extra care and communication is the medicine in both instances. If you haven’t been paid, pick up the phone to call and ask your customer if they received their invoice, There is a lot more to be said about these transits and your personal birth chart, below I offer some tips on how to look at this.

During any given Retrograde period, the transiting planet may visit a natal placement (or more than one placement in your chart). During the duration of these retrogrades we’ll experience:

Libra new moon 10/10

Pluto stations direct in Aquarius 10/16

Venus square Pluto 10/20

Taurus full moon 10/25

Scorpio new moon 11/8

Venus Readings

Email hello@lightgoddessalchemy.com to order your personal Venus mini-reading. $25 for 10-11 minute audio.

On October 3rd 2026 Venus turns Retrograde at 8 degrees Scorpio. Find where that degree is, by house, in your natal chart, taking note of any natal placements nearby. On November 14th Venus stations direct. Locate 22 degrees Libra, the degree at which Venus then turns direct in your natal chart. On October 23rd a Venus retrograde Cazimi occurs, just days before a Taurus (ruled by Venus) full moon!

While the most interesting astrology so far this year was largely about angles and dynamic change (ahem and chaos) the astrology of this fall is about intimacy and proximity in service to extraordinary transformation. It’s a great time to handle the internal demons who’ve insisted you’re not worthy of having your needs met. In slaying these demons you’ll be confronted with the realities of late stage capitalism. If you are still telling yourself that the reason you struggle to keep up is due to your bootstraps not being pulled tight enough, you can anticipate engaging with your soul’s pain from the wounding caused by the systems that require you to believe this about yourself, and your boots. Ouch! Your religion and your culture might insist that you don’t deserve to be happy and have your needs met unless you comply and/or give an oath. The astrology this fall encourages you to consider that the fact that you exist is more than enough reason for earth and living beings to live in harmony with your abundant quality of life.

I’m not saying that naming late stage capitalism and the harm its done to earth, living beings, human bodies, children and relationships solves human suffering. I’m not saying that understanding you deserved wellness as soon as you came to exist is going to pay off your Audi. I AM saying that being honest about these struggles and the harm that is being caused by the systems that exploit us will relieve some pressure. Being honest will free up mental energy you’ve previously used while doing mental gymnastics to make the benefits of trickle down economics make sense and align with your lived experience. Fuck original sin. Welcome in original right to eat real food, drink clean water and be securely sheltered.

On October 24th, Mercury turns retrograde at 24 degrees Scorpio. Find where that degree is, by house, in your natal chart. On November 14th, when Venus stations direct, so too does Mercury. Locate 5 degrees Scorpio, the degree at which Mercury then turns direct, in your natal chart (it’s likely to be in the same house or an adjacent one). In both instances, be sure to look for any natal placements in Mercury’s path. (Full moon in Taurus on 10/25).

We can expect collective impact, not just because of our cumulative personal experiences with this astrological weather, but because these transits will affect generational placements. That is, slower moving placements from over the years will be transitted, affecting many of us. Personally we’l eachl experience it as it pertains to the houses affected. Some of us will experience transits to personal placements such as the ascendant, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and the midheaven.

Here are examples of how Venus retrograde will impact some of us.

Pain relief to relationship and power wounds for those born in 1996 and 1997 with Chiron în Libra/Scorpio. Willingness to being perceived as vulnerable is helpful here.

Rebirth and radical freedom from how you have “always been” or how things have “always been done” for Folks born between 1980 and 1987 with Pluto in Libra/Scorpio. The path to freedom will be outside of your comfort zone, openness to being uncomfortable is helpful here.

An invitation to break free from habitual behaviors which have felt fated and instead to break out of your comfort zone and practice what your soul is destined to experience for humans born between December 1985 and September 1986 South Node in Scorpio/Libra. Openness to being uncomfortable is helpful here, too.

Wound tending to long term trauma for folks born in December 1972- December 1976 with Uranus in Libra/Scorpio. It is ok to use extra energy to heal instead of to continue patterns of self betrayal which developed from pain. Once Venus is direct and passes over natal Uranus placements, attention and energy being paid to the subsequent innovations and sudden insights is advisable. It’s time to change things up now that you’re in a new cycle of that long term trauma. It’s likely your vision will have cleared in some way.

Folks born between September 1952- December 1959 with Neptune in Libra/Scorpio could experience some confusion during the retrograde transit, around what they value and what or whom they’ve believed. Once direct the invitation is to use attention to live aligned with your actual values. To feel aligned with your belief system, or to leave it. The important part is giving yourself actual choices, especially those you always thought were off the table.