How Mercury Retrograde in Aries Will Affect Each Zodiac Sign in April 2024

Although everyone will feel its classic symptoms, you need to look into how Mercury retrograde will affect each zodiac sign for the month of April 2024, because it will paint a deeper picture of how this year is shaping up for you. If you’re already feeling more tired and disoriented than usual—like you’re just not thinking straight—there’s a good chance you can blame it on Mercury retrograde. When the planet of communication and cognitive function is spinning backwards from our perspective here on Earth, it has a way of making your brain work twice as hard in order to function.

Although Mercury retrograde is basically universally despised, it’s important to remember this experience truly isn’t the end of the world. After all, it only takes place around 3 to 4 times per year, which means Mercury retrograde is not only a familiar experience to you, but an integral part of your annual solar journey.

Lasting around three weeks, this so-called “communication crisis” has a way of dredging up unresolved drama from your past, especially if a conversation has been left on “read” for far too long. As Mercury begins its backward tailspin across the zodiac, it brings attention to situations that remain unsettled, providing you a platform to gain closure and leave the past behind you.

However, let’s also remember that Mercury is considered the trickster planet, and while retrograde, Mercury finds joy in making our lives inconvenient to the max. You can expect an increase in delays, frustrations, miscommunications and even technological mishaps. And when Mercury is retrograde, plans are rarely ever set in stone, so it’s not the most ideal time to sign contracts or make life-altering decisions. By that same token, this doesn’t mean you need to live in fear, as sometimes, you really have no choice but to say “screw you, Mercury retrograde” and do things your own way.

Mercury retrograde begins on April 1 at 6:14 p.m. ET and ends on April 25, 2024 at 8:54 a.m. ET.

On April 1 at 6:14 p.m. ET. ET, Mercury will station retrograde at 27 degrees of Aries. Because this retrograde begins in Aries—the cardinal fire sign associated with courage, independence, self-assertion freedom, and bold new beginnings—you may be forced to face issues related to your ego, your one-on-one relationships, your communication abilities, and your ability to think critically. Know when to act on impulse and when to take a beat. This retrograde is ruled by Mars—planet of power, passion, and conflict—while moving through spiritual, esoteric, and empathetic Pisces, signifying that this retrograde will be centered on our ability to act on our emotions with empathy and openness, recognizing that feelings flow through us and they’re only temporary. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be lots of fighting and crying.

Not every Mercury retrograde is as serious as this one. After all, it takes place right alongside eclipse season, right after a penumbral lunar eclipse in Libra on March 25 and just a week prior to a total solar eclipse in Aries that’s sure to rattle the cosmos on April 1. That means this retrograde is bound to bring out the receipts, exposing lies and misinformation in a way that can shift the course of the future. Joining forces with the North Node of Destiny while moving alongside Chiron—planet of grief and healing—you can bet this retrograde will pick on old wounds, but the only way to get over something is to go through it. Don’t avoid the hurt and don’t run from the pain, as these are the emotions that water the seeds of our life. Don’t deny yourself the knowledge that you are alive and ready to take on the world.

The final days of Mercury retrograde will help you toe off loose ends. Forming a conjunction to Venus—planet of love and money—this retrograde could resurrect friendships, flirtations, and deep-set desires. A full moon in Scorpio on April 23 will bring a different dimension of internal understanding, replenishing your Martian energy stores. Mercury wraps up its retrograde on April 25, 2024 at exactly 8:54 p.m. ET, stationing direct at 15 degrees Aries. And by the time it’s over, things could look very different. Expect these ripples of change to flutter until May 13, when the foggy post-retrograde shadow finally dissipates completely.

How Mercury Retrograde Will Affect Each Zodiac Sign

Here’s what you can expect from Mercury retrograde in Aries during April 2024, according to your sun and/or rising sign (and seriously, you’re missing out if you don’t read these horoscopes for your rising sign):