What dream is returning now?

Mercury retrograde in Pisces 🌀 horoscopes & journal prompts

As my Wi-Fi flickers in and out, Zoom crashes, and three people I haven’t spoken to in ages write me on the same day, I’m reminded that Mercury retrograde is so much deeper than blasts from the past or technology mishaps — though that’s what it’s best known for. Retrograde is actually a permission slip to revisit what still needs your attention.

Consider what dreams or intuitive nudges got passed over too quickly, pushed aside, or were left incomplete. We cannot elbow our way through Pisces any faster than we can run in a pool; sluggishly and comically slow. Wouldn’t you rather glide through?

This jaunt through Pisces lasts from February 25th to March 20th, delivering us to the doorstep of the spring equinox and Aries season. It is short, semi-sweet, and overlaps with an eclipse on March 3. Give yourself and others the benefit of the doubt during this time, as we wade between realms. As the existentially-looping fish leap between fountains of thought and battle sensory fatigue, my little prayer for the month ahead is that we remember everyone is much more tender than they appear.

In a world built on nervous system bombardment, think of this as one last inner attunement before Aries season. If it feels valuable, consider how surrender is the path. Stillness is the salve. Internal inquiry is the answer. What would it look like if you leaned in and made room for this retrograde as an esteemed guest rather than a robber holding your tasks and deadlines at gunpoint?

Mercury in Pisces is the poet, channel, dreamwalker. It has become one of my favorite placements in my own chart, and I’ve grown to think of her quite fondly! Placements in “fall” and “detriment” have a reputation for being sluggish, awkward, out of step… but there’s a tremendous amount of magic gets lost in that classification. When the archetype of a sign doesn’t come naturally to a planet, it has to work a little harder to find its groove there — and is rewarded for that effort over time. This is what it means to mature into your chart. I find it to be a bit of a superpower.

When mental functioning and brain power is in the sign of the mystic, the mind learns to swim and float in the realm which is unspoken, intuitive, empathetic; and when that door opens, entire worlds flow through. Yes, effort must be invested to bridge the psychic landscape with the spoken word, illusory image with practical application. When strengthened like any other muscle, Mercury in Pisces can mentally synthesize their intuition, setting them apart as artists, poets, mystics and the like. Where is the growth edge, you ask?

The growth edge of Mercury in Pisces is a wandering mind, escapist tendencies, a concealed inner world, a distortion between what you think and what you say, bouts of confusion, depression, existential haze, mental exhaustion, spiritual fatigue. The shadow can be supported by practicing regular energetic hygiene and taking responsibility for your thoughts — as obvious as that might sound. Resist letting the creativity of Pisces run away with an assumption, blossoming into an entire narrative that isn’t based in reality. Intuition is not a replacement for evidence, and the role of Mercury is to inquire, be curious, and ask the right questions. Here is where Pisces is put to the test and Mercury feels out of its depth in this sign; here, it must acquire proof that supports Piscean sensory observations and “show their work” on paper, so to speak.

Pisces medicine is the reminder that when you slow down and soften, everything — no matter how mundane — can be a devotional practice.

Is there a dream waiting for you to quiet your world enough to remember it? Take a page out of the Piscean playbook for the next month to tap in:

• Spend time by water — lake, public pool, ocean, river, stream

• Take baths and anoint them with oils and petals like an ancient priestess

• Journal and meditate every day, see what comes through in the stillness (can do 5 minutes each, just a 10-minute practice!)

• If you start to feel overwhelmed, reframe a feeling as “the story I’m telling myself right now is…“ And walk yourself through the narrative, figuring out where the story is grounded in facts

• Mercury retrograde is always a great time to revisit The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. These principles are particularly potent in windows of time where our communication breaks down as a collective.

• Pick up or return to a creative outlet with no expectation on output. Watercolor, dance class, free poetry prompts online, writing class, painting, playing guitar. Notice the inspiration that comes through when you give yourself permission to create without expectation.

• Get plenty of sleep, but try to be up by the same time everyday. Pisces needs structure within which to soften! Be more diligent about a bedtime.

• Keep a journal by your nightstand for any ideas that come in the form of dreams.

• Drink tea before bed. Chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, peppermint.

• Make everything, no matter how mundane, a devotional practice.

Journal prompts for the house it’s in:

• What becomes obvious here when I slow down?

• What old dreams or ideas are tapping me on the shoulder here?

• Have I become complacent in my own becoming?

• How can I acknowledge passive or escapist habits here?

• On a scale from 1 to 10, how is my spiritual hygiene in this area? Meaning, how clear do my energetic pathways feel? How available is my energy? How affected do I feel by others and outside circumstances here?

• How can I best champion my intuition here?

• How can I narrow my energy down exclusively to what I can control in this area?

1st: Body, self-image, personal identity
2nd: Finances, stability, self-worth
3rd: Communication, ideas, sharing
4th: Family, home, unconscious, roots
5th: Creativity, play, ego, being seen
6th: Health, wellness, service, routines
7th: Relationships, balance, boundaries
8th: Intimacy, privacy, shadow work
9th: Big ideas, travel, study, expansion
10th: Career, reputation, work ethic
11th: Friends, technology, community
12th: Spirit, mysticism, subconscious

Before you read your horoscope, find the house of Pisces in your birth chart on astro.com. Locate the distance between 22 to 8 degrees; that’s the range of this retrograde. (Click here for my free tutorial on identifying a transit.)

1st house: What does your body need that you’ve been putting off? How does your spiritual practice inform your identity, and are there any elements of the esoteric that you want to revisit or re-integrate into your self-care or self-image?

2nd house: What financial matters need your attention? What dreams might resurface around stability, financial freedom, earning money through your creativity, craft, poetry, spirituality?

3rd house: What interests or projects have been a bit lost in the shuffle that you want to slow down and make time for? Whether that’s a book or essay or course, notice what dream is waking back up around your voice and how you use it.

4th house: What dreams are resurfacing on the home front? Where you live, who you live with, how you spend your day? Examine the habits, rituals, and sacred spaces that you tend. Imagine the renewed tenderness you could cultivate here.

5th house: What creative outlets or projects could use a little extra lovin’ now? Where could you give your creativity more grace to exist on its own timeline, but also be more consciously prioritized? Revisit the creative urges you’ve put off. What urges want to come back into the fold?

6th house: Every day is a clean slate. What devotional details in your lifestyle have fallen through the cracks, but are still important to you? From the supplements you take to the admin piling up in your drafts folder, to the daily meditation practice you’ve been meaning to restart… reaffirm your daily routines and devotions.

7th house: What is the next frontier for your relationships? Where do you want to dream and grow together, where do you want to go deeper, where are emotional boundaries needed? What conversations have you been putting off that feel more and more relevant? Relationship matters will be naturally addressed during this time.

8th house: Check in on the quality of your inner world. Catalogue the resources in the wings that you can call upon to take care of yourself, to clarify your vision, to support your dreams. Think of this as a toolbox. Friends, therapists, watercolors, naps, long baths… Recall and reaffirm what feels most supportive to your inner world during this retrograde. Do not strong-arm your way through this; softness is rebellion.

9th house: Notice which big-picture dreams resurface during this time. Any goals you put on the shelf or tucked away for a rainy day might have a way of poking through. Perhaps there’s a dream tied to travel or going back to school or finding a deeper sense of personal freedom, that you thought was previously unattainable or out of reach — now would be poignant time to revisit them.

10th house: Keep your side of the street clean where work is concerned. Double check the fine print, follow through, do what you say you’re going to do, and avoid over-committing. Can you create space to do less during this time, and notice what ideas and dreams arrive in the downtime? Remember, dreams choose you for a reason. If they tap you on the shoulder again and again, that’s for a reason, too.

11th house: Matters of friendship and community will arise, including your definition of belonging. What do you dream and yearn for in these spaces? If you could design your dream community and engagement, what would that look like? How many hours a month would you invest, what spaces would you like to participate in, and how similar or dissimilar does that look next to your current community ecosystem?

12th house: You cannot outrun the subconscious, nor the patterns and habits that live there. The dreams waiting in the wings, the stories you keep under lock and key. While Mercury waltzes through this private and hazy house, can you create room to acknowledge all of those parts of yourself? A daily meditation and journaling practice could be tremendously beneficial for you during this time. Spirit will make it very clear what is deserving of your energy and what is not.

Through the fog and to the dream we go,
Ocean Pleasant