Mercury retrograde · Pisces
Mercury Retrograde February 2026: Feb 26 – Mar 20
- Turns retrograde
- Feb 26, 2026 06:47Pisces 22°34′
- Turns direct
- Mar 20, 2026 19:34Pisces 8°29′
- Shadow period
- Feb 11 – Apr 9, 2026
Times in UTC, to the minute, from the astronomical ephemeris.
The first Mercury retrograde of 2026 starts at Feb 26, 2026 06:47 and ends at Mar 20, 2026 19:34 (UTC), all of it in Pisces, from 22°34′ back to 8°29′. With the shadow periods (Feb 11 – Apr 9, 2026), Mercury crosses this stretch of the zodiac three times: forward, back, and forward again. The calculator below finds which house of your chart the stretch falls in and which of your planets it touches.
Which house does this retrograde fall in for you?
The same retrograde lands in a different place in everyone's chart. Enter your birth details to see which area of your life it passes through and which of your planets it touches.
This retrograde in Pisces
Mercury in Pisces runs on intuition and blurs boundaries. Retrograde, keep some time alone to sort your thoughts, write things down, and confirm important words in writing.
Astrology reads a retrograde as a time to look back: reread, renegotiate, repair, double-check. It is not bad luck and it does not make things go wrong. The useful question is which things are worth a second look right now.
What to look back at, house by house
- 1st House
how you present yourself and how you talk
- 2nd House
income, spending habits, what you value
- 3rd House
communication, paperwork, short trips, siblings
- 4th House
home, family, where you live
- 5th House
romance, creativity, play
- 6th House
daily work, routines, health habits
- 7th House
partners, collaborations, contracts
- 8th House
shared money, trust, intimacy
- 9th House
study, long journeys, beliefs
- 10th House
career direction, your public image
- 11th House
friends, communities, hopes
- 12th House
rest, solitude, what goes unsaid
By rising sign
Don't know your houses? By rising sign (whole-sign houses), this retrograde falls in your:
- Aries Rising
12th House: rest, solitude, what goes unsaid
- Taurus Rising
11th House: friends, communities, hopes
- Gemini Rising
10th House: career direction, your public image
- Cancer Rising
9th House: study, long journeys, beliefs
- Leo Rising
8th House: shared money, trust, intimacy
- Virgo Rising
7th House: partners, collaborations, contracts
- Libra Rising
6th House: daily work, routines, health habits
- Scorpio Rising
5th House: romance, creativity, play
- Sagittarius Rising
4th House: home, family, where you live
- Capricorn Rising
3rd House: communication, paperwork, short trips, siblings
- Aquarius Rising
2nd House: income, spending habits, what you value
- Pisces Rising
1st House: how you present yourself and how you talk
FAQ
When is the February 2026 Mercury retrograde?
Mercury turns retrograde at Feb 26, 2026 06:47 and direct at Mar 20, 2026 19:34 (UTC), all of it in Pisces, from 22°34′ back to 8°29′. The times come from the astronomical ephemeris, to the minute.
When is the shadow period, and does it matter?
This time the shadow runs Feb 11 – Apr 9, 2026. The pre-shadow is a prelude, when things that will need a second look first show up; the post-shadow is the wrap-up. Both are milder than the retrograde itself.
Why do sites give different dates?
Mercury turns at one exact moment, which can fall on different dates in different time zones. This page uses UTC; the Chinese pages use Beijing time.
Can I sign a contract or change jobs during Mercury retrograde?
Astrology doesn't decide for you. Life and work go on as usual; it is simply a good time to double-check the details and give conversations more room. Whether to do it depends on the thing itself, not on Mercury.
When is the next Mercury retrograde?
The next one starts at Jun 29, 2026. See the full Mercury retrograde calendar for every date.