Seasons & Astrology
The day Mercury turns direct: how to move after the retrograde
On July 24 the Mercury retrograde that began in late June ends. How to turn what you reviewed during it into motion — with a note on the Sun meeting Jupiter at the end of the month.
Yuki 2 min read
On July 24, Mercury turns direct. The retrograde that began on June 30 — the stretch when Mercury appears to move backward across the sky — ends that day. Last time, at the start of it, I wrote about the retrograde as a period for pausing and reviewing. Today is the sequel: how to move once it lifts.
The sky at noon on July 24, 2026.
What turning direct means
When a retrograde ends, things that had stalled are said to start moving: messages get through, decisions that hung in the air find their edge. Some people do feel that. But nothing turns brisk the moment Mercury stations. After a retrograde ends, Mercury retraces the same ground slowly for a while. The gear does not jump to top speed; it climbs from low, little by little.
So if you take the station as a starting gun and try to make up for lost time all at once, the wheels tend to spin. It is easier to catch the current by starting from what the retrograde had you review.
What did you notice during the retrograde?
The value of a Mercury retrograde lies less in dodging trouble than in what became visible when you stopped. Over this last month or so: something you had left unsaid came back to you. A familiar way of working started to feel off. An old acquaintance wrote, and something from the past asked to be looked at again. Each of these was the retrograde’s version of a second look.
Now, with Mercury direct, is the time to turn those noticings into motion. What you reviewed and still want to continue, move forward again. What you realized you can stop, set down here. If the retrograde was a sorting period, what to do after it becomes clear. Writing down what you actually reviewed is a good way to see it.
Toward the end of the month
A few days after the station, on July 30, the Sun meets Jupiter in Leo. Jupiter is the planet tied to expansion and generosity, and it joins the Sun in the sign of self-expression. It may become one of the strongest moments of Leo season. Just as Mercury turns direct and thought and language face forward again, a tailwind for opening up what is yours arrives on top of it.
Spend the first days after the station steadying your footing, then lean quietly into the Leo swell at month’s end. The second half of July goes easiest that way.
Watching Mercury in Hoshidou
You can see which sign Mercury is crossing right now, and at what speed, in Hoshidou’s transit view. Lay today’s Mercury over your own chart and you can see where in your chart the switch from retrograde to direct is happening. Set it against the themes that felt sticky during the retrograde, and what this review period was about may come into focus.