Something feels off today, and not just your Wi-F or the massive website outage we all experienced recently. Mercury’s pre-retrograde shadow starts now, the sneaky slip before its full reversal on November 9. Astrologers call it the “retroshade,” when wires start to cross and the past drifts a little too close for comfort.
According to The New York Post, the pre-shadow starts at 20°42 of Scorpio and lasts until Mercury stations retrograde in early November. The planet of communication, logic, and travel doesn’t fully regain its footing until December 16, which means the next two months will carry that familiar mix of miscommunication, tech glitches, and existential overthinking that Mercury retrograde has become infamous for.
The pre-shadow is often overlooked, but astrologers say it’s where the groundwork is laid. This is the part of the cycle when themes begin to surface, you know the ones. The old argument you thought was resolved, the ex who suddenly reappears, the email you probably should’ve double-checked before hitting send.
Mercury Retrograde Pre-Shadow Starts Today, and the Universe Already Feels Off
“The pre-shadow is when we start to feel the effects of Mercury’s slowdown,” astrologer Lisa Stardust told the Post. “It’s the time when the retrograde themes first start creeping in—misunderstandings, delays, and déjà vu moments.”
When Mercury moves backward, astrologically speaking, it retraces its steps through the same degrees it covered during the shadow. The pre-shadow sets the stage for what will later need review, and the post-shadow helps clean up the mess afterward. It isn’t a curse so much as a nudge to slow down, pay attention, and always read the fine print before moving forward.
This particular retrograde begins in deep-feeling Scorpio, a sign known for emotional excavation, before sliding into outspoken Sagittarius, which has a reputation for saying too much. Expect sharp words, sudden confessions, and a general sense that no one’s filter is working quite right.
Astrologically, Mercury retrograde happens three to four times a year, but the shadow periods on either side stretch that influence to nearly half the calendar. In other words, we spend a lot of time under Mercury’s mischief.
If you’re already bracing yourself, good. Back up your files, double-check your messages, and maybe think twice before sending that 2 a.m. text. The cosmic static has started, and the signal’s only going to get fuzzier from here.
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