Mercury retrograde is a phenomenon that occurs several times a year when the planet Mercury appears to move backward in its orbit. It’s often associated with communication breakdowns, technology glitches, and travel mishaps—hence it’s ‘infamous’ reputation. However, when Mercury is retrograde in the birth chart, it can express itself in unique and sometimes surprising ways, especially if it is placed in the 2nd house of speech, or 3rd house of communication and in Gemini sign.
People with natal Mercury retrograde tend to process thoughts differently—more internally, reflectively, and sometimes even in a nonlinear way, which can lead to slower speaking pace. They might pause longer before responding, rethink their words mid-sentence, or even backtrack to clarify something they’ve already said. Overanalysing conversations is common, leading to second-guessing or even social anxiety about whether they said the “right” thing.
Mercury retrograde natives often have a unique way of speaking, writing, or phrasing their thoughts. They might use metaphors, analogies, or abstract ways to get their point across instead of direct, straightforward speech. Some natives with Mercury retrograde struggle with traditional communication structures (e.g., standard grammar, linear storytelling) and express themselves best through creativity, humour, or symbolic language.
Verbal communication might feel pressured, rushed, or even awkward, while writing allows time to reflect and refine their thoughts. Journaling, blogging, or even texting might feel much easier to them than face-to-face conversations. However, even in writing, they might revise their words multiple times before hitting “send.”
Mercury retrograde often gives a non-traditional learning style—these natives might struggle with ‘memorisation’ of facts, numbers, data, but excel at making deep connections between concepts and pattern analysis. They may take longer to absorb information, but once they do, they retain it in a unique way.
Mercury retrograde tends to make people return to topics, whether it’s through bringing up past conversations, reminiscing, or feeling the need to clarify old misunderstandings. They might hold onto words that were said (or left unsaid) and replay conversations in their minds, searching for deeper meaning.
Because verbal expression can be difficult for them, Mercury retrograde natives often develop very keen observational skills – strong sense of intuition about what others mean rather than what they say (they may read between the lines or sense unspoken thoughts, making them excellent at picking up energy shifts or ‘subtle clues’ in conversations). This can make them great listeners, even if they don’t always feel confident expressing themselves in return.
Retrograde Mercury, especially if placed in the 2nd house or in the sign of Gemini, may express as physical challenges with speech, speaking, and voice—such as frequent colds (sore throat), a very quiet or ‘broken’ voice, speech challenges, or a lack of energy to speak for extended periods. In this case, practices such as speech therapy, vocal yoga, singing exercises, jaw exercises, pronunciation drills, and conscious exposure to live speaking opportunities more frequently can be highly beneficial.
Additionally, consciously expressing feelings through your voice—such as safely yelling to release suppressed anger in a private space—can be helpful, as well as humming, mantra chanting, facial and neck massages and stretching exercises, throat chakra healing practices, and nourishing the throat and vocal cords with warm, soothing herbal teas (such as liquorice).
As a child, I was very shy and quiet. I didn’t speak much, preferring to observe and listen rather than actively participate in conversations. However, I always loved writing. When I was ten, I even won an award for a story I wrote — looking back now, I like to think it was a little “hint” from the Universe that one day I would earn a living through writing, lol. But when it came to verbal communication, it felt like an uphill battle for much of my life.
When I decided to enroll in Journalism college, people who knew me were shocked:
“SHE — journalist?! But, SHE doesn’t speak!” :
Very quickly, I realised just how much journalism demanded verbal expression. Most assignments involved discussions, presentations, and later, interviewing people. I knew I had to start speaking more and actively work on improving my verbal communication skills.
So, I threw myself into the ‘fire’. I took on every speaking assignment. I understood that discomfort was the price of transformation. I had always felt comfortable on stage, yet speaking — truly speaking — felt like moving through thick, unrelenting fog.
As I always preferred written mode of communication, I feel in love in articles and new online media format and started writing blog and articles during college. To my surprise, my thoughts and words – once locked in silence, started resonating with thousands, and then millions. My blog went viral and my articles gained so much popularity that I began earning money as a freelance writer before I had even graduated. My deep passion for personal development, psychology, human behaviour dynamics, and spirituality led me to co-found www.sretnazena.com – a web-magazine for women in my native language and become a life coach.
Two years into coaching, I found myself standing in front of an audience, leading workshops, and giving speeches. My message was powerful—people felt it—but my voice… After just half an hour of speaking, pain would creep into my throat, sharp and unrelenting, as if my body itself was rejecting the act of speaking. My voice was quiet by nature, fragile, and prone to ‘fading’, and the reoccurring respiratory infections (the sourness of my throat) made speaking feel like pushing a Sisyphus stone.
Even though my message resonated deeply with people and my workshops were powerful, I spoke very slowly, both in my native language and especially in English (with heavy Eastern-Europien accent added to the mix). Despite that, I continued to intentionally work on improving my speech and health of my throat. I trained my voice the way others train their bodies— English pronunciation exercises, jaw relaxation techniques, vocal yoga, herbal teas, Ayurvedic supplements, acupuncture…
Today, I’m frequently speaking on Zoom – for hours—fluidly, freely, without taking notes prior, without hesitation- in my native language and in English. As a Manifestor in Human Design, I am coded to speak with impact—but first, I had to decondition the ‘repressive throat wound’.
Looking back, my journey from being a shy, quiet girl to a journalism graduate, motivational speaker, and coach feels almost surreal. Today, my clients, members of my audience and online events find it hard to believe that I was once very shy, quiet, and that I’m an introvert!
Mercury retrograde in the 2nd house gave me the gift of depth. Of reflection. Of written words so profound, deep, and observational that people resonate deeply and even cry after listening my motivation speech, call my books ‘Bibles’ and ‘working material’, and my astrology readings – revelational.
Instead of seeing Mercury retrograde as a ‘curse’ of our birth chart, we can think of it as a gift of unique and different way of thinking and expressing ourselves—one that allows us to go deeper, analyse better, and offer more profound and unique insights.
© Danijela Jokic Vaislay | 2025
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