Mercury turns direct. Rammy?!
from Rob Tillet, http://www.astrologycom.com/mercret.html
Mercury Retrograde
Mercury retro in Aries [March 30, 2011 – April 23, 2011]
At 20:50 UT (Universal Time) Wednesday, March 30th, 2011, Mercury the wise communicator—and universal trickster—turns retrograde at 24°19' Aries in the sign of the Ram, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup! The retro period begins some days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until April 23, 2011, when the Winged Messenger reaches his direct station. At this time he halts and begins his return to direct motion through the zodiac.
Everything finally straightens out on May 11th, as he passes the point where he first turned retrograde. Mercury normally turns retrograde three times a year, but last year he turned tail four times, which is unusual, and his shadow phase was still active in early January 2011. The effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens (see box for Retrograde Periods in 2011).
A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. According to modern science, this traditional concept arises in the illusory planetary motion created by the orbital rotation of the earth with relation to other planets in our solar system. It's a bit like travelling on the road watching another car beside you: when the other car slows down, or you speed up, it looks as though the other car is moving backwards. Planets are never actually retrograde or stationary, they just seem that way due to this cosmic shadow-play. Click here for some neat graphics and more on the science of retrograde planetary motion.
Retrograde periods, although often problematic for us earthlings, are not particularly uncommon. Each planet retrogrades, except the Sun and Moon. Although a powerful astrological influence, Mercury is quite a small planet that travels at a relatively fast speed through the zodiac. Despite being the closest planet in our solar system to the Sun, Mercury is not always in the same sign as the Sun. Mercury turns retrograde this time in Aries while the Sun is in Aries, but the solar orb moves into Taurus on April 20 (with Mercury still in Aries). Mercury turns direct in Aries on April 23 with the Sun still in Taurus, but Mercury remains in Aries till May 15, when he enters Taurus at the same time as Venus also does.
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