Mercury Retrograde in Leo (July 18 – August 11, 2025): Find Your Voice, Rewrite Your Fire
Mercury’s next retrograde begins on July 18, 2025, and it’s taking place in the bold, fire-powered sign of Leo. This isn't just a minor cosmic blip. It's a full-on, soul-level review of how you speak, lead, and shine—and how your truth shows up in the world.
Whether you're brand new to astrology or you've been tracking planetary transits for years, this retrograde invites everyone into a conversation with their inner voice and outer visibility. And if you were born during Mercury Retrograde? Oh yes—we’re definitely talking to you too.
Let’s break down what this retrograde means, how to work with it, and why Mercury in Leo might be the most important time all year to align your communication with your calling.
Mercury Retrograde 101 (But Make It Real)
Mercury retrograde happens when the planet of communication, thought, travel, and technology appears to move backward in the sky. It’s not literally reversing—but from our Earth-based view, it looks like it is. Symbolically, it’s a time of reversal, reflection, and review.
What Mercury retrograde often affects:
Misunderstandings in communication
Delays in travel or tech failures
Difficulty focusing or overthinking
People or issues from the past showing up again
But this isn’t bad news—it’s an invitation to pause and recalibrate.
Mercury retrograde doesn’t ruin your life. It just makes it really hard to ignore what’s not working.
The Witchy Truth: Mercury Retrograde in Leo Isn’t Just Tech Trouble
While most astrologers will warn about travel delays and communication snafus, witches know this retrograde is a solar cauldron—a fire bath for your ego and a reclamation of your soul voice.
Leo is ruled by the Sun. Mercury here becomes a solar scribe, helping you rewrite the narratives you’ve been living by—especially those that dim your light.
This is a time to:
Reclaim your voice
Reignite creative confidence
Redefine how you want to be seen
Mantra: “My words are golden. My truth is flame. I reclaim my radiance & rewrite my name.”
Why This One’s Different: Mercury in Leo
Leo is a fire sign ruled by the Sun. It governs self-expression, courage, creativity, the heart, and our need to be seen. When Mercury retrogrades through Leo, we’re not just dealing with logistics—we’re reworking how we shine.
Themes of this retrograde:
Authentic Expression: Are you speaking your truth—or performing for approval?
Visibility: Are you showing up the way you want to be seen?
Creativity: Have you been ignoring your inner artist or storyteller?
Confidence: Do you speak with clarity or shrink your voice to stay safe?
Because Leo is ruled by the Sun, this retrograde is solar-powered. That means ego wounds may come up, especially around feeling misunderstood, invisible, or silenced.
For Those Born During Mercury Retrograde
If Mercury was retrograde when you were born (you can check your natal chart for this), this time may feel less chaotic and more natural to you. You’re used to processing internally before speaking, and retrogrades are part of your wiring.
During this Mercury retrograde in Leo, you might:
Revisit old ideas or creations with a fresh lens
Reconnect with a younger version of yourself
Finally say something you’ve long held back
Find a surge of clarity around how you want to be seen
Bonus: If Mercury is retrograde in Leo in your natal chart, this is your cosmic homecoming.
What to Watch For: Mercury Retrograde Symptoms (Leo Edition)
Expect:
Sudden desire to change your brand, bio, or how you’re seen publicly
Increased sensitivity to criticism (Leo wants praise, not feedback)
Past lovers, teachers, or creative collaborators resurfacing
Issues with self-image, expression, or being misunderstood
Warning Signs:
Lashing out when you feel unseen
Oversharing or being performative rather than authentic
Withdrawing completely and muting your voice
Watch your throat chakra. This is the energetic space being activated—clearing, healing, and sometimes challenged.
What to Do During Mercury Retrograde in Leo
DO:
Revisit creative projects you abandoned
Practice mirror work and throat chakra clearing
Rewrite or update your social bios, email signature, website
Reflect on how you speak to and about yourself
Journal on: Where have I been silencing my truth to be liked?
DON’T:
Launch something new if you can avoid it
Sign major contracts without reading the fine print twice
Engage in dramatic arguments just to feel heard
This retrograde is for realignment—not retreat. Use it to clean the channel between your heart and your voice.
How Mercury Retrograde in Leo Affects the Lion
If you’re a Leo Sun, Moon, Rising, or have Mercury in Leo natally, this retrograde will likely feel personal, potent, and a bit dramatic (in classic Leo fashion). Mercury is traveling through your sign, meaning it’s illuminating how you express yourself, how you’re perceived, and how well your words reflect your truth.
This retrograde invites the Lion to:
Revisit your self-expression: Are you communicating from ego or from heart-centered authenticity?
Check your spotlight moments: If you’re putting yourself out there — whether creatively, socially, or professionally — you may be misunderstood or need to reframe your message.
Heal your roar: Words said in anger, pride, or haste in the past might come back around. You’re being asked to reflect, not react.
Reclaim your inner voice: If you’ve felt creatively blocked or like your fire’s been dimmed, this is a cosmic reboot. Mercury in Leo retrograde helps you rewrite your narrative and re-inspire yourself.
Watch for:
Dramatic miscommunications, especially around pride or identity
Misfires in leadership or public expression
Revisiting old creative projects or past flames (especially if they bruised your ego)
Best practices:
Rewrite your bio, journal about your truth, or revise a speech or proposal
Take time to reflect before reacting, especially when your pride is on the line
Reconnect with your inner child — creativity flows from joy, not performance
Mercury retrograding through Leo is a rare opportunity to edit your personal myth and reclaim the mic. Just don’t let pride block the process.
Final Thoughts from Your Astro Witch
Mercury Retrograde is never here to break you—it’s here to show you what’s breaking you so you can heal it.
When it happens in Leo, that healing goes through the heart and out through the voice.
This is your chance to:
Clarify your message
Heal your visibility wounds
Shine like the version of you that stopped hiding
If you want to go deeper, I offer personal astrology sessions where we look at your Mercury, your transits, and how to work with this retrograde for your unique chart. Book yours here: https://marydalba.com/astrology-readings.
You’re not too much. You’re too magickal to stay small. Let Leo light the way.
You are magick. Speak it. Live it. Lead with it.
— Mary 💫