Man, lemme tell ya, 2026 rolled around and I already had this weird feeling. Every time Mercury goes backwards, it just messes with stuff, right? But for some reason, for 2026, I just had this gut feeling it was gonna hit the water signs extra hard. So I started gearing up, watching my friends and even myself, being a bit of a watery soul sometimes. I wanted to see if my hunch played out, and boy, it kinda did.
First one hit us early, around March, in Pisces. I remember it clear as day. I always just mark these things down on my big old desk calendar, just a quick circle around the dates. This time, I put a big fish sticker on it for Pisces. My buddy, Mark, total Pisces, started having the wildest dreams. He kept tellin’ me his phone was acting up, texts going to the wrong people, forgetting meetings left and right. Just classic Mercury Retrograde stuff, but with this extra layer of emotional fog. He’d call me, totally confused about simple things, like “Did I tell you I was going to buy that new gadget?” And I’d be like, “Yeah, yesterday, dude!” It wasn’t just physical stuff; it was like his whole vibe was off-kilter, more sensitive than usual. I just listened, let him vent. That was my strategy then, just be there and don’t push too hard.
I mean, I had my own little hiccups too. My internet connection was spotty for a week. Tried to stream something, kept buffering. My car made this weird noise that just disappeared after a few days. Annoying, but not catastrophic. But with Mark, it felt deeper, more internal. It made me really sit down and think about what I needed to do for the next one.
When the next one came around, it was a totally different flavor, hitting Cancer mid-year, around July. I’d already circled those dates, put a little crab on my calendar. This time, I decided to be more proactive. I told myself, “Okay, less planning big social events, double-check everything, especially anything to do with home or family.” That’s classic Cancer stuff, right? My sister, full-on Cancer, she started having issues with her landlord. Just out of the blue, this guy became a total pain. Misunderstandings about rent, repairs, paperwork. She was so stressed out, calling me daily, feeling like her home base was under attack. I tried to help her organize her documents, told her to screenshot every text message, keep a log of every call. It was a lot of hand-holding, but it felt good to actually do something this time, instead of just observing.
I also found myself getting really sentimental. Cleaning out old photos, looking through childhood stuff. Not bad, just really nostalgic and a bit draining emotionally. My microwave even broke. Just stopped working. Right in the middle of a big family meal prep. Coincidence? Maybe. But it felt very “home-related” to me, in that Cancer kind of way. It taught me to simplify things during those periods. Don’t add extra stress, just stick to the basics. My main takeaway from the Cancer retrograde was, “Protect your sanctuary, and don’t start any big home projects unless absolutely necessary.”
Then came the big one, the Scorpio retrograde in late 2026, around November. Now, Scorpio, that’s intense. I knew this one was going to be about secrets, power dynamics, maybe some uncomfortable truths. I marked it with a big scorpion. My friend, Sarah, a Scorpio through and through, she had a rough go. Old resentments at her job suddenly flared up. She found out some stuff about a colleague that really upset her, made her question a lot of things. It was all about what was hidden coming to the surface. She was in full detective mode, trying to get to the bottom of everything, and it was emotionally exhausting for her.
For me, during that Scorpio retrograde, I felt this urge to declutter my digital life. Deleted old emails, unsubscribed from a million things, even went through my social media and unfollowed accounts that didn’t serve me anymore. It felt like purging the hidden stuff, getting rid of energies I didn’t want around. I also found myself having really deep, honest conversations with a few people, stuff that had been under the surface for a while. Not always easy, but necessary. It was like, if I didn’t deal with it, Mercury was gonna force me to anyway, so might as well take control.
- For Pisces, I learned to just offer a listening ear and avoid making big decisions when everything feels foggy.
- For Cancer, simplify home life, keep things secure, and expect a little emotional turmoil about what feels safe.
- For Scorpio, be ready for truths to emerge, and use the energy for internal purging and honest communication.
Looking back, each retrograde in 2026 had its own vibe, its own lessons, especially for those water signs. I didn’t get caught totally off guard like in years past. By just being aware, marking those dates, and adjusting my attitude and actions a bit, I felt more prepared. It wasn’t about avoiding the craziness entirely – that’s impossible – but about riding the waves instead of getting dunked by them. And that, my friends, was a journey I’m glad I took.
