Mercury in retrograde this winter affects your 9th house of philosophy, so you may feel like your worldview is in flux. You'll revert back to a more holistic perspective on transformation and change, as it will be transiting back to your 8th house that rules those aspects of transitions. This is actually very healthy for an Aries — you'll feel slower and maybe hesitant to speak, but this means you're growing to become more thoughtful and deliberate because of energy making you stop and listen to the inner aspects of a metamorphosis at play within yourself!

You get the honor of shifting your focus from the 8th house of transformation and change onto the 7th house of partnerships. This means you will be really having to reflect on how you best communicate in all relationships — whether it be your romantic partner, your friends, your family, your boss, everybody. Because you'll have wisdom of contemplating uprooting your communication style while Mercury was in Sagittarius (which is big for a stubborn Taurus like you who tends to resist the 8th house changes), your new Mercury in Scorpio placement will feel a little easier to navigate one it transits your 7th house.

You will be noticing some more misunderstandings with your health, as Mercury is retrograding into your 6th house. This is not to say you will experience health problems literally, but you will find yourself more curious about what it means to be living a healthy and productive physical life and find yourself more stuck on communicating that. As a Gemini, you can tend to be stuck in your head a lot, so this is a very good time to muse over what habits you want to bring to make things better in your life.

You will be going from focusing on living an active lifestyle while Mercury is in your 6th house, to feeling some conflict and disturbances in your 5th house of pleasure and joy. What brings you personal joy, Cancer? This is the time you will be crawling out of your shell to really find out. Mercury transitioning in Scorpio, a fixed sign, may mean you have to be a little more stubborn in standing your ground and putting up boundaries. But by the time December rolls around, you'll have such a better sense of who you are. So be prepared for some inner challenges that will really shape how you communicate your own personal feelings this season.

You will be really thinking about what the concept of family means to you while Mercury goes from Sagittarius to Scorpio. While it's still in Sag, Mercury will be in your natural ruling 5th house of pleasure and joy, so you'll be really feeling yourself and expressing that — until you have to go and learn lessons again about valuing comfort and family, which aren't always the easiest for a bold Leo to do! You want to lead the tribe, not always be a part of it, but this season's retrograde will teach you that you don't have to do all the work to help others. This season, communicate and let someone know you need them. You never know how they could surprise you.

You're more of a doer than a talker, so Mercury will challenge you to honor your 3rd house of communication by the time it finishes its move backward in December. You are an acts-of-service sort of person, but now you're going to want to acquire the traits of a 3rd-house-ruled Gemini and gab more than you usually do for others to understand you. You'll see more opportunities to speak your mind, and the best way to grow during this time is to not hold back as much as you usually might be tempted to.

You're all about balance, and this time, Mercury in retrograde is going to teach you all about going from the 3rd house of communication to translating that into your 2nd house of material possessions. You'll find yourself a bit more curious about how the external world communicates around wealth and abundance, and contemplate bringing those into your life. It might be harder to acquire or leave behind your own things during this time, but it is the perfect opportunity for you to do some much-needed winter cleaning. Clearing out physical baggage for you might lead to healing some emotional wounds, too.

Mercury is going to end up right back in your sign, so your communication might not be taking a turn for the worst. Unlike the other signs, Mercury will come back to your 1st ruling house of the self, so everyone is going to feel effects of going back to the intense, fixed, watery sort of talking that you specialize in. It might feel like you're a fish out of water until then, but just hang on tight and keep being your fabulous scorpion self until retrograde ends, Scorpio. You'll be rewarded for being yourself then.

Mercury in Sagittarius has been a good placement for you, as you've experienced watching everyone be a bit more philosophical in general, like your sign likes! But now, it will go back into your 12th house of the subconscious once it gets back into Scorpio. So you will be faced with a lot of trials to communicate your subconscious fears, hopes and dreams during this time. Whether you're up for the task or not is up to you... just don't lose that spark in December! It'll be your natal sun sign season, so good fortune will still be here. It just might be a bit more frustrating to talk about it, but now is not the time to hold back.

Mercury is going from your 12th house of the subconscious to your 11th house of friendships. You're going to want to figure out the best way to communicate with your community after you stop dwelling in freaking out about the unknown. Take care of those connections! They may need watering. You're the sort of person who will always challenge yourself, so try delving more into the intimacy you tend to be uncomfortable with.

Mercury will be transiting your 10th house of career, so watch out for any pitfalls in talking things out with teammates or bosses. It's a good thing you're naturally inclined to absolutely love community, so use that to your advantage when Mercury comes into Scorpio and you lose your natural groove of Mercury in your 11th house. You'll feel a little more subdued in trying to talk at work, but this is the best time to keep trying!

Mercury will be affecting your 10th house of career and 9th house of philosophy, so you'll feel a shift between how you view what you want to do for a living and how you want to live your life. If you feel caught between communicating those things, never fear — if you go toward what is most authentic for an old soul like yours, you can never be that off. Set high standards for your communication styles during this time and just speak your mind — you never know who might be listening and can help you if you do run into any pitfalls!