Mercury Retrograde in Cancer: How Each Zodiac Sign Is Affected

Much like Taylor Swift in her snake-filled era, Mercury retrograde’s reputation has never been worse. 

“In fact,” astrologer Aliza Kelly cracked in an exclusive interview with E! News, “I can’t help but wonder who’s on its PR team.” 

While the expert acknowledges the 24-day optical illusion in which the planet Mercury appears to reverse course is rather delicate (“Emails get delayed, flights are cancelled, miscommunications pop out of nowhere”), the planetary motion is a rather crucial part of its orbit.  

Though you can’t make any promises now, can we babe, “It’s an invitation to slow down,” the AstroloTea with Aliza Kelly podcaster explained to E!, “become a bit more granular, triple-check your work and ensure you’re on the right path before life speeds up again.”  

And as this weeks-long stretch occurs in the sign of Cancer “it’s especially meaningful,” she added, “because it’s arriving during one of the biggest astrological turning points of 2026.” 

For those who haven’t been seeing stars, The Consellation Club founder is referencing Jupiter’s recent entrance into Leo, one of the many 2026 events she highlighted to E! and one she predicted would “shift us out of sad girl energy.”