Mercury Retrograde Is Bodhisattva Training in Chaos Magic

Mercury Retrograde is in Leo — July 17 to August 11, 2025

Jul 15, 2025

“The path is one of learning to be noble in the midst of confusion, gentle in the midst of pain, and precise in the midst of chaos.”
— Pema Chödrön

☿ Mercury Retrograde in Leo — July 17 to August 11, 2025

Mercury goes retrograde from July 17 to August 11, spinning backward through Leo, the sign of pride, performance, and self-expression. This isn’t your average glitch-and-delay cycle, it’s a spiritual drag show, a karmic karaoke, a chance to hear your own voice crack and still bow with grace.

During this retrograde:

Ego wounds may resurface.
Old creative projects could return for revision.
Identity and expression will be tested.
Mercury cazimi on July 31 offers a flash of clarity in the chaos.

Add to that the heavy retrograde energy of Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto, and you've got a full-on cosmic reckoning—not just about miscommunications, but about misalignment with truth.

🌑 What Is Chaos Magic?

Chaos magic (sometimes spelled magick to differentiate it from entertainment) is a contemporary form of spellcraft that prioritizes results over rules and belief as a tool, not a truth. Born from the punk ethos of the late 20th century, it refuses orthodoxy and embraces experimentation.

Instead of following one fixed path, chaos magicians remix symbols, deities, and rituals from any tradition. They work with Tarot and tech, with pop culture and pantheons, with intention and irreverence. If it works, it works.

I’m not a chaos witch, but I’m not NOT a chaos witch, either, if you know what I mean

In chaos magic:

Spells are experiments.
Belief is fluid.
Mistakes are initiations.
Glitches are doors.

Chaos magic is spellwork for a postmodern age: playful, raw, and rooted in pragmatic mysticism. It doesn’t reject the sacred. It just knows the sacred might be hiding in a meme, a malfunctioning app, or an awkward email you sent to the wrong person.

That makes Mercury Retrograde, with its reversals and breakdowns, a perfect playground.

🌕 Bodhisattva Training in Chaos Magic

Mercury rules communication, tech, commerce, and travel. When retrograde, it invites reversal. Rethinking. Reworking. Reclaiming. And if we stop seeing that as a problem and start treating it as a ritual, something wild happens: it becomes Bodhisattva training.

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is someone who vows to free all beings from suffering, even if it means walking backward through the flames. That’s exactly what this retrograde demands.

Now add a layer of chaos magic: a modern, experimental spellcraft that treats belief as a tool and the unexpected as sacred. Chaos magic teaches us that what appears as breakdown may be the raw material of transformation. It isn’t disorder, it’s the primal swirl of becoming.

So what if Mercury Retrograde is both?
A Bodhisattva trial and a chaos ritual.
Not something to fix, but something to heal.

🌓 How to Practice This Retrograde

✦ Practice Patience and Presence

When things break, glitch, or go silent, don’t rush to repair. Slow down. Breathe. Bow.
Ask: What is this moment trying to undo in me?

✦ Thrive in the Mayhem

Retrogrades mess with ego. GOOD.
Repeat this vow: “I walk backward into confusion to guide all beings, including myself, toward peace.”

✦ Cast Chaos Magic, Bodhisattva-Style

In chaos magic, belief is a spell. Use it wisely. Use it for good. Don’t demand results, offer presence. Let miscommunication become a practice in patience. Let reversals become transformations.

✨ Final Thought

This retrograde doesn’t want you to hide. It wants you to reclaim your voice from performance. To find magic in the undoing. To become a Bodhisattva of the Glitch.

There is no mistake too messy for love to hold.

So let this be your mantra: I do not fear the messy path. I walk it with intention.