The Messenger and the Heart: An Altar for the Day Mercury and Venus Turn Direct
Mercury and Venus turn direct on Friday, November 13. Build a small altar with two candles, two tarot cards and five crystals, and light one candle for each planet.
Reading this later? Today’s Sky shows where the Moon and planets stand now, and Moon Phase shows tonight’s Moon.
Mercury is the messenger, the planet of what you say, send and agree to. Venus is the heart, the planet of what you love and value. For weeks they have both been moving backward, as seen from Earth, and on Friday, November 13 they turn direct on the same day, hours apart. Yes, it is a Friday the 13th, which makes it a natural day to close something out. Mercury turns first, at about 10:54 a.m. Eastern (9:54 a.m. Central, 7:54 a.m. Pacific), at about 5 degrees of Scorpio. Venus turns that evening, at about 7:27 p.m. Eastern (6:27 p.m. Central, 4:27 p.m. Pacific), at about 23 degrees of Libra.
A retrograde is the stretch when a planet appears to move backward in the sky, and direct means it moves forward again. Venus has been retrograde since October 3, and Mercury since October 24. Mercury first and Venus later gives an altar its shape: one candle for the messenger in the morning, and one for the heart in the evening.
Why the Messenger and the Heart Belong Together
When either planet moves backward, the usual reading is review: old conversations, old feelings and old plans come back around for a second look. Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio, the sign of what is kept private, so the messages that keep returning tend to be about trust and what has gone unsaid. Venus is retrograde in Libra, the sign it rules, and Libra stands for balance and one-to-one relationships, so its review runs through partnerships and what you value in them. One planet is about the words and the other about the feeling underneath them, and the last week of a retrograde is when the two start to meet.
The pull in these last days is toward finishing, not starting. Because of that, many astrologers suggest rereading before sending and waiting a few days after the 13th before anything hard to undo. Mercury moves slowly near its turn, so it is only back to full speed after a few days.
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What You Need for the Altar
An altar just means a small place set aside for a purpose. A tray, a shelf or one end of a table is enough. You need:
- Two candles. A yellow candle for Mercury, for clarity and confidence, and a pink candle for Venus, for self-love and friendship. If you prefer, a blue candle also suits Mercury, for calm and honest communication, and a plain white candle can stand in for either. Our crystals and candles guide covers candle colors and basics. A tea light, chime candle or birthday candle burns for about the right amount of time. With a full-size candle, burn it about ten minutes, then snuff it.
- Two tarot cards. The Magician for Mercury and The Empress for Venus, from any deck. Tarot tradition pairs The Magician with Mercury and The Empress with Venus. Our Mercury and Venus retrograde spread explains why.
- Five crystals, three for Mercury and two for Venus, described below.
- A heat-safe dish for matches, and a lighter or matches.
Candle safety: never leave a burning candle unattended, keep it away from pets, curtains and anything flammable, and use a heat-safe holder. Snuff or pinch a candle instead of blowing it out, since many traditions treat blowing it out as scattering the intention.
The Five Crystals and Their Places
Set the altar up with Mercury on the left and Venus on the right. Prop The Magician behind the yellow candle and The Empress behind the pink one. Then place the crystals in front of the card they belong with. These pairings come from modern crystal practice and differ from book to book, so trust the stone that feels right to you.
Beside the Magician, three crystals for the messenger.
Sodalite goes nearest the candle. A deep blue stone streaked with white, long linked to clear thinking and honest communication. It stands for the message itself, the thing you have been trying to say.
Fluorite goes next. A banded stone, often purple and green, associated with mental clarity and focus. It stands for the decision you keep rechecking.
Blue lace agate goes third. A pale blue banded agate, associated with gentle, steady self-expression. It stands for the voice you say it in, calm instead of apologizing.
Beside the Empress, two crystals for the heart.
Rose quartz goes nearest the candle. A soft pink quartz, traditionally linked to love in every form: romantic, family and especially self-directed. It stands for the relationship, or the value, that you took a second look at.
Green aventurine goes beside it. A speckled green quartz, traditionally carried for luck and gentle forward motion. It stands for staying open once Venus turns forward again, instead of gripping one plan.
No crystals? Use one stone for each planet, such as sodalite and rose quartz, or none at all. The candles and cards are enough.
Photos: sodalite, rose quartz and green aventurine by Darla Sondrol (CC0); fluorite by Arenamontanus (CC BY 2.0); blue lace agate by I2Overcome (CC BY 4.0). All via Wikimedia Commons.
If you already own these, the cleanse and charge guide covers the simple ways to reset a stone before you use it, and the Crystals page has the full meaning of each.
The Ritual: Four Moments
After the Turn
Both planets turn direct on the 13th, but neither jumps forward at once. Each has to cover ground it has already crossed. Mercury does not get back to 21 degrees of Scorpio, where its retrograde began, until about November 30, and Venus does not clear its own ground until mid-December. Astrologers call this the shadow period, the weeks after a turn when a planet moves through degrees it has already visited. The pull in those weeks is toward finishing what the retrograde turned up, with new starts coming after. The Scorpio new moon post covers what to begin now and what to wait on, and the Retrograde Tracker has the full dates for the year.
Quick Answers
When do Mercury and Venus turn direct in November 2026? Both turn direct on Friday, November 13. Mercury turns at about 10:54 a.m. Eastern (9:54 a.m. Central, 7:54 a.m. Pacific), at about 5 degrees of Scorpio. Venus turns at about 7:27 p.m. Eastern (6:27 p.m. Central, 4:27 p.m. Pacific), at about 23 degrees of Libra.
What candle colors suit Mercury and Venus? Yellow is a common choice for Mercury, for clarity, and pink for Venus, for self-love and friendship. Blue also suits Mercury, for calm and honest communication, and a plain white candle can stand in for either.
Can I do this ritual without a tarot deck? Yes. Use the pictures on our pages for The Magician and The Empress, or write each card's name on a small piece of paper and stand it where the card would go.
Does an altar change what a retrograde does? No. An altar is a reminder, not a switch. Setting one up on purpose gives you a place to slow down and decide what you are finishing as each planet turns.
More to Explore
Crystals: The full meaning of every stone mentioned here, with photos.
Retrograde Tracker: Every retrograde and direct date for the year.
Mercury Retrograde Guide: What is actually happening, and how to work with it.
From the Bookshelf
If this post sparked your curiosity, these books from my shelf go deeper on the same themes.
The Crystal Bible
An illustrated reference to the stones: what each is traditionally said to offer and how it is used.
The Book of Stones
A deep reference profiling 455 crystals, minerals, and gemstones, with their history, lore, and metaphysical uses.
Planets in Transit
A reference on how the moving planets touch the planets, angles, and houses of a birth chart, written for beginners and professionals alike.
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