The next Mercury Retrograde will be from July 7th to July 31st 2019.  

Here’s what you need to know:

TIMING

The next Mercury Retrograde will be from 7:14pm EST on July 7th to 11:58pm on July 31st 2019.  However, the Full Mercury Retrograde Cycle (including the influence of pre and post-shadow periods) extends from June 20th to August 15th, 2019. 

Although most people focus only on the time when Mercury is actually going to be ‘retrograde’, it’s VERY helpful to understand how we are influenced by retrograde vibes during this entire period.  

WHAT TO EXPECT

Beginning on June 20th, the influence of this summer’s Mercury retrograde cycle will start to ease in.  Remembering that retrogrades are a sort of ‘astrological season’, you can expect the energies to build slowly and perhaps subtly at first.  Nevertheless, there are often clues during these early days to indicate where and how this cycle will influence you personally.

The ‘peak’ or most intense retrograde vibes will be present on July 31st, right before Mercury stations direct once again, and from there the retrograde energies will gradually dissipate, finally passing around August 15th.

Common Experiences during Mercury Retrograde

• Frustrations or confusion resulting from miscommunication
• Key information is missing or ‘veiled’, especially related to plans, key decisions, agreements (contracts) and financial commitments
• Plans are disrupted, and plans that you make now for the future are more likely to become disrupted down the road
• Feeling tired or wanting to stay close to home; backing out of social commitments
• Transportation or travel blunders, breakdowns, delays etc.
• Being in a state of receiving, or a heightened sense of intuition
• Spontaneous inspiration leading to ‘magic moments’
• Unexpected opportunities and synchronicities come to you

Instead of perpetually looking FORWARD, this 8-week cycle calls us to look INWARD or TO THE PAST with a renewed sense of perspective, which can bring valuable inspiration and insight.

Mercury Retrograde during Summer 2019 occurs in Leo and Cancer

Mercury Rules:

• Communication
• Learning
• Planning
• Decision-Making
• Travel (especially domestic or short distance)
• Transportation (vehicles, planes, trains & their schedules, etc)
• Technology
• The transmission of ‘messages’ – In Greek mythology, Mercury was the messenger god.

In the Zodiac, Mercury rules Gemini and co-rules Virgo with Chiron.

Leo Vibes

Leo vibes are passionate, fun-loving and generous! This energy represents your playful, childlike side and your own inner child. It represents acting on your emotions, especially through warm-hearted, loving gestures. ‘Shadow’ expressions of Leo can be willfulness or narrow-mindedness, dramatic tendencies and lavish indulgence. Balance strong Leo energy by remembering to be flexible and open to compromise.

Some experiences that can be brought up by Mercury Retrograde in Leo:

• Revisiting creative pursuits and unfinished projects with a fresh perspective.
• ‘Rediscovering’ an old pastime or hobby you once loved.
• Taking a break from incessant hard work and allowing more time for ‘play’; asking for help from others so you aren’t taking on so much personally; letting go of pressure to ‘be the hero’ for everyone else.
• Being patient.  Allowing your pursuits to have less structure and more ‘flow’, while maintaining faith in truly positive outcomes.
• Spending time ‘unplugged’ from technology and especially out in nature; enjoying some ‘guilt-free’ fun!
• Letting go of the pressure to please others; releasing a fear of disapproval.
• Addressing conflicts between parents and children
• Rekindling relationships with ‘old flames’ and/or resolving old conflicts with romantic partners
• Learning to compromise and communicate your needs in a diplomatic way

Cancer Vibes

Cancer energy is nurturing, intuitive and loyal. Ruled by the Moon, this energy represents matters of the heart, the mother archetype, unconditional love, home and family.  Expressing emotions and especially desire very intensely, this sign also rules courageous acts. It represents our sense of vulnerability and need for emotional security.

Some experiences that can be brought up by Mercury Retrograde in Cancer:

• Revisiting a situation that has come up in the past involving a parent or that is related to home and family life; the need to slow down and give more attention to home and family relationships.
• Reviving past creative pursuits; being intuitively guided towards your heart’s desires; looking inward or spending time alone to reveal new insights about what truly fulfills you.
• Assessing your personal relationships; spending time alone to get clear; communicating your personal needs more openly and moving away from anyone who does not make you feel supported, understood and accepted; reconnecting with trusted old friends.
• Softening your expectations for others; becoming more easy-going about how your loved ones show their love for you in return; trusting that you are loved.
• Tending to unfinished projects at home such as repairs, cleaning and/or organizing.

Understanding how a specific transit will influence you personally depends on your unique birth chart; for a private online reading please view my offerings here!

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‘FLOWING’ WITH MERCURY RETROGRADE VIBES

When we learn to flow with astrological rhythms, we maximize energetic support for our actions and minimize resistance.  You can do this by avoiding actions which are not supported by retrograde energies. 

Some ‘quick tips’ for flowing with retrograde vibes:

• Go with the flow!
• Relax and trust that you don’t know what ‘ought’ to be
• Create extra time and space in your schedule for rest and self-care
• Look for the ‘silver lining’ when there are unexpected derailments to your plans, magical opportunities lie beneath the surface!

General Activities to avoid during retrograde!

• Making financial commitments or plans which are inflexible – making big purchases or locking yourself into plans that you cannot easily back out of without a financial penalty are all very risky during retrograde.  Remember, key information is missing or hidden during retrograde and its shadow periods.  This is also a time when unexpected events are more likely to arise, which can shift the assumptions underlying these commitments.
• Initiating New Long-Term Projects ­– Starting new projects such as beginning a new job or launching a new product or service through your business during Mercury retrograde typically lend themselves only to short-term prospects.  So, if you want to launch a new long-term endeavor, plan to do it before or after the retrograde and shadow periods.
• Signing contracts – When you sign a contract, you do so with the assumption that all of the relevant facts and details are known – however during Mercury retrograde, remember that the chances are much higher that we do not have yet all of the relevant information!

8 MORE TIPS FOR ‘FLOWING’ WITH MERCURY RETROGRADE ENERGY!

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind over the coming retrograde period that can help you maintain balance in your life, minimize the resistance and ‘flow’ with this energy.

Remember the natural rhythm of the universe brings cycles of ‘ebb and flow’, like inhale and exhale, masculine and feminine, plant and harvest.  Enjoy!

1. Embrace the need for balance. Retrogrades represent a necessary universal balance in life. Think of the need for retrograde cycles in the same way that you think of your body’s need for sleep: in order to have the energy that we need during each day, we need to rest and allow other systems in our bodies to take over – cell regeneration, healing, digestion, and detoxification. These are natural cycles, and when choose to roll with them instead of against them, we exert less effort and can find it easier to maintain balance in our own lives.
2. Be Easy-Going. Mercury retrograde reminds us that sometimes the best place to be is just where we are. This is a time to let go of ‘forcing’ any particular outcome; when we try to push or force something to happen is exactly when we seem to feel the ‘slingshot’ effect that whips us back.
3. Take care of ‘unfinished business’. Mercury retrograde signals that it’s time to take care of ‘loose ends’ and to finish projects which have been underway for some time. Retrograde cycles are very supportive of finishing up any work in progress in order to make space for new beginnings to come once we are clear of the retrograde influence.
4. Take an objective look at the recent past.  Use this time to review what’s taken place over the past several months and reflect on what ideas or opinions have evolved as this can be a time for gaining a fresh perspective. This is also a great time to pick up on an idea that you had in the past, but never followed through with.  You can also let go of feeling held back by the past, to realize what you can learn from recent experiences, and then let go in order to renew.
5. Relish in the present moment –This is a time to be grateful for all of your blessings and to simply let yourself take pleasure.  Press the snooze button on ambition for the next few weeks and on feeling like you need something more to be happy.
6. Take care of yourself. Leave some extra space in your calendar for personal time, or to just give yourself a day to ‘put things in order’ in your life. Slow down and give yourself extra time for activities that you normally rush through; have a relaxing epsom salt bath, finish that book you started weeks ago, spend an afternoon cooking your favorite comfort meal.  Let yourself lose track of time.
7. Let go of inflated expectations. This is a time to be kind to yourself and let go of rigid thinking or expectations. Delightful miracles will come onto your path when you release attachment to the outcome.
8. Avoid major spending. Mercury retrograde is more of a time for living in the present moment and tying off lose ends from the past, so it isn’t necessarily the best time for making major purchases and investments for the future. Mercury retrograde is also not a good time to make major decisions, financial commitments or to sign contracts because it is typically a time when relevant facts are temporarily ‘hidden’.

THE MEANING OF ‘RETROGRADE’

The word ‘retrograde’ literally means ‘to step backwards’ and this term is used in astrology to describe the times when, from our perspective here on earth, a planetary body is observed to be moving counter to its normal direction of orbit.

During a retrograde cycle, the energies which are expressed by that planetary body have a more ‘introspective’ focus. The usual ‘forward’ momentum shifts, encouraging us to ‘look backwards’.

A retrograde cycle has 3 phases:

(1) Pre-shadow phase – the influence of the retrograde energy starts to be felt and grows stronger with each day. The planetary body which is about to go retrograde will be passing back over the path which it is currently transiting when the planet is in the retrograde phase. During the pre-shadow phase, the orbit slows down until it eventually reaches the point where it will switch directions.  

(2) Retrograde phase – the orbit is counter to the normal direction and the planetary body appears to be ‘moving backwards’

(3) Post-shadow phase – the influence of the retrograde is still felt but starts to slowly diminish with each day. The planetary body is moving forward again, retracing its steps for the third time over the same path. It’s moving slowly at first (it is said to be ‘sleepy’ during this time) but with each day it picks up speed until it fully resumes its normal pace.  

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