Eclipse Season … & Mercury Retrograde?!
This Summer, we are not only in the midst of a very intense eclipse season, but on July 7th we’ll begin a 3-week long adventure into Mercury retrograde!
Image by William R. Hicks
Now despite the meaning of the word retrograde, no planet actually travels backwards…that would be physically impossible. What happens is that from our perspective on Earth, the planet, in this case, Mercury, travels between us and the Sun. You see, during most of Mercury’s trip around the Sun he is traveling around the backside of the Sun, but then for a brief approximately 21 days, the quickest planet zips between us and Sol, thus appearing to be going in the opposite direction than it had been going.
One has to be under a rock these days to not have heard the term, Mercury retrograde, but many don’t fully understand what it is, nor what it means. When a planet is retrograde it gives us a chance to go back and review, revisit, and revise plans that may just need that alteration in order to stand the test of time. It is a great time for us to clear up any misunderstandings, but be careful for sometimes we can create them during this time as well.
I do my best to be mindful during these times. The phrase, “This is what I heard, is that what you meant to say?” can work wonders to keep our relationships on an even keel.
Normally I don’t fret when Mercury does his dance backwards and I’m not going to start now, but there are a few things to be aware of. First off, Mercury will station retrograde at 4°28’ Leo on very feisty Mars and they will both be squaring Uranus in Taurus. Mercury will then move back into watery, emotional (not Mercury’s jam) Cancer where he will continue to stir up thoughts about motherhood, protection, and apple pie.
On July 31st, when he’s just a few degrees from opposing Pluto, he will station to go direct at 23°57’ Cancer, but will be in his shadow until he reaches that 4°28’ Leo marker right around midnight PDT on August 14th. Starting off conjunct Mars and ending with an opposition to Pluto aren’t the most peaceful aspects for the messenger of the gods, but we’ve been through saber-rattling before and lived to tell of it!
NOTE: If you have any fixed planets between 0 – 6°, or cardinal planets from 22 – 29°59’, then you will most likely be affected by this. Remember that you are the master of your life and no one and no thing, especially that small planet closest to Sun can get the best of you. If your computer begins to act up, it may just be time to take a deep breath and/or break and enjoy the beautiful nature that you have outside your front door.
I have created a special handout to help you navigate during Mercury Retrogrades. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and I'll send it to you:
