Mercury Retrograde July 2019

Mercury Retrograde 

7/07/2019  4:14 PM (Pacific) 

Oak Harbor, WA 

Mercury Retrograde is upon us once again.  It begins on Sunday July 7th in the sign of Leo.  What does this mean for us? Well Leo is the sign of the Lion, so it's no wonder that one of the keywords associated with Leo is "pride". Other words associated with Leo are arrogance and playfullness. So with Mercury RX in the fiery-fixed sign of Leo we can have a greater tendency to exhibit these traits in general.  

Leo is associated with drama and theatrics so we could crave more attention and love. This, in and of itself, isn't necessarily a bad thing but with Mercury in retrograde our efforts to get the attention and love that we seek can't always be well received. We need to make sure that we are considerate of the feelings of others, listen as much as we talk, and be considerate of others. 

In his journey backwards through the zodiac, Mercury moves into the water-cardinal sign of Cancer on July 19th. Whenever a planet ingresses (enters) a new sign, it is felt in the world. We can feel this shift as a more emotional nature (not necessarily tied to love) and so we may move to nurture our own needs in this area.  Again, it is important that we not be selfish and self-centered. This retrograde affects everyone and so everyone is going to need more emotional support and encouragement. We need to consider the feelings of others as well as our own. Try not to be too emotionally needy. 

The Aspects 

Looking at the chart above we see that Mercury is making a conjunction to Mars in Leo. Mars brings strength to our opinions and we're not afraid to share them with others. This can lead to debates or arguments about love, children, or creative expression. 

Mercury in Leo is making a square (hard aspect) to Uranus in Taurus. Uranus brings instability to how we exchange information with others. This can produce tension between ourselves and authority figures. Disagreements can arise with those in authority over how we creatively express our individuality, which may be more unusual and unconventional.  There is a strain here between the traditional and the non-traditional. 

Mercury in Leo is making a square (hard aspect) to Neptune in Pisces.  This can translate to an inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.  We only see what we want to see and fail to take other people's opinion and perspective into account. 

The Sun opposite (hard aspect) Saturn and Pluto can bring up childhood issues and blockages that need to be confronted and healed. You may find that you're competing with yourself to achieve an unrealistic goal, or one that no longer seems important in the grand scheme of things. It is important to investigate why you feel you need to accomplish this, is it for yourself or are you trying to appease someone else (such as a parent). 

Finally we have a grand-water-trine between the Sun in Cancer, The Ascendant in Scorpio, and Neptune in Pisces.  This aspect accentuates the emotions, and we are better able to dig in and explore them past the surface level.  Our emotions and intuition is stronger now and we are able to put them to positive constructive use.  

The house(s) where Leo and Cancer fall in your natal chart are the areas of life where Mercury Retrograde will mostly be felt and affected by.  What are these houses in your chart and how will Mercury Rx manifest for you?

Carolina Dean