by Robert Wilkinson
I was asked a while ago to write something about what Mercury retrograde is good for. We all know we're NOT supposed to sign contracts, make purchases of electronics, make major moves or decisions, and are supposed to hang out with the energies, seeing that things may not be as they appear, and so on. That said, there are many things that a Mercury retrograde period is good for, such as traveling. I have found that as long as one is flexible, retrograde travel is actually a good thing.
Also favored are research, reflection, review, rehearsals, and returns from the past. It's also a great time for reconnecting with old friends, finding people and things thought lost, It's a great time to explore possibilities, as long as no definitive decisions are made, since they are usually modified or reversed later on.
It's a good time for doing things left undone, or neglected, from previous times. It's good for resuming something from the past, as long as you remember that it may not look like it used to, or requires a different approach than before. It's also good for doing things that fill in gaps in understanding or activity, or for doing things that seem to go in one direction but lead you to entirely new information and understanding.
It's a good time for resuming things begun in previous retrograde periods, or for picking up threads that had to be set aside while other things developed. It usually indicates a time when you need to be able to build in a time lag with whatever you're doing, since retrogrades often show that there are things yet to develop that will ultimately fill in whatever is missing in the present.
In my book, "A New Look At Mercury Retrograde," I included a chapter on Mercury retrograde in the signs. Obviously what sign Mercury retrogrades through makes a huge amount of difference in what is appropriate during that period. Since it is going retrograde in Leo and retrogrades back into Cancer, I'll offer you some possible manifestations of what we may expect, regardless of what Sun sign we are or which house(s) it moves through in our individual chart. This article outlines what to expect concerning which house it transits in your chart. That said, here's a bit about Mercury retrograde in Leo from the book.
In Leo, Mercury's energies slow down to rethink in an expressive, dramatic, playful mode. This is the pride of the mind's own variety and multiplicity; it plays with its own insights, as though swinging from the limbs of a tree. This position measures the applause for, or rejection of, its clever insights. This position communicates the truth, nobility, or authenticity in any art form. There may be noble eternal thoughts that hold a timeless vision of honor and a regal ideal. There may be radiant speaking, communicating a generous point of view, or grand thinking that penetrates other's subconscious.
Mercury in Leo is in its own 3rd sign. This is the mind's pride in its own form of self expression, Here joy, play, and spontaneous expression are the perceptual mechanisms of the mind. This is a position where the light of mind shines into many corners yet to be explored, where the play of power will be harvested.
It is also in its own 12th sign, indicating that pride of mind is self-destructive. Mercury retrograde in Leo offers love as the motivator of all communications, and playfulness as the endgame of all ideas and reflections. Knowledge comes from enthusiasm or power resulting from projecting the idea; knowing also comes from focusing only on what is noble and loving.
I have started re-editing the book files on "A New Look At Mercury Retrograde" so those of you that are interested can purchase it as an ebook. That's probably a perfect Mercury retrograde project, now that I think about it. On a final note, I would suspect the coming three weeks will be a good time to harvest the best of what has emerged in your life in the past few months, play and consolidate, and let go of pride, insecurity, neediness, clutching, and defensiveness. Do not allow your mind to wander off into a self-absorbed echo chamber or house of mirrors. Your instincts will be very up, but beware of misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and egocentricity.
Which brings us full circle to something I said in the first paragraph: Hang out with the energies and information, pay attention to details while remembering that a lot of it won't make sense for several weeks or months, and don't believe everything you're told. It will be a great time to review recent decisions, and rework your habits and need-fulfillment systems. Let go, take time to be by yourself, find time to be playful and creative, and be willing to sacrifice old ways of life that no longer serve the need of your life or the times.
Here's where you can find out more about Mercury retrograde in Cancer.
This link takes you to what this July 2006 Mercury retrograde means for each sign, while this article offers a view on what it's about for all of us.
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