If you accidentally email the wrong person, your luggage gets lost, and everything seems to be going wrong, you might think, “Mercury must be retrograde!” And from 7th July until 31st July, you’ll be correct. In astrology, Mercury rules communication, intelligence, and timing. When the speediest planet goes retrograde, these areas of our lives have the tendency to go haywire. Expect to encounter travel issues, communication mishaps, and technological difficulties.
And, bad luck: “This summer’s Mercury retrograde isn’t going to be easy,” warns astrologer Lisa Stardust. “During this retrograde, we will be moving back from Leo to Cancer, then from Cancer to Leo again.”
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That means we're in for some drama. “Expect big declarations of love and fiery arguments, followed by emotional manipulations with the aim to control others,” Stardust says. “We are dealing with intense degrees that can trigger momentary outbursts.”
And yes, you will probably hear from your ex. “Old lovers, exes, and friends will come back, if only to explain themselves one more time,” Stardust says. But it’s up to you to decide if you want to let them back into your life. “We have the power to refrain from keeping the discussion going.”
Stardust adds that instead of rekindling old relationships, Mercury retrograde is actually a great time to have a short-term summer fling. “Many of our plans may not come to fruition, as we may not follow through on decisions during this retrograde,” she says. “My best advice is to have a summer fling with no strings and give your iPhone a rest while jumping waves on the beach.”
During this retrograde, we should be looking inwards, adds Jessica Lanyadoo, host of the weekly astrology show, Ghost of a Podcast. “All Mercury retrogrades are different, as Mercury is moving through different signs and forming different transits as it moonwalks through the zodiac,” she explains. During the last Mercury retrograde in March, Mercury was moving through Pisces. However, “this transit will be through Leo and Cancer, and is happening during eclipse season. It's a call to turn inwards and align your thinking and attention with heartfelt matters.”
Lanyadoo advises, “Retrogrades are a time for the three Rs: Review, Reflect, and Reassess, while Mercury governs your attitudes, communication and friendships. We are meant to internally clarify our thoughts at this time, and even if it's annoying, it's a useful event, in my opinion.”
One more thing: Mercury began its pre-retrograde shadow on June 20, and will end its post-retrograde shadow on August 15. So even after Mercury goes direct, we’re not entirely out of the woods. According to Stardust, these “retro-shade” periods “are the worst part of the actual transit, because we can make decisions and catch others in their actions at a faster rate than during the actual retrograde.” Be careful out there.