Mercury is Direct! Time to step forward…

As of August 8, 2012 at 1:40 AM, while most of us in this part (EDT) of the world were sleeping, Mercury once again began his forward motion, freeing us to get on with it. This Mercury Retrograde was apparently a humdinger (translation: CRAZY!) I heard from so many people who were struggling with all kinds of things… and everyone had one question: When will it be over??

So now it is. 

And just now, so you know what else is going on, the latter days of this Mercury Retrograde and until about Monday, August 13, Mercury is in a bit of a challenging aspect with Neptune. These two are dancing at about 150 degrees apart, a Quincunx… which means the dance is more of an attempt to keep in rhythm and off of each other’s toes. Neptune diffuses the workings of the mind, lending a day-dreamy quality and not much impetus to perform. Neptune can also lend confusion to mental processes and keep communications off the mark of reality. It can make the mind easily distracted and long for peace. So if you’re one of the folks who is still experiencing the proverbial pebble in her mental shoe, don’t fret. This too shall pass. 😉

I’d like to mention a couple of other things that go along with the happy Mercury Direct news. For the future. 

1. When Mercury is Retrograde and you feel like you can’t get anything to cooperate in order to get things done… it is a message. Try to listen to it! The best possible recourse is to stop trying to get that particular thing done in that particular way and surrender to the energy. Walk away for a little while to gain perspective. That doesn’t mean to stop doing everything. It just means to stop hitting your head against the same wall when particular things obviously aren’t going to move for you. Surrender. If you’re at the airport and you’ve just heard the announcement that your flight is delayed and you’ll miss your big meeting – well, decide to enjoy the extra hours of free time you’ve been given. You can’t change the delay – but you can change your attitude around it and turn it into a blessing. Or if it’s a project related wall you’re banging your against, change your tactic – meaning, instead of trying to push something into existence, do a little more research instead. Review whatever it is and take it slowly. Relax around it and allow inspiration to come. Mercury, especially when Retrograde, likes to dip way down into the subconscious and retrieve golden nuggets buried deeply within the psyche and then bring them up to the surface to assist you. Let that process happen! The end result will be much richer for it. And you won’t have to keep re-doing things to get them right. And please, if your computer crashes and you have 24 hours before it will be repaired – go outside or meet a friend. Enjoy life without a screen to sit in front of!

2. After Mercury goes direct there is a “shadow” period during which Mercury retraces his steps over the same degrees across which he went retrograde. This is important to understand. To illustrate, this retrograde Mercury began traveling backwards when he was at 12-and-a-half degrees of Leo. Keep in mind that there are 30 degrees to every sign (and 12 signs, so that makes 360 degrees total to make the complete circle of the Zodiac, which is actually the Ecliptic, or the apparent path that the Sun and planets follow). So Mercury went backwards from 12.5 degrees back to 1.5 degrees, covering a total of 11 degrees in reverse. Now that he’s moving forward again, he must go back over those same 11 degrees, from 1.5 to 12.5 to get back to the place he started when the retrograde began. Savvy? So during the shadow period, you may revisit things that you thought you’d put into their proper place that need your attention to be finally set right. Also, during Mercury’s Shadow, move forward and start getting things done absolutely. But still, don’t force. You are meant to pay particular attention to that ground that’s already been covered and be sure that your t’s are crossed and your i’s dotted and that the fine print has been read or written properly. Use your intuition to know how far you can go how quickly. The current Mercury Shadow is in effect until August 22, 2012. And don’t let this news dampen your spirit… get out there and do! 

3. Every Mercury Retrograde affects every person differently. Where and how the retrograde impacts you depends on where Mercury is transiting around your birth chart. So each person will have a different response and a different place where the energy is the strongest – and where Mercury will play the most tricks. I did actually have one client who said this Mercury Retrograde was a piece of cake! She was the only one, but there it is. 🙂

4. Don’t be afraid of Mercury Retrograde. It is a gift! When you’re afraid of something that’s coming you build anxiety around it and your anxiety focuses your response and your expectations – and hence, the outcome. Focusing on fear creates the anxiety which in turn creates the self-fulfilling prophecy that something negative will occur. Instead, as you anticipate the Retrograde, think of it as a time to restore your mind. A time to amp up your meditation practice or sit quietly in nature or to focus on appreciation of what you’re already accomplished or to curl up with a good book in the evenings researching your next big dream. Mercury Retrograde is an opportunity to step away from the fast, forward push that you’re generally engaged in. Get a calendar and learn ahead of time when the Retrograde periods are coming and plan accordingly. 

And now celebrate! I hope you’re feeling refreshed and ready to skip down that new road of possibilities!

And with the New Moon in Leo coming up one week from today on Friday, August 17, I hope you’ll join me for the Free New Moon TeleClass & Meditation where we’ll be covering how to get real with your creativity and doing a beautiful guided imagery meditation all about Leo energy! And please remember that if you join this free call you’ll get Great Gratitude Offer which is 20% off when you schedule a consultation with me before the next Full Moon. So happy Mercury Direct and I hope to “hear” you on the call!

In case you missed it: Mercury Retrograde, The Unlikely Healing Gift