MERCURY RETROGRADE IN CANCER - June 26 - July 20 2013

The second Mercury Retrograde of the year begins on Wednesday 26 June and ends on 20 July. This time he is travelling backwards and forwards in the emotional and sensitive sign of Cancer. Since the 9^th of June he has been in the shadow zone and what we have experienced since then will have some significance as Mercury turns around and goes back over the same ground he has already covered. When he turns direct on the 20^th July he will pass back over it one more time, by which time we should have gained some more clarity and understanding of whatever it is we are working with. Basically this means that we may notice a recurring theme popping up between June 9^th and August 3^rd, though with a different flavour each time. As the retrograde is occurring in Cancer whatever we have to learn is likely to be emotional in nature and may well involve us delving into the past in order to understand our current emotional habits.

As with all Mercury retrogrades we must be aware that miscommunication and misunderstandings can easily occur so it is important to remain patient, tolerant and, above all, retain a sense of humour! Any means of communication, such as phones, computers, texts and emails, are more likely to incur problems at this time, as are any means of transportation or travel. Basically, we shouldn't be surprised if we have to deal with delays and communication breakdowns at this time, because Mercury has gone to sleep and is known for being a bit of a trickster at the best of times! It is very likely that any delays or glitches of communication will occur for a higher reason that may not be immediately apparent but will probably reveal itself in due course. This is an ideal time to simply slow down, giving our brains a rest and taking stock of our lives rather than trying to get too much done or make any big decisions. We must be open to receiving impressions and be willing to take our time, not rushing the outcome of events. To make the most of the retrograde period we should take the time to reflect, reconsider, review, revise, re-organise, re-evaluate, research and renew. That is the nature of the Mercury retrograde; taking a step back and going back over things to see what we might have missed.

This year all three of the Mercury Retrogrades this year are in the water signs, which means there will be an emphasis on honouring our feelings and trusting our intuition instead of trying to think things through rationally and logically. Basically it is a good time to give the left side of our brains a break and let the right side take the reins! Mercury retrograde has a tendency to make us look back over things and in Cancer this retro action will be heightened because Cancer rules the past, childhood and the roots of our emotional patterns. We may find ourselves experiencing strong feelings of nostalgia and longing for the past because of the safety and comfort it represents. Mercury goes retrograde at the same time as Jupiter shifts into Cancer, so there is going to be definite emphasis on family as well as opportunities to revisit emotions and feelings which we may not have processed properly the first time around. Friends, family or lovers from our past may pop up so that we can tie up any loose ends that may be preventing us from fully living in the present. Or we may rekindle a relationship that hasn't yet run its course. It is a great time to look back and gain some understanding of how past relationships, family and our childhood have contributed to the way we act and react on an emotional level as adults. Basically we could find ourselves taking trips down memory lane in order to gain more insight into our current lives and emotional habits.

Certainly this is great time to favour the emotions over the intellect because much of the planetary energy is encouraging us to honour our emotions as the amazing guides that they are. Jupiter moving into Cancer represents a shift from the busy business of Gemini, with its mental over-stimulation and over-abundance of choices, into the nurturing, sensitive, and caring nature of Cancer. Jupiter is also part of the lovely Grand Water Trine with Neptune and Saturn which is building until the 17^th of July, so this is very much a time for getting in touch with our feelings and healing past wounds with love, compassion and forgiveness. We have all been through quite a lot in the last few months with the set of eclipses and the Pluto Uranus square rocking our boats, shaking things up and inciting change inside and out, so this seems like a good time to relax and allow ourselves to process it all! Mercury triggered the Pluto Uranus square around the 9^th of June and will hit it again around the 20^th of July, so we may be forced to have a big clear out of our thought processes, getting rid of any thoughts or ways of thinking that may be holding us back from getting what we truly want. Old habitual thought patterns must be thrown onto the rubbish heap and burned because they are simply not appropriate any more. They didn't work for us in the past, so why would we want to carry them around with us now?!

For many of us the changes have been coming thick and fast in recent times and there is a lot to process, so here is the perfect opportunity to embrace the energy of Cancer and nurture ourselves for a few weeks. It is very important that we get in touch with what is going on for us on an emotional level, because our feelings are very important guides which let us know what is going on at a deeper level. That sick feeling in the pit of our stomach (the stomach and digestive system is ruled by Cancer) or the twinge in the Solar Plexus are important signs that tell is that we are somehow doing something that doesn't resonate with our higher self. The current planetary energy invites us to take a step back and dip into our pasts to make sure we haven't missed anything important. Possibly we will need to let go of something and I think that overall it is very important that we be open to whatever may come up at this time. It is quite possible that we will be presented with the chance to revisit old connections with loved ones and find some resolution, somehow picking up where we left off. We could get some incredibly valuable insight into the “roots” of certain issues and emotional patterns, freeing us from old habits of reacting and relating which have long outgrown their use. Sometimes one has to look back in order to move forward, and I sense that this may be one of those times.

June 9th - Mercury enters retrograde zone (or shadow)

June 26 - Mercury goes officially starts "going backwards"

July 20 - Mercury starts going forwards again

August 3 - Mercury leaves the retrograde zone (or shadow)

Much love

Amy

xoxo