Flavor of Mercury retrograde August 5-28 2024

Posted on July 12, 2024 by juliesimmons
Mercury is Retrograde August 5

Embracing Love and Courage in Mercury Retrograde

This Mercury retrograde starts in the early degrees of Virgo and retreats back to the later degrees of Leo.  This is a very interesting cusp particularly since around 2011 when the fixed star Regulus moved from Leo to Virgo. Leo is the king, the ruler. Virgo is the handmaid of the king. However if the king is misusing his power, if he is a bad ruler then Virgo rises up and becomes alarmingly fierce and unrelenting in her intention to set things to right. A ‘good’ ruler serves the people with love and loyalty. This is quite dramatic and easy to see in the world right now as we witness people in power misusing that power as well as climate change and all its attendant collateral damage. 

Of course we are neither kings nor handmaids and so can’t really set the world to rights. But in our own world this is the consideration: Do we ‘rule’ or guard our little kingdoms with love in our hearts? Are we fearful? Do we lack courage? Of course we do sometimes and not others. We are human! The alignment we might seek during the Mercury retrograde period requires some effort to truly serve Love. Despite Virgo’s reputation for perfection we are not aiming for that. Knowing that the best we can do is good enough if we do it with love and for the good of all, is one of Virgo’s superpowers. 

The conjunction of Mercury and the Sun always sheds light on the retrograde period. On August 18th Mercury and the Sun in Leo will square Uranus in Taurus. This suggests that change is happening so fast that it feels chaotic. Perhaps people that should be trustworthy seem off their rockers. Rain falls too hard and fire burns out of control. No doubt some courage and a lot of love (Leo) will help us navigate our way through it all. 

Whatever our plans and adventures for this period, we understand that anxiety and control will not serve us. Accepting each and every circumstance with a full heart in as relaxed a state as possible (always good advice) will serve us as well as all those we encounter. The world is always what it is. Our mandate is to navigate it as best we can. This will always be true. For more ideas about these matters you can check the Insights column at my website.

To make the most of this astrological event energetically… join our Aligned for Mercury Retrograde event August 5 2024. Click here: Light Travels – Aligned for Mercury Retrograde August 5 2024

Warm Regards

Julie Simmons

Mercury is Retrograde August 5-28 with the shadow beginning July 16 2024

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Flavor of Mercury retrograde April 1 – April 25

Posted on March 19, 2024 by juliesimmons

Expect the Unexpected…

April is full of astrological events. There is Mercury retrograde of course as well as a total eclipse of the Sun on April 8th and a conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus on the 21st. An interesting month. Nonetheless explosive.) Eclipses and Uranus in the same month suggest that good old oxymoron: Expect the unexpected, something only humans attempt.

Mercury steps into these stellar influences reminding us as always to be reflective, to pause before hitting send, to measure twice and cut once. Of course, in Aries that is much easier said than done! The message in its bottle is to slow down our reaction time, as best we can. Haste, not speed.

In the shadow of the retrograde Mercury will conjunct Chiron. A little later, after Mercury is retrograde the eclipse will also be conjunct Chiron. Mercury will make that conjunction twice more: Once during the retrograde and once in the shadow going out. Chiron is the wise teacher whose wisdom comes from wounding. There is plenty of that going around on Planet Earth at the moment. Mercury wants us to learn all we can as it conjuncts Chiron, about our own reactions and how they can wound us. It’s quite likely that we are all feeling wounded as we witness the details of the suffering in other parts of the world. We can acknowledge this without becoming less sensitive to the wounds of others. In fact our response to the rest of the world is likely to be more authentic and helpful if we know who we are and how we think and feel. Aries is a first responder. The one who runs toward the fire, not away. Retrograde in Aries, Mercury is still inclined toward this but encouraged to take a breath before dashing off.

The other aspect of note is always the conjunction with the Sun. This is the exact middle point of the retrograde period and there is often a shift away from confusion and miscommunication which are common in the first half of a Mercury retrograde period and toward actions and completions we would like to make happen.

For the exact dates of the aspects you can check the Insights column at my website. 

Warm regards, 

Julie 

Join us for the alignment on April 1st!

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Flavor of Mercury retrograde December – January 2023

Posted on November 18, 2023 by juliesimmons

This Mercury retrograde period is a bit cosmic. The midpoint of the retrograde period lands on December 22 at the solstice point. We all know the story of the solstice, one version or another. It’s the birth of the light. The Sun, which has been sinking lower and lower in the sky, making the days shorter and shorter is miraculously born again into a slow and steady rise which will brighten the skies and bring another round of spring and then summer (even if it takes a while). Even folks who live near the equator celebrate the season. It’s an archetypal moment in the human psyche. What can we take from Mercury highlighting such a moment with a conjunction to the Sun (called cazimi)? Could it be that we need to bring as much awareness and understanding as we can gather to the New Year that will take shape as the days grow brighter? This brief moment of Mercury cazimi, as it sits at the heart of the Sun (which is the heart of the heart of our solar system) seems to be a powerful reminder to listen to the still, small voice within, the one that is easily blotted out by the relentless barrage of noise and distraction. To listen deeply at the solstice is to hear the animals speak, all of nature in fact. Capricorn reminds us or tries that we are part of nature. We benefit from her abundance and we suffer when she becomes sparse or damaged. It’s that simple. To acknowledge this is to settle down in our bodies even as we once again, celebrate the miracle of the birth of the light.

As Mercury enters the shadow of the retrograde it will be in Sagittarius. It will square Neptune and conjunct Mars (which will square Neptune later in December). These are uneasy aspects. As it moves into Capricorn it makes more favorable aspects: a sextile to Saturn and a trine to Jupiter. This retrograde period has two parts: Reminding us in Sagittarius that even if there is a sucker born every minute it doesn’t have to be us. While in Capricorn it shows us that when we align with the natural world, when we overcome the distracting chatter and allow that we are embodied beings, we benefit. As it leaves the shadow it will square Neptune and conjunct Mars once again before finding stability again in Capricorn. There is a heap of information as well as misinformation in this world. Be mindful. And once you make it through the ‘fire swamp’ of the square to Neptune, as January turns to February there are things to be done if we are to be good citizens of the natural world. Tell that to your politicians.

For the exact dates of the aspects you can check the Insights column at my website. To join the alignment event for Mercury retrograde and resonate with the best of this astrological aspect register at www.LightTravels.com

Warm regards, 

Julie 

www.juliesimmons.ca 

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Flavor of Mercury retrograde August 23 – September 23

Posted on August 3, 2023 by juliesimmons

This Mercury retrograde period is kind of low key, taking a back seat to Venus retrograde. Venus has been asking us to take stock of the fun we love to have, the good life we all want to live in light of the planetary realities taking place all around us. It’s not as much of a no-brainer as it sounds. There is a lot to deconstruct in our way of life to make us sustainable on this planet. Mercury in the practical sign of Virgo seems to be in support of any and all initiatives aimed at living more realistically on our planet which includes living with each other as well as other species and life forms.

The only aspect it makes other than the conjunction with the Sun (which always happens) is a trine to Jupiter. (Before the retrograde: August 9th. During the retrograde: September 4. After Mercury goes direct:  September 25th. Third time is the charm…) This seems to encourage all efforts in aid of a more integrated life. The strongest hit is on September 4th which is also when Jupiter is stationing. When planets appear to stand still (station) from the perspective of earth, astrologers say they are extra strong.

Maybe it’s time to consider a heat pump or an induction stove, a bit less travel or even simply how to preserve foods for the winter. A bit of canning or drying might be in order!

Warm regards, 

Julie Simmons

Join us for the next alignment event

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