The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.
— Marcus Aurelius
Mercury enters Leo Monday night at 10:24 pm EDT. Less than 36 hours after ingress to Leo, Mercury will enter the echo (or ‘shadow’) phase of its next retrograde, which begins on July 14, by passing the point where it will resume direct motion on August 8. Now is the time to plan ahead, and not with dread. Rather, now is the time to set your intention to make the most of great opportunity. That’s because Mercury’s tenure in Leo will offer both the time and energy to review and connect with some things that have frustrated your efforts for a long time.
The first connection you need to make is that between thoughts and outcome. Mercury’s cycles connect with, but do not control, how you think. You control how you think. You know negative thoughts assure negative results. What possible risk is there, then, in exercising some quality control over your thoughts during Mercury’s 11-week tour of Leo? It’s worth a try.
The first thing you should try is ditching the stereotypes. Mercury traversing Leo is not always the same. Mercury retrograde cycles are not always the same. It’s important to look at the basics and the specifics. The basics begin with what a retrograde cycle really is. It’s an illusion caused by perspective.
Real planets do not change speed or move backwards. Real planets pass each other on occasion as they follow their respective paths around the Sun. We are on one of those planets and our perspective is of being fixed in one place. Mercury is presently catching up with us and approaching to pass between Earth and the Sun. From our apparently fixed perspective, an object catching up to pass us has the appearance of decelerating. If we combine appearance with reality, what we get is a useful illusion that symbolizes slowing down while passing. With a little caution, slowing down to take a closer look can contribute to the quality of your thoughts. Mercury’s archetype of mind spending 11 weeks in the energy field ruled by the Sun can do that for you. When it initiates this year’s long tour of Leo, Mercury will also receive supportive energy from the signs of its own domicile.
Regardless of where it is, the condition of any ruling planet is subject to the conditions of the sign or signs it rules. Mercury enters Leo this year with ample and balanced support from Jupiter and Venus boosting Gemini while Mars and the Moon hook up from Virgo. That abundant and diverse combination of influences favorably connects Mercury’s Leo ingress to more than half of the zodiac. Once could scarcely imagine more auspicious encouragement. To make make Mercury all the more welcome, solar support will follow next month when the Sun comes home to play host.
If ever there were reason to dispense with negative thinking and embrace a retrograde cycle, we will have the opportunity to do so, beginning next week. All it will require is that you replace conditioned, knee-jerk, fear-based thinking with thoughts of a higher quality. It will help if you have some objectives in mind. There is one objective we can all have in common.
For all of us, regardless of our personal astrology, Mercury’s time in Leo will merge its model of mental acuity with the Sun’s emblem of conscious awareness in the light of day. That merger is the very image of quality, of clear thoughts quickly grasped and manipulated to the advantage of the thinker. It would be a shame to spoil such an opportunity by stubbornly clinging to adverse conditioning received without evidence and perpetuated without rational cause. With the beginning of a new week, Mercury’s ingress to Leo can symbolize a new life, an empowered life, dare say an opportunity to choose happiness by simply choosing your thoughts. Take the weekend to think about that and prepare to dare, plan to prevail. What have you got to lose besides unhappiness?
Offered In Service
Len is available for astrology readings. You can contact him at lenwallick [at] gmail [dot] com.
I’m glad it’s not just me. I counted 67 days which is 9 weeks plus 4 days. Jupiter square Neptune makes sense to me. Thanks Lunesoleil!
be
It is that you had in mind even the article on September 11, there are what make errors under the square of Jupiter/Neptune.
I spotted him this retro mercury in Leo, he is too good and the Lion he will shine by the rays of the Sun. He fell in my house 4
I wish you a good weekend Len
lunesoleil: Thank you. You are correct. Mercury enters Leo on June 25 (Eastern Daylight Time in the USA) and enters Virgo on the last day of of August. Please forgive my mistake.
We will have a beautiful retro mercury in Leo receiving that beautiful planetary aspect
Len, I does not include 11 weeks of mercury in Leo, I counted 8 weeks and 5 days , thank you
Len, thank you for this! I am Aquarius Sun, Moon, and Mercury… woo-woo-weeee…. 🙂 This Mercury retro excites me now especially after reading your exquisite Mercury expression. With Mercury in my Aquarius First House, I just have recently started a deep exploration in this house to understand and know better as well as clean house, and writing about my quest. My First House is heavy laden with planets, and of course, my descendant is Leo. So, I am looking forward to Mercury ingress to Leo and then the echo.
You wrote: “That’s because Mercury’s tenure in Leo will offer both the time and energy to review and connect with some things that have frustrated your efforts for a long time.”
“… Mercury’s time in Leo will merge its model of mental acuity with the Sun’s emblem of conscious awareness in the light of day.”
Indeed. Indeed. Let the sunshine in….
Since discovering Planet Waves the latter part of last year, and becoming an avid reader and subscriber, my long ago love for astrology bloomed, and I decided to return to astrology in serious study and practice a few months ago. Therefore, I truly thank Eric, and you, Len, and all who’ve contributed here at Planet Waves in revolution and revelation.
Oppss… I had totally missed it…
What a beautiful post, Len. Thank you for having such a wonderful way of expressing the potential of planetary movements!
paola: Thank you, please look at the tip if my blog for the quote from Marcus Aurelius (right below the title).
Carrie: You are welcome. Looks like you have it going. Let it simmer. The main this is to slow down and look carefully the first time to get yourself in the rhythm of this Mercury transit of your chart. Mercury the god may not appreciate going slow but as it functions in your life it can be given motivation to go slow and reap the rewards for it.
Oh and it gets close to my 12th house cusp and my natal Uranus too.
Len,
That does it for me fine. :::smile::: This Rx will be in my 11th house and will be opposing my Pholus when it goes RX. The entry shadow phase has Merc opposing my Venus and Ceres and then again during the Rx. The same Ceres you talked to me about a few weeks ago. It will again cross my Pholus after if goes direct and at the end of the outward shadow phase. I will have to think about those. Thanks for the insight!
‘Where do you and what you feel inside intersect with what the world is showing you? Remember what Marcus Aurelius said. How are your thoughts connected to how you feel?’
I like that! Thank you Len and Carrie.
And, Len, I’m afraid I missed what Marcus Aurelius said. Where should I look?
firegirl: You are most welcome.
be: If i have made you feel better in the way you have so generously, for so long, helped me and all Planet Waves readers not only feel better but wiser, then i will have repaid a small fraction of the debt owed to you by me and all Planet Waves readers. You are the one to be thanked far more than i am.
Carrie: Thank you for your question. Let’s break it down a bit. First, consider Eric’s genius in proposing that we re-name “shadow phase” with the more accurate “echo phase”. Because that unburdens the period of the negative thoughts sometimes connected with the word “shadow”, because the echo phase is a period of foreshadowing, when we receive an echo from the future which does not pre-ordain events but rather acquaints us with tendencies and probabilities we may see again. So look at your natal chart. What will the shadow phase transit? That’s important because Mercury will transit those same degrees, houses and objects two more times. Also, put your antenna up. What is the world showing you that could serve to anticipate things only now taking shape. Where do you and what you feel inside intersect with what the world is showing you? Remember what Marcus Aurelius said. How are your thoughts connected to how you feel? Finally, life goes on Mercury echo phase or not. If you have to do something necessary, get it done and learn from the concurrent astrology rather than allowing the astrology to inhibit you or throw unnecessary doubt on what you need to do anyway. Please, how does that work for you?
Thanks for this, Len.
We need to sign a new lease agreement; should we get that done before next week’s shadow phase or can we do it during the shadow phase without any issues?
Dear Len,
The Power of Positive Thinking has been given new life thanks to you. I would wish that everyone could read this offeing today. What a relief to be able to dump the negative stereotype thoughts we are conditioned to regarding Mercury retrograde. I feel better already! Many thanks for making sense and connections. If Mercury’s tenants are happy, why shouldn’t he be happy? Don’t worry then and BE!
Len, you rock.
Thank you for this.