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.