Mercury goes retrograde in Leo at 7:16p PDT on Saturday, July 14th, 2012. It will be in retrograde motion until late on August 7th when it goes back into direct motion still in the sign of Leo.
With the Sun as its planetary ruler, Leo is about shining one’s Light fully and brightly. It is rather fitting that this sign is in the midst of the Summer season, radiating its warmth to all who are willing to receive its glow.
Of course, with Leo, sometimes that warm glow can be more of a blinding glare. And that is where this Mercury Retrograde cycle can become rather interesting.
Leo is at its best and healthiest when it shining its Light brightly bringing positive attention to itself, and then sharing its Light to powerfully bring attention to that and those it has affinity for. It is at its worst and in its detriment when it is seeking Light from others – when it believes it doesn’t have enough Light on its own to garner the attention it craves.
Mercury represents mental energy – intellect and the communication of ideas and thoughts. It is the ‘perpetual student’, gathering information and knowledge from as many sources as possible. It also embodies acceleration, and things tend to happen more quickly under Mercury’s influence. Information and ideas are processed quickly and news travels fast when Mercury is in the mix.
However, when Mercury is in retrograde, it tends to draw those mental energies inward. We are more introspective and more inclined to look within ourselves for the answers to our burning questions. We also have the opportunity to go back and review our ideas, thoughts and communications to consider which ones we now can and want to implement and also which ones we’d like to “do over”. Communications or actions in our lives which may have been left unclear or undefined in their initial expressions now come to the surface to be clarified and defined. It’s a great time to gather and organize your thoughts and ideas, getting your mind clear and focused on what has been, is and is becoming in your life.
Therefore, in the sign of Leo, Mercury Retrograde is a chance to look at yourself and how you shine (or fail to shine) your unique expression of Light out into the world. This particular Mercury Retrograde cycle begins during the Sun cycle of Cancer, so Leo’s energy is inclined to be focused on the areas of you life where you need or want more emotional care, nurturing, and protection to start. However, in about 8 days from now, the Sun moves into Leo as well (its home sign), bringing the focus completely on you and your individual self-expression.
You get to look back at where you could have or should have said certain things to stand up for, protect, and/or bring nurturing attention to yourself, to issues that have long gone unaddressed, or to sentiments that have long gone unexpressed for you. You may also be given the chance to now be retrospectively recognized and acknowledged for your ideas, knowledge and your expressions of your individual uniqueness, both in the recent and distant past. This recognition is likely to be emotionally fulfilling for you on some level.
The key to mastering this cycle is having the courage to speak up once you retrospectively recognize what you really need to learn, know or be acknowledged for. Then you must speak with confidence in asking for it. You will get what you ask for, making the key to a positive experience of this Mercury Retrograde in Leo cycle to do just that – ask. Verbalize your needs. You must ask for what you need once you identify those needs for yourself.
It will be important for you to identify whether or not what you are asking for is actually necessary for your soul’s development or if it’s simply an ego-driven want.
- If it is something or someone that makes you feel good about who you are and supports and encourages your unique expression, and is truly necessary for you to move forward into your most radiant self, then by all means – give yourself permission to ask for it and go after it.
- But if it is something or someone that makes you feel badly about yourself or that denies or distracts you from your fullest self-expression, you may want to ask yourself why you insist on diminishing your Light instead.
It will also be important for you to ask with confidence, but not with arrogance or a sense of entitlement. This is where the distinction between “warm glow” and “blinding glare” is made. It will be clear to those you approach whether or not you are asking from a place of courage, honesty and integrity which attracts others to your radiant truth, or from a place of fear, desperation and insecurity that repels others with “look at me, look at me” behaviors. Choose the words that speak to the reality of who you truly are and what you truly want to say to (and receive from) those you are communicating with. The more genuine the intention and more positive the words, the more likely the response you receive will be clear and positive.
In the words of the Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need”.
Here’s to your getting everything you need and maybe even what you want during this 2012 Mercury Retrograde in Leo cycle.
Thanks for reading and sharing. Until next time…
~ Light, Love and Blessings,
Grace
