What's Love? (Got to do with it?)
It's time to tune into your inner Tina Turner this and turn your attention to your personal roll down the river of love. That's because today Mercury turned retrograde at 1:02 am (EDT) at 23°27’ in the sign of Leo. Mercury retrograde in general brings its usual share of fun in the form of delays, red tape, technological breakdowns and miscommunication of all kinds. But Mercury in Leo is all about love, and with Mars already deep in backwards motion in addition to the approaching Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius, the next 3 weeks are likely be especially intense.
For some of you, it may feel like it’s simply impossible to get anything done—especially when today’s retrograde followed by Friday’s eclipse forces you to sit still and contemplate your love and social (media) lives. In fact, there are so many mixed messages in the air these days that you might actually become physically ill, especially if you’ve been overdoing it in one way or another.
Whenever Mercury goes retrograde, which it will from July 26th-August 19th, it’s as if time stands still. And while every Mercury retrograde cycle can (and should) be a blessed reprieve from action, turning our thoughts inward rather than outward, the confusion can be overwhelming, particularly during the days immediately before and after it changes direction.
Self-doubt, uncertainty and vague communication is common during these cycles, which is why “watch and wait” vs. “act now and think later” is definitely the best strategy, as taking the latter approach may cause you to do (or, more likely, say) something you’ll later regret.
Mercury in Leo = Love Thyself (First)
How we express gestures of love and friendship to those you care about (or are interested in) is the dominant theme of this retrograde period. Are we fulfilled in our love lives or is there a noticeable lack thereof? Is that “no one likes me” idea going around in your brain really true, or is it that (maybe) you have a hard time accepting love from others?
During this Mercury retrograde, you might need to wake up when it comes to how you communicate your desires to others. For instance, are you unconsciously telling others that you’re unreachable or emotionally unavailable in some way when really you’re...ahem...afraid?
Because Leo is the sign associated with love affairs, these and other questions surrounding our dating lives will draw our attention now. Are we approaching our love lives too pragmatically? Do we withhold how we feel out of fear or express ourselves openly? Do we dream about a relationship that doesn’t exist only to be disappointed, or do we face reality and ask for what we need?
While the reality of any situation is likely to need considerable time and careful thought given the current planetary dynamic (read: chaos), these questions represent lines of thought to pay attention to if you want to get the most out of Mercury retrograde in Leo.