At 10:53pm tonight (June 29) Mercury enters its shadow. It occurred to me that some people might benefit by a visual on the topic of Mercury shadows and retrograde. Thus, my homemade color diagram above.
First, astrologers know that technically Mercury is not actually going backwards. It appears to go backwards due to the speed of the planet as viewed from Earth. Of course, the astrology message of the Mercury retrograde is another story where we know ‘appears’ has its own punch.
When we unpack the movement of Mercury we break it into four sections. Shadow - Retrograde - Direct - Shadow. Above you see a blue line for the first shadow (Pre-shadow). Then red line for retrograde. Then green for direct that has final shadow (Post-shadow) point at the end.
These colors and points are translated to dates on the calendar.
In the case of this upcoming retrograde, the dates are:
June 29: Mercury shadow (4 Leo14)
July 17: Mercury station retrograde (15 Leo 34)
Aug 11: Mercury station direct (4 Leo14)
Aug 25: Mercury exits shadow (15 Leo34)
Mercury retrograde in Leo is about finding the best way to access our self-expression. In a non-retrograde year, Mercury in Leo expresses itself every day perhaps every hour. Once Mercury enters the shadow (blue) on June 29 it looks around and says, “I’ll be back.” This retrograde is between 4 and 15 degrees of Leo.
The second fire sign, Leo is how we find vitality through boldness. With Mercury, our thoughts turn to leaders and heroes. Maybe we long for a heroic act by someone. We think about fiery leadership. We are drawn to big, bold, daring, creative and dynamic stories. Anyone out there in a big way may get our attention.
But during the retrograde (July 17 – August 11) some of those heroic people may hit walls. It is wise to slow down our thinking and creating. It is a good time to research. If we are feeling stale (the enemy of Leo) we benefit when we do not race a quick answer, instead we go inward and maybe try new ways of expression. Some of it may fall flat but it is okay to try something new in small ways and see what you learn. This is part of the creative Leo process by being brave at trying something new and willing for it to not work. Just doing it gets our juices going. Also if you are a person who is busy being the hero for lots of people and you have a project close to your heart that has not been addressed because you are so busy wearing your cape and rescuing others, this might be a perfect shadow to shadow time, to put the cape in the drawer and go for the tools and skills you need to access your heart driven project. Afterall, mixing it up is highlighted this Mercury retrograde because Uranus will enter Gemini just before the retrograde. And god knows Uranus is here to mix it up.
Of course, Leo is theater and drama. Any big drama in the news, for as organic as it appears may still have a theater component. Especially during the retrograde.
Falling in love is big with Leo and we could fall in love with a human, or an idea, or a thought, “Damn it, I am moving to Capri.” We could be hot and bothered and inspired but where we stand with that great idea after the retrograde ends or after the shadow ends is another thing. Whatever makes it out of this dynamic creative process will probably be battle- tested and have more chance for longevity.
With Mercury in Leo, yes, we want to run out and be heroic with our thinking and our communicating and it might not be wrong. But if you don’t want to burn a whole bunch of bridges then you might THINK before speaking. Watch every time you say “I”. In general, it is probably not the best time to wax on with your great thoughts and your great ideas. Instead go inward. In that quiet you can make sure your bold ideas really are great and when the retrograde has completed you can bring them out where they will be better received. Patience in a joyful heart is the winning play.
The shadow period starts on June 29 and ends on August 25 so given this is a peak period for traveling, it is wise to double check travel arrangement during the mercury retrograde.
One last note about a Mercury retrograde in Leo, if things feel overwhelming, this is a great period to get lost in movies, streamers and theater, Leo knows the healing power of entertainment.
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