Have you heard? Mercury Retrograde in Ashlesha coincides with 2 eclipses this year, & is bang in the middle of both.

If you’re feeling confused this month, you’re in good company. The planetary line-up is intense.

Today Mercury is going retrograde in sensitive, vibrational Ashelsha nakshatra while sharing Sidereal Cancer with Rahu & the Sun. These 3 planets are in opposition to Ketu & Mars in Sidereal Capricorn. By the time it goes direct on August 18th, Mercury will also have participated in 2 eclipses. ‘Backing up your hard drive’ & ‘checking your car’s oil level’ barely scratches the surface of how to ride the next 3 weeks.

Mercury retrograde in Cancer asks us reassess our perceptions & unconscious programming particularly those related to our foundational concepts of emotional security, safety, nurturing & home. These can be factors from our matriarchal lineage, the country we identify with as home, even our personal spiritual practice. In essence we are being invited to consider a paradigm shift in these respects.

Given that Cancer is the natural sign ruler of the 4th house, the most vulnerable place in our charts & associated with the heart, this process is rarely an easy one without Jupiter’s help to steer us somewhere more spiritually inspiring & ‘whole’ than the emotional attachments associated with Cancer. The fourth house is a moksha house, & the work we do here to unhook ourselves emotionally is a step towards liberation. This is something to bear in mind if we experience loss during this period which could be the case particularly if running Mercury or Moon dashas.

Mercury in Ashlesha is talented w using the intellect to understand & heal emotional issues. During retrograde engaging in exploration, research & reassessment is often more realistic than having an expectation of arriving at conclusions that feel immediately satisfying. There will however be pressure to make fast decisions w exalted Mars aspecting from Capricorn yuti Ketu.

Mars isn’t interested in the kinds of activities supportive & healing to Ashlesha like journaling, psychotherapy & energy medicine which it would judge as dilettantish. Mars & Ketu are both planets of sudden action & especially w Mars retrograde actions are in danger of being hasty, destructive, or ill-considered. A challenge at the moment is that we might be feeling simultaneously stuck yet forced to make a decision with seemingly massive future repercussions. So unfair! With Mercury & Mars, the 2 planets that govern logic both impaired by retrogression & nodal conjunctions it is nevertheless advised to practice extreme patience & due diligence in any areas of life ruled by Mercury.

During this Mercury retrograde we can also expect a certain amount of uneven pacing in the areas of our charts ruled by Mercury & Mars (Aries, Gemini, Virgo & Scorpio). Mercury & Mars have the most erratic orbits of our planets, & are both sharing bhavas with Ketu & Rahu which are the points of the eclipses & may throw surprises our way. This can bring sudden blessings or destabilization, especially if we are running Moon, Mercury or Mars dashas.

So how to navigate this period of time? Firstly, to realize that we’re not being punished by these planetary lineups. Rather we’re being invited & supported along our path to spiritual evolution. I strongly believe that we have incarnated to learn how to navigate the material, tamasic planes of existence as much as to grow & evolve spiritually. Our earthly meat suits are a blessing, the vehicles through which we may attain enlightenment. Taking a meta or ‘zoom out’ perspective on our lives, seeing this summer as a concentrated moment that is temporary can reduce tension & anxiety. Surrendering to our meditation, yoga, time in nature or spiritual practice is pure soul-nourishment. Any of the activities related to Ashlesha mentioned earlier in this post are also helpful. Also, controlling the impulse to rush matters to a conclusion prematurely may help us in the long run.

 Only love