Mercury Retro & a Lunar Eclipse

On July 26, at 1:02 a.m. EDT, the second Mercury retrograde of the year begins at 32 degrees Leo and ends on August 19 at 12:25 a.m. EDT at 11 degrees Leo. If you live in the Pacific time zone, the retro begins at 10:02 PM on July 25.

On July 27, at 4:20 p.m., there’s a lunar eclipse at 4 degrees 45 minutes Aquarius.

Let’s take a look at these events separately. Mercury retrograde occurs 3 times a year when the planet of communication and travel appears to be moving backward relative to earth. Rather than starting new ventures, it’s a great time to revise, review, reconsider. During this retrograde period, life is easier if you adhere to a list of DO NOTs.

Don’t sign contracts unless you don’t mind revisiting the terms at a later date. We did this for one of our Omar astrology contracts and things were messed up right from the start.

If you make travel plans during a Merc retro, you may experience unexpected changes in your itinerary – your flight is delayed or canceled, your baggage is lost, you miss your connection, irritating stuff. But on the plus side, a place you travel to during a retrograde is a spot to which you may  return at some point.

Don’t buy a car, printer or a computer during a Merc retro. You may regret it. I’ve done all 3 and had to return the computer and the printer and the car gave us trouble and we sold it less than a year later.

Miscommunication is rampant during these retrograde periods, so be sure to communicate clearly. Double check appointments and deadlines. Take nothing for granted.

You may hear from people who haven’t been a part of your life for years and that can be good or not, depending on who the person is!

The Lunar Eclipse

Lunar eclipses tend to trigger emotional responses. Uranus, the planet of unexpected events – surprises!- forms a hard angle to the eclipse degree. Notice that the moon is in the 2nd house of the eclipse chart, the house that rules finances, earned income, your personal values. The moon shares this house with Pluto, Mars, and the South Node – the horseshoe symbol.

Typically, when an eclipse degree is conjunct the South Node, as this one is, the eclipse can be challenging. An authority figure may do or say something that presses your buttons. It would be best to avoid any confrontation. With Mars – our physicality, capacity for aggression – tempers may be heightened. Toss in the Merc retro and the potential for miscommunication is heightened.

Saturn in Capricorn in the 1st house and Uranus in Taurus in the 5th are in a great aspect to each other – a trine, 120 degrees. This suggests an easy flow of energy. Any  unforeseen events, sudden insights, and aha! moments you experience can be put to use in a practical way.

One thing that may transpire on or around this eclipse is more revelations about the Mueller investigation and trump. For the prez, this eclipse occurs in his 6th house of health and daily work. We can expect more tweet storms about witch hunts and fake news, and given his allegedly awful diet and the emotional chaos with which trump lives, there may be repercussions for his health.

Best advice for this eclipse: lay low, don’t engage in arguments. If you’re dissatisfied with some aspect of your life, this eclipse may bring that feeling to the front of your awareness. Then it’s up to you to do something about it.