There’s a great deal of focus on the sign of Cancer over the month of July, and along with the New & Full Moon’s associations with this sign, we can be in much more of a “feeling” state than a “thinking” state. Mercury, as the planet of communication, will be diving deep into the intuitive waters of Cancer, and stimulating our imagination in this dreamy sign. The upcoming retrograde is an excellent time, therefore, to stimulate our minds through story, drawing, painting, or any other kind of creative activity. 

It’s important over this Retrograde period not to attach too much to the world of logic, and to sense the emotions beneath the words we communicate to others, and take note of what feelings are being communicated to us. If we try and logically figure out our own thoughts, or others’, this is where the problems of Mercury Retrograde will set in, when we will feel confused or befuddled. If we continue to look beneath the surface, we will find a wealth of connection and understanding and avoid the communication disasters that often cloud this time. 

Mercury Retrograde in Cancer will ask us to take a step back, to think on what family and home means to us, and how to create that. It’s not a time to make any decisions, but rather to bathe in the waters of our minds and float on the surface until the time is right to take action – once Mercury moves fully into Leo at the beginning of August, we will have a much clearer idea of how to go about creating these nurturing spaces for ourselves. 

We will also need to take note of any defensive behaviors or habits and make a pointed effort to not scuttle to the side when directly confronted – when we say what is in our hearts, directly and openly, we have a much better chance of being heard in the way that we need to be! This will be especially true when it comes to communicating with family, as well as with our closest partners and friends. 

Expect the usual mayhem with technology, cars and travel – this is a time that the universe asks us not to rush, to take a pause, a breath, and resume our normal mental pace at a later stage. If we are conscious, we can see this is simply an opportunity to stand back and see the bigger picture before moving ahead! Here are a few useful tips for this Mercury Retrograde: 

• Get creative – whether it’s cooking, art or music you are into, find a way of enjoying these soul- nurturing activities 
• Listen with your heart – put logic aside for a moment and let your heart tune into your needs and your closest people’s needs
• Don’t make any decisions – use this time for reflection, and move ahead in August, once the eclipses are over and you feel more clear-headed
• Back up! As always, back up your precious music, photos, documents and other tech-y things to avoid any heartache and frustration.