Buckle your energetic seatbelts, kids. This summer has some wild planetary action at play and we’re all in for a transformative ride. With Mercury retrograde in Leo and Cancer from July 7-31 — right smack between two powerful eclipses — we’re being invited to show up more authentically in our lives by letting go of the past, hitting pause on future plans, and really sinking into the present moment.
In spite of its chaotic reputation, the disruptive energy of Mercury retrograde offers an incredible opportunity to transform our lives for the better. Energy alchemist and spiritual sage, Nicola Behrman, has a few simple survival tactics for learning to embrace (and benefit from) Mercury retrograde this month…
Mercury went retrograde on July 7 and, as ever, memes are popping up, people are running for the technological hills, gritting their teeth and desperately waiting for it to be over. Retrograde means going backwards, and people often misunderstand that when planets are in retrograde our lives are in for a period of going backward too. I’m here to tell you that this isn’t accurate — it’s certainly not the best way to engage with Mercury retrograde and it’s actually majorly missing out on the gift of this moment.
I work energetically and shamanically with the stars so people often think I am an astrology expert, which is not actually true. But I do read energy in real time and so I am often aware of specific moments in time where we are collectively and individually affected by the flow of the planets and the stars and the moon. Last week’s eclipse, for example, rocked so many people, internally and externally.
I help people remember that their soul’s are eternal beings, waiting patiently to wake up to their multi-dimensionality — and to see how fun life can get when we remember this. And so it is that I have a particular understanding of what happens in our human realms when Mercury goes retrograde because I’ve witnessed it and experienced it first hand many, many times.
I’m here to dispel a few beliefs and share some unknown magic for you to tap into as we embark on this majestic moment of Mercury retrograde — slam dunk between two eclipses. If ever there was a time to harness your own internal power and relationship with the universe, so it feels a little more co-creative and a little less ‘holy mother, I’m getting slung around like a dingy in a thunderstorm’, it would be now…
The Myths Of Mercury Retrograde
Mercury retrograde feels pretty well known at this point — it’s generally acknowledged that these periods tend to last three weeks or so, that technology goes crazy, communication is going to be rough, emails may be lost, don’t even think about buying a new computer or a car or anything technical or technological, and definitely do not sign contracts. There’s a lot of fear related to Mercury retrograde, but chaos is not the totality of its influence.
First off, retrogrades aren’t here to punish us — they’re not here to make our lives more difficult. Can you see how unfairly punitive that perspective is? A little reminder that how we do something is how we do everything — and when we look at life and the universe through this very punitive and actually somewhat religious lens, that even moments in time and energetic portals that are ultimately for our benefit can become something we try and avoid and grit our teeth and get through, instead of actually receiving the very magic that they are here to bestow.
The Magic Of Mercury Retrograde
Slow Your Roll. Mercury retrograde in Leo and Cancer this month is like a seasonal opportunity and invitation to slow down, to go inside and to take care of business. We are living in such a forward motion state, many of us running and running and running, and we honestly don’t even really know where we’re running to. We’ve become a society of external validation and external stimulus and pleasure, and we’ve lost touch with the absolute ecstasy that is actually available to us as human beings. But it comes from inside. It comes from an alchemic process of mining for internal gold, and it doesn’t even have to be a structured exploration. It does have to involve moments of doing nothing, of just allowing existence to be as it is for a few moments. We’ve lost touch with what it means to actually do nothing. And we’ve lost touch with the fundamental truth that there is nothing for us to do or prove in order to get to receive the deliciousness of this life.
Get back To Basics. How does Mercury retrograde play into this conversation? It plays with modern life. It screws with your emails. It’s inviting you to use it a moment in time where you slow down, get outside a little more. Pretend you’re Parisian and it’s the summer and you’re closing your restaurant for the month, despite people wanting to give you money for your goods, because you know that it’s crucial to a good life, to slow down, turn off the machinery and head to the beach.
Savor Small Joys. Before your brain tells you that you wish you had time to head to the beach for the month, just take the metaphor, and go to the park for fifteen minutes. How you do one thing is how you do everything, and we get a way of being and a way of life by starting to practice it with small steps. Take the first small step courtesy of Mercury retrograde in Leo and instead of swearing at it, take a little breath, say thank you, and pop off social media for a minutes and go meet yourself under the sun. I predict mucho deliciousness.
Create More Space. For those who need a little more structured magic to become believers in the positivity of Mercury retrograde, I will offer you this: Mercury retrograde is about clearing up your shit. It’s about decluttering your space and your home and your office, and tying up loose ends so that they stop taking up energetic space in your psyche. It’s also a time where old “stuff” that hasn’t been fully resolved will pop back up. I got a slew of emails and SOS’s from private clients yesterday — all suddenly feeling the burn, and they weren’t sure why. Again, it’s not because anyone is being punished; it’s because we have become so adept at pushing down our own feelings and thoughts and authentic selves in order to be liked by a society that doesn’t actually care that much anyway, that when Mercury goes retrograde, we get given the space to suddenly look at the ways in which childhood coping mechanisms and people-pleasing tendencies just do not work for us anymore.
Unpack Your Baggage. I predict that if this particular eclipse season and Mercury retrograde moment is jiggling your stuff, it’s because there’s a part of you that is no longer willing to people please your way out of conflict or communication. And that can be terrifying to the parts of us that think we will only survive if everyone loves us. It’s a lie. And Mercury retrograde is here to get you to look at it. We are living in a time where authenticity truly is shining through as the most important quality for success, for joy, for happiness. And it is very much at odds with much of what we have been taught societally and by our families. But luckily for all of us, we’re just not prepared to squish ourselves down anymore. It can be terrifying when you are invited to show up more and more authentically in every area of your life — as Mercury retrograde is currently inviting you to do — but it is also the key to liberation. And we’re here for it.
How To Embrace Mercury Retrograde in Leo
Start Reflecting. Take a moment to thank Mercury retrograde for popping into play, take another breath and realize how all of these unfoldings are happening for you and not to you. Mercury retrograde in Leo and Cancerhas your back. It is a perfect time to start journalling and enquiring a little more deeply inside as to who you are are, why you’re here, and what really holds meaning for you.
It doesn’t really matter what comes forward while journaling. The true answer is that you came here to be as authentically you as you can be. That’s it — and Mercury retrograde is here to help you get there. Embrace it. Surrender to it. And if you need a writing prompt to help you through, grab your journal and start with these words:
What have I hidden deep inside that mercury retrograde is trying to help me bring to the surface and bring to light?
What am I terrified of showing to the world?
If I could turn off technology for just an hour and a half, where would I go and what would I do? Then, go do it before the week is up…
Happy Mercury retrograde in Leo and Cancer! Happy almost full moon eclipse (on July 16) and remember you don’t need to be an astrologer to know any of this stuff. Energy speaks loudly to those wanting to listen and understand.
Want To Dive Deeper? If you are looking for more magic and actual tangible experience to explore these realms more with me, The Celestial Journey — my most beloved digital adventure, working with the magic of the stars — starts on July 13. I lead this journey personally, teach and offer feedback in a private space, and I only lead it once a year. It is pure and utter magic, can be experienced from anywhere in the world. Learn more.
Are you feeling affected by the energy of Mercury retrograde in Leo? Share your experiences and insights with the TCM community over in our private Facebook group, The Chat.
