Every couple of months, Mercury, the planet of communication, transportation, ideas, and possibilities, goes retrograde. This year, Mercury will be making its summer debut on August 23rd. What makes this Mercury retrograde a unique one is that it's occurring in Virgo, whose ruling planet is Mercury. This is good news, as you’ll be able to move through this Mercury retrograde more effectively and can more easily gain the wisdom needed.
This Mercury Retrograde also begins on the first day of Virgo Season, solidifying a theme of healing the mind, getting organized, and allowing things to come together. As summer comes to an end and the leaves begin to change, Mercury retrograde asks, “Where can you let go and accept, and where has your faith led you to create a better future for yourself?”
Virgo is an earth sign that teaches us that our mind is our gift and our compassion is what serves. Virgo is a helpful hand in the storm, yet, this maiden’s approach can sometimes have a harsh delivery under challenging circumstances. Mercury in Virgo is especially meticulous, and with this Mercury retrograde occurring here, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or turn to over-criticism towards self or others.
Communication should be handled with some extra patience and grace, plans should be looked over thoroughly before execution, and it’s best to handle anything of permanence for another time. As you move through this Mercury retro amid Virgo Season, do as the Virgos do: your best. Mercury goes direct on September 15th, and through the inner awakening this transit has brought, by the end of it, the growth is clear.
What Mercury Retrograde Has In Store For Each Zodiac Sign
ARIES
Aries, Mercury retrograde for you will be all about approaching your health and daily routines in a new way. Mercury will be retrograde in an area of your chart having to do with work, well-being, habits, daily life, and attention to detail. This is a good time to learn a new skill, develop your talents, and work passionately on something that inspires you. Your everyday routine, working environment, or schedule may be experiencing some challenges or delays, and being flexible is key to making it through this time.
Once Mercury goes direct on September 15th, you are going to start seeing more improvements at work, forward movement with projects, and overall more balance with your peers and within your everyday life. This Mercury retrograde is here to help you find new ways to de-stress, refocus your intentions, and create a better strategy.
TAURUS
This Mercury retrograde for you, Taurus, is a journey of the heart. Mercury will be going retrograde in your 5th house of romance, creativity, passion, self-expression, and happiness over the next few weeks, and you are finding your voice. Any limitations you have been feeling creatively and romantically come up at this time to be reviewed, healed, and addressed. You may be feeling less optimistic than usual during this transit, and your guidance at this time is to start with doing the small things that make you happy and then go from there.
During this time, you are reviewing where the happiness is in your life and if you’ve been prioritizing this enough for yourself. Once Mercury goes direct, you will have a better understanding of what lights you up inside and how you want to show up in the world, making it easier to be in those spaces.
GEMINI
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This Mercury retrograde is a good time to get back to the basics, Gemini. You are taking a look at your foundations and taking note of where you want to continue to grow your roots in life. Your emotional well-being and stability are the priority right now as you redevelop your safe spaces and focus on your inner world.
Some misunderstandings with family or close loved ones may arise, but you are getting a clear view of how you’ve been feeling when it comes to the past, your roots, emotional patternings, and what’s going on internally. This is a good time to declutter, create space, finish a home project, or bring peace into the home. This Mercury retrograde for you is about regrouping and gaining stronger foundations.
CANCER
This Mercury retrograde for you is about overcoming previous communication challenges, getting the answers you have been looking for, and seeing what has been blocking you from feeling heard, Cancer. Miscommunications with others are likely, but they will be creating a breakthrough for honesty and transparency overall and, in turn, build your connections.
This Mercury retrograde transit is requiring more patience than most, and short travels, contracts, transportation, and emails should all be looked over a few times. You could feel like your natural flow in the day is hindered more than usual during this time, and you are reworking your daily systems and prioritizing what is really worth your energy right now. Prioritize what matters, and follow the sparks of inspiration right now.
LEO
Mercury retrograde is here, and for you, it’s affecting an area of your life, having to do with income, finances, value systems, and self-confidence, Leo. This is a good time to plan financially for your future and to avoid making any unnecessary or extravagant purchases if possible, as you may change your mind about them later.
Some unexpected occurrences may be happening within your financial world at this time. However, you are getting the opportunity to create a new beneficial system for yourself here in the long term. You are overall focusing more on the giving and receiving in your life during this time and finding your balance here, Leo.
VIRGO
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This Mercury retrograde cycle will be in your sign and in your 1st house of self. Over the next few weeks, you will be reflecting on the personal changes you have gone through over the last year, both mentally and physically, and how you see yourself now. This transit for you is a time to honor your growth and development and focus on seeing yourself in a new, more favorable, and accepting light.
A lot of different aspects of your life will be influenced during this Mercury retrograde since it’s occurring in your 1st house at the very top of your chart, but it’s overall about being consistent with your personal growth journey and about getting your ducks in a row. You will be leaving this retrograde feeling an overall greater self-confidence and like your path ahead is clearer with fewer obstacles, Virgo.
LIBRA
Over the next few weeks, Mercury retrograde will be transiting your house of endings, culminations, the subconscious mind, and healing. While Mercury moves through this area of your chart, your past may be coming up for you a lot now. However, this is not a pass to entertain it. The past seems to come up more for you now than it has been, so you can re-examine some lessons you may have missed there and give yourself another opportunity to heal, forgive, and let go.
For you, self-care, rest, and emotional rejuvenation should be the priority, and you are overall getting the space to regroup. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to isolate yourself to find yourself and maintain your balance in life, Libra.
SCORPIO
Scorpio, Mercury retrograde will be moving through your 11th house of friendship, community, hopes, and dreams. This Mercury retrograde is allowing you to re-think some of your long-term goals to see if they still resonate for you now. You are finding your place in the world during this time and are aligning with your happiness and aspirations.
There could be some miscommunication within friendships and social networks, however, as you redefine how you want to use your voice and who you want to connect with in the process. Past goals, future goals, and the progress of them all come up for review, and you are opening yourself up to the possibilities of your life and what intentions you want to manifest.
SAGITTARIUS
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Mercury retrograde is here, and for you, Sagittarius it is influencing your career, professional life, and reputation. How you are feeling about your goals, your achievements, and where you are in regards to your career take focus during this time, and you are re-examining your path here. Know the support will come, as it always does, but there is something to understand about showing up for yourself regardless of who is standing behind you.
Your guidance for this transit is to honor your skills and talents, be willing to learn more and continue to believe you are worthy of blessings and recognition. Feelings of not being understood or appreciated for the work you are doing can come up for you during this time, and you are seeking some stability and assurance in your career right now.
CAPRICORN
Capricorn, this Mercury retrograde will be occurring in your 9th house of adventure, travel, education, and spirituality, and there is a sense of needing some more downtime to reflect and understand what your inner world has been telling you during this time. Plans change, paths detour, and you are reviewing your belief systems with a closer eye right now.
Overall, over the next few weeks, you will be searching for a new way forward and gaining the bigger picture. Through the experiences you’ve encountered so far this year, a new perspective has been born, and you are looking at your truths right now. This Mercury retrograde is showing you how important it is to have faith in yourself and your life.
AQUARIUS
Over the next few weeks, Aquarius, Mercury retrograde will be moving through your 8th house of intimacy, shared finances, rebirth, and all things taboo. Mercury will be bringing the focus on where your energy- especially financial energy, has been spent. and if it’s benefiting you and your self-empowerment in life. You are going through a time of transformation and transition, and you are addressing where this change has been needed. It’s about asking for what you need within your close partnerships, commitments, and within your financial world; and knowing that you deserve just that.
Once Mercury goes direct on September 15th, you are going to feel more clarity and empowerment in your life, and like you have overall cleared the way for more blessings to enter, both financially and emotionally.
PISCES
Mercury retrograde will be moving through your 7th house of love, partnership, beauty, and finances, and there could be some miscommunication within your partnerships at times during this transit, Pisces. Your relationships are a mirror to you right now, and it can be difficult to see some emotional patterning or habits that are straining your one-on-one connections rather than strengthening them.
It’s time to let the past go in love and redefine what your heart wants now. Overall, the relationships that are meant for you will only grow further into a deeper commitment and understanding through this transit; and those that aren’t will make it clearer to you that this is the case. Choose your battles wisely, and focus on love.
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xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
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Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
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Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
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