Tag Archives: Mercury

The Day of the Versatile Signature: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 2
The Day of the Versatile Signature | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for instant access | All Other Signs

You’ve gained a number of skills over time, and the year ahead will probably provide an opportunity to use them all. Changes are happening. Using your gifts wisely should help you steer matters in a useful direction, and navigate through any difficult areas or sudden plot twists. You have more versatility than you may think, and resources you can use even in the thickest of briar patches, if needed. You also possess a certain innate charm at this time, which might help open some interesting doors.
— by Amy Elliott

Do you have a Leo Sun, rising sign or Moon? Your last couple years may have left you reeling trying to figure out which path forward is best. Hear Eric’s thoughts on expediting your post-eclipse process in your 2019-2020 Leo Astrology Studio reading.

Written in the Planets

The Moon entering Virgo this morning could describe taking a slightly more cerebral or analytical approach to emotional issues and responses that have cropped up recently. In fact, solving problems and putting things in order might actually offer some emotional satisfaction, especially if doing so helps someone else as well as you. Just keep the lines of communication open — which generally means asking lots of questions and then really listening to the answers, or saying what you plan to do before you do it. Mercury is still stormy after stationing direct Wednesday night (and rules Virgo), so it’s a little early to try and charge ahead full-throttle.

Both Venus and Mars are in Leo, and both are making aspects that could translate to some level of relationship disruption or intensity. So a Virgo-style approach may help to balance any possible flare-ups, as long as everyone feels heard and empathized with. Flexibility is key here: remember that minds need not be set in stone, and even emotions are far more subject to our ability to choose them consciously than people often realize. Yes, you feel how you feel; but not all reactions belong in the drivers’ seat. Sometimes they’re just signposts telling us where we are and why, and point the way toward a new understanding of ourselves. If we’re willing to read them thoroughly, that is.
— by Amanda Painter

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The Day of Original Style: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is Aug. 1
The Day of Original Style | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for instant access | All Other Signs

Think of shaping who you are as an ongoing experimental process. As the map of the sky is constantly shifting, so you are continually becoming and renewing from moment to moment. You will only stagnate if you are determined to. That means ultimately you have the power to choose who you want to be, and to alter course as necessary to get there, which is an amazing gift. Therefore, don’t surround yourself with imaginary walls. Keep your evolution moving and your ideas along with it.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Mercury stationed direct last night, but it will take a few days to sort itself out (and another couple of weeks before it clears where it was retrograde). This also means it’ll stay in contact with Eris in Aries and Haumea in Libra for a bit longer, so the message to ‘get real’ stays valid for a while. (Well, really, that message is always valid, but it’s being emphasized in a particular way currently.) How’s your sense of humor doing this week? Continue keeping it handy, as things could still be a little glitchy for the next several days.

Also, what has newly come to your attention as of yesterday or today? Was it something someone said to you, something you intuited or discovered about a situation, or a realization you came to about yourself? How does it change the circumstances, or your view of things — or do you find yourself trying to ignore it or rationalize it away? There may be a particular opportunity to cross a threshold now in how you express yourself, though it will take a deliberate step in that direction.

You may feel like this requires courage; yet really, it’s just a matter of actively being who you are. Shouldn’t it take more courage to be who you are not? And yet that is the choice so many of us make every day, to some degree.

Venus in Leo square Uranus in Taurus (exact tomorrow) describes an urge to spice things up, especially in relationships or with those you’re ‘friendly’ with. Just remember there’s often a fine line between playful, flirtatious provocation and picking a fight. As with beauty, this distinction may lie in the eye of the beholder — i.e., not the person instigating things — and Mercury’s condition describes the potential for continued mixed signals. Here is your mantra: try something new, play a little, keep your sense of humor, be real and if something feels ‘off’ or upsetting, for Pete’s sake gently ask for clarification.
— by Amanda Painter

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Three Leo Aspects and Mercury Direct in Cancer

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By Amanda Painter

Mercury stationed direct last night in late Cancer, just after the Leo New Moon. It will take a few days for Mercury to sort itself out, though, and it’ll be another couple of weeks before it clears where it was retrograde. So your patience and sense of humor could still be handy companions for a while yet.

Three Frisbee players and a wee onlooker at Higgins Beach, Scarborough, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Partly this is because Mercury will stay in the same degree where it stationed for a few days — it takes a while to get back up to its typical apparent speed — which means it’s in extended contact with Eris in Aries and Haumea in Libra, forming a T-square.

Another factor in the overall astrological environment is a square between Venus in Leo and Uranus in Taurus, exact tomorrow, and a couple of other Leo aspects. I’ll get to those in a moment.

For now, has anything of particular interest emerged for you yesterday or today? As in, did you discover or realize something about yourself, or did someone tell you a key piece of new information, or did your intuition about a situation get confirmed or contradicted?

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The Day Of the Human Portrait: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is July 31
The Day of the Human Portrait | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for pre-order | All Other Signs

Today’s powerful New Moon on your birthday signifies you coming more fully into your own — meaning your energy, your resilience, and your ability to make decisions. The year ahead is very likely to show how strong you can be. You can accomplish just about anything you wish to. All that’s required of you is to understand all this, and to keep going even if you have times when you’re not so confident. If someone tries to push against you, remember that only you can direct your life.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

“Fasten your seatbelts,” warns Bette Davis’s character in All About Eve, “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” That could describe today for you, though your mileage may vary. Quite possibly you’ll just keep flowing with the tides, doing what you do. But today’s astrology suggests that not only might you encounter some potholes or unexpected detours, but you might be the one creating them. Not as a matter of deviousness or malice — it’s more that acknowledging and speaking the truth about a problem, a need, a desire or an issue that has gone too long unsaid sometimes creates ripples, or meets with a lot of resistance and emotional reaction.

Here’s what’s up: the Moon enters Leo today at 9:18 am EDT (13:18:04 UTC), ahead of its rendezvous with the Sun for the New Moon tonight at 11:12 pm EDT (3:11:48 UTC Thursday). Then, just 46 minutes after the New Moon, Mercury stations direct in late Cancer (at 11:58 pm EDT tonight / 3:57:41 UTC Thursday).

So that mixes together the low-energy vibe of a New Moon with a high-energy, attention-loving sign (Leo), and adds the churning power and potential confusion of a Mercury station on top of it all. Can you tell whether you’re coming or going? Plus, Mercury is stationing direct square Eris in Aries, which amplifies the potential trickster effect. It also emphasizes the importance of doing what you can to express all of who you are — or to ‘get real’ — with a dose of humor if things get a little funky, or if unexpected info emerges. (You can read a little more about these themes here.)

Mercury stations have a way of revealing facts or insights that you didn’t know were missing, so listen closely today and tomorrow. This should go without saying, but definitely drive the speed limit — literally when on the road, and figuratively in your communication with others.
— by Amanda Painter

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The Day Of the Tangible Presence: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is July 30
The Day of the Tangible Presence | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for pre-order | All Other Signs

You are making discoveries about yourself — feelings, desires, inclinations that you might previously have set aside or not been fully aware of. Recent events or sudden changes may have precipitated these revelations, though they are no less genuine for that. Often we learn about ourselves through our reactions to external movements. It would be advisable to avoid any kind of self-judgment during this process; hold space for yourself and allow your understanding to develop without restriction.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Just one more day after today, and then Mercury stations direct in late Cancer (overnight Wednesday into Thursday). How much patience, humor and resilience can you bring to your day, no matter what goes wrong or gets delayed or misunderstood? What do you need to say to someone — and if you’re holding back, why is that? What do you need to admit to yourself? And how are you feeling about it all?

Note that Mars is in a conjunction to the asteroid Juno in Leo, and together they are squaring the asteroid Vesta in Taurus. This could describe some kind of frustration or jealousy in a relationship (particularly sexual) — as well as the potential to work too aggressively to get intimate needs met, or to push past or downplay them to soothe a bruised ego. Any feelings of powerlessness in such a situation could likely exacerbate things, which emphasizes the importance of ’emotional intelligence’ as described by Mercury in Cancer.

That is, the more you are able to see and articulate your feelings and thoughts honestly to yourself, the easier it may be to share them with those close to you without undue force. Neptune in Pisces is also aspecting Mars, Juno and Vesta. It appears to offer the creativity needed to hold space for expressing these feelings with steadiness, empathy and maybe even some higher-vibe vision. Just be aware that this could take continual small adjustments as hopes and expectations are revealed for what they are: an ideal, but not reality. We human beings disappoint each other all the time; but in dealing squarely with ‘what is’, sometimes we open the way wider for what could be.
— by Amanda Painter

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The Day Of Cultural Assessment: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is July 29
The Day of Cultural Assessment | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for pre-order | All Other Signs

If you’re feeling restless, look for the root of the matter in emotions or needs you may have ignored or denied. You’ll almost certainly benefit from bringing them into the light and addressing them. One person’s security can be another’s dull stagnation, and if it becomes such, that’s the moment to shake things up. You may find there are certain aspects of yourself that you can no longer conceal. This is a sign of progress and an opportunity for you to live freely and openly.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Retrograde Mercury is in its ‘storm’ phase prior to stationing direct Wednesday night into Thursday, and today it’s exactly square Eris in Aries. You’ll want to stay extra-alert to when you might be operating without all the info you need, as well as when your mind wanders. Communication, thought processes and travel could be a little squirrelly for the next few days, which means a gentle pace can help you avoid more serious kinds of trouble, and a sense of humor should help you ride the waves of the littler things that go off track.

One thing Eris in Aries describes is the fragmentation of self. But you are one person. Yes, we all have facets and ‘sides’ to ourselves; yet they all need to integrate into one whole. Remembering this could prove useful if you find yourself in a situation where you realize you’ve been holding back the truth about something — particularly if you’ve been hiding it from yourself. That’s called ‘being in denial’, and it can really trip us up. See if you can try on this perspective: it’s kind of ridiculous to think you can truly hide from yourself what you already know, so can you tap into your sense of humor about it? As in, “Wow — it’s so funny that I was trying to ignore [X]; now that I’m acknowledging it, I can actually do something about it, and that feels so much better!”

If holding back some part of yourself has become routine, then shaking up that habit would fit quite well with today’s square between the Leo Sun and Uranus in Taurus. Change your tack, let any restlessness you feel inspire you to be more real, and see what you discover about yourself. If doing so stirs up some deep feelings, perhaps consider them just one more area of fascinating exploration that you can share. Everyone has them, after all.
— by Amanda Painter

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The Day of the Winner: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is July 28
The Day of the Winner | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for pre-order | All Other Signs

If certain friendships or associations are giving you pause, one method of obtaining clarity is to consider the net effect on you as a person. This doesn’t simply mean whether or not you’re happier — though that is an important factor. It’s also: are the people in question helping or hindering your progress toward self-actualization? Do you bring out the best in one another? Do you challenge one another, or stay firmly in your comfort zone? Considering these points will probably offer useful clues.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

You know that old Cheap Trick song that goes, “I want you to want me / I need you to need me”? There’s a particular aspect pattern currently that appears to describe desires like these (Mars conjunct Juno in Leo, square Vesta in Taurus). Yet it also speaks of the ability to recognize and claim fully all that you truly possess already. In other words, you don’t need someone else’s life force to warm you when you’ve tended your own flame persistently.

That said, it can sure feel nice to bask in another’s warmth; the difference here seems to come down to that idea of ‘need’. Is it a genuine need, or is it about trying to sooth a wounded ego? Can you offer to someone else what you desire and need, with no expectation of reciprocation, as an exercise in showing yourself that you have it in you after all?

For immediate attention: Mercury is entering its ‘storm’ phase prior to stationing direct Wednesday night into Thursday. This is your reminder to be on high alert — which really means extra patience with disruptions and the apparent miscommunications or flakiness of others. Come to think of it, you may be wise to extend that same patience to yourself. It takes two to tango, as they say; but it only takes one of those dancers spacing out for a moment to trip up the whole dance for all involved.

Learning to recover gracefully is all part of the process — as is being as honest as possible with yourself (and those close to you) if you need to stop the dance, change the steps, try a different song, and so on. The more proactive you can be with such changes in your routines, the easier it should be to make discoveries that open up into new, exciting options. The most important thing you can do, if you’re feeling restless, is to be conscious about figuring out what you need to do to free and channel that energy. Trying to stuff and ignore such urges could lead to accidents — but it doesn’t have to.
— by Amanda Painter

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The Day of the Decision Makers: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is July 27
The Day of the Decision Makers | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for pre-order | All Other Signs

Venus entering your sign on your birthday is likely to invest you with unusual charm. You could well have opportunities to enter into unfamiliar circles and meet different people. This has the potential to enliven and broaden your mind significantly, as well as introducing you to some new experiences, which is often a boon in itself, especially if it involves offline interactions. There are irreplaceable advantages in getting to know people as people, without the binary code filter.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

How do you tend to react when you’re feeling left out, overlooked or like everyone else is having more fun than you are? You do have choices in situations like that, though be aware that the more stress you are under, the harder it can be to see all the options. Those are the times when we human beings are more likely to let old triggered emotions from the past put blinders on our thought process — to our own detriment, and to that of our relationships.

It can be challenging, therefore, to turn toward possibilities that create new ways of expressing ourselves constructively; but they do exist. Speaking about where you’re at before the pressure gets overwhelming might give those closest to you a better chance to help you help yourself.

With the Moon moving into Gemini today, it could be easier to see the multiple sides of whatever story you’re encountering, whether it’s an inner script or external circumstances. Note that since the Moon is waning (the New Moon is Wednesday night into Thursday) your sense of interior space may be a place of useful focus, if you can find a few peaceful moments to tune in to yourself.

Venus enters Leo tonight, heading for a square with Uranus in Taurus, which Venus rules; the Sun is making the same aspect currently. If you need to be unexpectedly frank about how you feel this weekend, try your best to do so in person, and with the understanding that the other person might not get your full point at first, and may need time to adjust even if they do. Mercury is almost at a standstill; this potentially describes a lot of mental-emotional churning for everybody right now. From now through Thursday (at least), keep watch for when your focus wanders, and guide yourself back to the task at hand gently but firmly.
— by Amanda Painter