On August 11, 5:57 PM ET, Mercury left Leo and entered Virgo, one of its home signs, where it will remain until August 30. We transition from an extroverted, outspoken, and outgoing attitude to a more reserved and reflective one.
While Mercury in Leo speaks with confidence and enthusiasm, Mercury in Virgo speaks only when necessary and doesn’t like wasting time or words. This transit will remind us that our focus, energy, and attention are precious. Mercury traveling through Virgo inspires us to cut external distractions and focus only on what is useful, practical, and valuable.
Mercury enters Virgo: Mercury’s Double Rulership
Mercury changing sign corresponds to a shift in our perception of reality: Mercury rules our left brain and linear reasoning, and it is associated with our thinking and speaking patterns, with how we communicate, and with how we make sense of what is going on inside and around us.
Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo. Gemini is associated with the Yang side of Mercury, mostly focused on gathering data and information from different external sources, constantly learning about a wide variety of topics, and interacting with the immediate environment. Virgo, corresponding with the Yin side of Mercury, is about listening carefully and then deciding what to take in and what to let out, according to what is more relevant right now, to what can be applied practically and generate improvement.
The detail-oriented approach of Mercury in Virgo will highlight our capacity for critical thinking, discernment, and discrimination. Mercury is considered to be ‘exalted’ here. During this transit, we strive for clarity and conciseness: we cut the intake of information that isn’t useful, and we detach from excessive noise, gossip, and small talk. We wonder how our knowledge can be of practical use, and we try to make the most of the information we already possess.
Mercury square the Nodes & Mercury conjunct Mars
Mercury will square the Lunar Nodes in Gemini and Sagittarius on August 13. When planets form tense alignments with the Nodal Axis, they point to unresolved karmic dynamics that we have a chance to unravel. This aspect points to the possibility of feeling silenced, misunderstood, and not able to express our truth clearly. Dishonesty may come to light: suppression of freedom of information or distortion of the actual data may emerge. Mercury squaring the Nodes inspires us to reclaim our voice and empower ourselves through critical thinking, fact-checking, discrimination, and discernment.
Later, on August 19, Mercury joins Mars in Virgo: their conjunction is likely to give us the strength and the courage we need to speak our truth, inspiring us to be assertive, to be brave enough to say what we really think, and get to the root of the issue. A tendency to be excessively direct or even verbally aggressive can be a downside of this aspect: Mercury conjunct Mars in Virgo can be sharp-tongued, ruthlessly criticizing and pointing to the problem. Fast thinking and quick problem solving are facilitated by this alignment, which will increase our motivation and drive to improve what doesn’t work optimally.
Mercury trine Uranus, Mercury opposite Neptune, Mercury trine Pluto
Mercury trines Uranus in Taurus on August 20: this aspect, happening while the Mercury-Mars conjunction is still active, will facilitate intellectual and creative breakthroughs. Mercury trine Uranus brings a futuristic and innovative energy, which connects our human minds with the Higher Mind. Many of us are likely to be struck by sudden downloads and flashes of genius that have the potential to change the course of our path. The presence of Mars, also in a trine to Uranus, will help us act on those out-of-the-box ideas that come up and inspire us to put them into practice quickly without second-guessing them.
On August 25, Mercury opposes Neptune in Pisces. This alignment can feel like a sense of brain fog and confusion, and it may lead to difficulties perceiving reality clearly. Neptune blurs our perception of things and makes our thinking more chaotic: during these days, it may be harder to rely on logic and our left brain, which is what Mercury is about. The Mercury-Neptune opposition inspires us to open up to the subtle realms and explore different ways of interfacing with life: the power of our imagination will increase and, if we trust our creativity, we can deeply benefit from it.
Mercury trines Pluto in Capricorn on August 26. This easy alignment enhances the power of our minds making them more penetrating and sharp, compensating in a way for the fogginess linked to the influence of Neptune. When Mercury and Pluto are in an aspect, we ask ourselves questions about the deeper meaning of everything and we are determined to search very thoroughly for the answers. Their trine facilitates deep self-analysis and a meticulous understanding of any topic, if we put in the time and effort needed to see tangible results.
Mercury enters Virgo: Thorough Understanding & Practical Focus
Mercury entering Virgo encourages us to explore ways to apply our knowledge practically, cut distractions, focus on details, and invest our energy, time, and attention in our priorities. This transit inspires us to strive for a better understanding of ourselves and of reality, which, in turn, naturally leads to improvement. The upcoming weeks are favorable for any learning pursuit and will inspire us to deepen our intellectual understanding of reality. Our mental processes are likely to be faster and more precise: we will feel drawn to thoroughly scrutinize any information we come across before believing it.
Excessive criticism towards self and others can be a trap during this transit: beware of cynicism and negative self-talk. Getting lost in details, constantly searching for perfection, may hold us back from practically progressing. While we are so keenly aware of what can be improved, it can be easy to focus on fixing what doesn’t work properly and forget to celebrate our progress, or even have troubles moving forward in a project. In our endless quest for perfection, it is important to enjoy the journey and don’t fixate only on getting the results.
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