The Lessons you Learn Before Mercury Retrograde Ends Next Week Will Inform the Rest of Your Year

In the aftermath of the holiday weekend and lunar eclipse in Capricorn, we begin the week in new territory. We are midway through 2020, a year already full of harrowing sharp turns. As we wrap up the current eclipse season, a time for ushering in change for personal growth, look back on this time, with so many planets traveling retrograde, and ask yourself: What life chapter am I currently closing? What lessons have I learned during this Mercury retrograde transit?

Eclipses bring things to completion. Like a broom sweeping through your life’s rooms, they stir the dust and then brush it out. Depending on where or how they fall in your chart, they can bring unexpected changes or facilitate letting go of something you’ve already been transitioning away from. So take a moment and check in with yourself: We just had three eclipses—what impact did they have on you? What has happened in your life during this eclipse season, and what learnings will you bring with you moving forward as a result?

Now that Mars is in Aries, a sign he’ll stay in for the rest of the year, it’s important to honor your anger as a sacred gateway to your power. Without the proper self care in place, however, the heat of the transit and the weather can amplify aggravation, maybe even causing unnecessary aggression. To counterbalance the impact of the peak summer sun, incorporate cooling practices into life.

On the physical, bodily front, be sure to drink plenty of water, eat hydrating and nutrient-rich fresh fruit, and do a movement practice during the morning or evening hours (as opposed to the high heat of midday) to support your body to acclimate to weather conditions.

As far as adjustments to make to cater to spiritual conditions, practice slow, deep breathing to relieve the body and mind of stress. The use of essential oils, like peppermint, brings a refreshing calm effect to the body, and eating non-inflammatory foods, helps the body heal. Expressing your emotions as needed supports you staying in equilibrium, despite the heat. And, if you can do so safely, go swimming—but only when you’re able to maintain appropriate social distance and sanitizing measures. Water can act as a source of replenishment right now, and swimming is an activity that nourishes the body’s yin, which is a potent antidote the Mars’s yang as he travels through Aries.

This is the last week Mercury will travel retrograde before stationing direct on July 12th. On Wednesday, the 8th, Mercury in Cancer will square Mars in Aries, at which point two realities will become clear. The first is what Mars is asking you to learn while he travels in Aries for the next six months. The second is the lessons you learned during the Mercury retrograde transit that you need to integrate into your life. The cosmic overlap here is not a coincidence, so please pay close attention to what lessons you learn this you learn this week, as it will be instrumental to where you are heading for the remainder of the year.

Jennifer Racioppi is the creator of Lunar Logic—a philosophy that integrates the deep wisdom of both science and spirituality, and blends her expertise in astrology, positive psychology, and women’s health—to coach high-achieving female entrepreneurs to reach their next level of success.