Expand Your Awareness Mercury Retrograde July 4 – July 28, 2006 and October 28

In our fast paced hectic world of meetings, appointments, obligations and work we may feel
out of touch with the natural rhythms of nature.
Mercury Retrograde is a time to catch up with
ourselves, to Reevaluate our forward movement.

Astrology reveals the interconnectedness between ourselves and nature, Mercury Retrograde is a
time out, giving us time to Review our lives and our
goals to determine if we are in alignment with our
higher purpose.

Be prepared, you may experience an increased
number of misunderstandings, more confusion than
usual between (July 4 - July 28, 2006).   Messages
will be lost, appointments missed.   There may be
breakdowns   with   your   vehicles,   telephone and
computer equipment.

Astrology's explanation for the   confusion is the
changing movement of the planet, Mercury, known
as the Messenger . Mercury, the smallest and fastest
planet orbiting   the sun, symbolizes communication
and describes the way we move about in the world.
July 4, 2006 marks the beginning of this Mercury
retrograde.

Three times a year Mercury goes retrograde (appears
to move backward through the zodiac). The apparent
reverse motion is an illusion caused by our angle of observation from the earth.

Despite the illusion, of   the backward motion, the
effects of Mercury Retrograde are real;  there are
problems with communication and transportation. The
antidote is to be more Aware.  Practicing Awareness
will enrich our lives throughout the year.

Astrologers are observant, they pay attention to the movement of the planets and the corresponding activity on the Earth. Astrologers are also historians, keeping detailed records of the activity on Earth as the planets travel across the heavens. When Mercury is Retrograde, Astrologers have observed there is always confusion in the realm of communication and transportation. The complexity of the challenges in your personal life is dependent upon the area in your chart that the Mercury Retrograde is occurring. During the 21 day retrograde period your experiences will reflect the area of your chart in which Mercury is transiting.

By now, during this retrograde cycle, many of us have begun to experience numerous confusing or inaccurate communication
cancelled meetings, disagreements. Some of our projects may be
moving at a snail's pace. Our external world is more challenging
than usual.

When Mercury is Retrograde it is important to focus more
attention on both spoken and written communication. This is
NOT a time to begin new projects, to enter into agreements
or to sign contracts. Increased attention to detail becomes more important than ever.

Partially responsible for all the confusion is the
need of our Intuitive Voice to gain our attention.
We have been rushing forward for the past three
months. Mercury Retrograde is a time to
check inward and to balance
our external life.

Have we been moving forward in the
direction we really want to go?

Are there adjustments which need to be made
in our life if only we would stop to reevaluate
our forward momentum?

Our Voice of wisdom, our Voice of Intuition is attempting to gain our attention, to communicate with us. As our Inner Voice attempts to gain our attention, we tend to become distracted and error in the external world.

It is as though our Inner Voice is tapping us on the shoulder asking, "Is the direction in which you are headed, the direction you want to be going? Is the direction in which you are headed the wise direction for your Highest and best good in the future?

Through the use of astrology we are able to discover a greater
purpose for these periods which feel wrought with confusion.
Mercury Retrogrades are a time to look inward. By learning
to tune into this cycle we can decrease our frustration with
the external world and focus on our Inner Voice.

The   entire Retrograde phase is transitional.   We need to
uncover issues in our lives which are preventing our growth,
our peace and our joy.    If  we    use   our    awareness during
Mercury   Retrogrades,   information   will surface giving us
the opportunity to change aspects of our lives. This is a time
to become more aware of   our   inner   reflections and a time
to let go   of past situations, ideas and beliefs which do not
serve our ultimate well-being.

While few of us have the luxury of being able to spend the
entire   three   week period   of   Mercury   Retrograde in
contemplation, we can move with the rhythm of this cycle.
We can learn to check and recheck our appointments and
focus on clarity in our communications.  We can also make
sure that contracts are signed before the shadow period
Mercury   Retrograde begins or   wait until the Mercury
Retrograde has   passed to   begin new projects and sign
contracts.   (The Shadow period begins seven days prior to the day
Mercury turns retrograde.)

It is also unwise to purchase big ticket items such as a house,
a vehicle, appliances. I have a tendency to test the advice of
the ancient astrologers. I continuously learn just how correct
they are in the wisdom they have passed down to us.

Now is a time to step back and evaluate our lives, assessing
what is important to us.   It is an excellent time to take care of
old business and attend to those things which have been shelved.
This is a time to catch up with ourselves.

As Mercury's retrograde   phase moves on we may feel
impatient,   however the time is   not right   for   forward
momentum. The seed thoughts and awareness need time
to germinate, to take root,   gain clarity, the new energy
needs time to build and expand.

On July 28, 2006 Mercury goes Direct. It is always wise to
wait   a   couple days for the energy to complete the shift.
Once the full momentum of the forward direction is activated
we have the opportunity to institute our new ideas and create
changes which are in tune with our new rhythms.

Learning to work with planetary cycles is similar to knowing
when to plant and when to harvest. The importance of timing
is reflected in the beautiful lyrics, "For everything there is
a season and a time for every matter under heaven." Like
knowing the tides and when the fish are biting, understanding
the changing cycles of the Universe can empower us with its
energetic flow.