Create Your Mercury Retrograde in Virgo & Leo Battle Plan

Create Your Mercury Retrograde in Virgo & Leo Battle Plan Table of Contents: When will you feel Mercury retrograde? 5 Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #1: The Houses 10 Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #2: Hard Aspects 26 Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #3: The Start & End 31 Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #4: In Your Sun, Moon, or Rising Sign 35 Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #5: The Eclipse 38 To Recap: The Parts of Your Battle Plan 41 2 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

August 2017 Retrograde Calendar Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday (in Mercury Shadow since July 22nd) 1 2 3 4 Enter Mercury Storm 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Mercury Retrograde begins 9PM 11 Virgo 38 (starts opposite Neptune) 13 14 15 Moon enters Gemini 10:06AM (start of mutable grand cross) 16 17 Moon exits Gemini 12:13PM (end of mutable grand cross) 18 19 20 Exit Mercury Storm 21 Solar Eclipse 2:30PM 28 Leo 53 Moon enters Virgo 4:25PM 22 Sun enters Virgo 6:20PM (sign of retrograde) Moon conjunct Mercury retrograde 5:41AM 7 Virgo 41 23 Moon exits Virgo 9:05PM 24 25 Mercury at critical degree (4 Virgo) to Aug 26th 26 Mercury Retrograde conjunct the Sun 4:42PM 3 Virgo 41 27 28 29 30 31 Mercury Retrograde enters Leo 11:28AM & anaretic to Sept 2nd (29 Leo) * Aug 12th - 15th, Aug 17th - 31st Mercury retrograde is part of a mutable t-square Enter Mercury Storm 3 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

September 2017 Retrograde Calendar Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 Mercury retrograde triggers Aug 21st Solar Eclipse 3 Mercury retrograde conjunct Mars 5:38AM 28 Leo 43 4 5 Mercury Direct 7:29AM 28 Leo 25 (ends conjunct Mars) 6 7 (Mercury at eclipse point again) 8 Mercury anaretic to Sept 9th (29 Leo) 9 Mercury enters Virgo 10:51PM 10 11 Exit Mercury Storm 12 13 14 Mercury at critical degree (4 Virgo) 15 16 17 18 19 Exit Mercury Shadow 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 4 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

When will you feel Mercury retrograde? If you re still new to astrology, you may not be familiar with the term retrograde and what it means. A planet is called retrograde when it appears to be moving backward. It s not actually moving backward, it only looks that way because of the way the planets move in relation to each other. Normal motion for the planets is forward motion, so when they re moving backward, the energy for the planet works in reverse and can get thrown off. When the planet begins moving backward, this is called turning retrograde. When the planet begins moving forward again, this is called turning direct. Planets can also be what s called stationing, which is when the planet is hovering in about the same spot in the Zodiac. Planets usually station at the start and at the end of a retrograde period. The Sun and Moon are the only planets that don t retrograde, and the outer planets retrograde for months at a time, so their impact is more subtle. Mars retrogrades every 2 years or so, and Venus retrogrades every year-and-a-half or so. Mercury is the only planet who retrogrades for just a few weeks at a time 3-4 times every year. His retrogrades are shorter in duration but occur more frequently. Mercury, Venus, and Mars are what are called personal planets, which are the planets that most closely correspond to who we are, so when 5 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

they re retrograde, it can really throw us off. When it comes to Mercury retrograde, his impact can be very strong in our modern world, and continues to grow stronger. Why? Because Mercury is one of the tech rulers, ruling the little gadgets we re always attached to now, and is the ruler of communication, which we now have so many more ways to do. When Mercury is retrograde, he can throw these things off, and we can struggle to see eye-to-eye, to understand each other, to get on the same page, and we can lash out through all of the means we have for communication, getting us in more trouble. Mercury rules our conversations in person, by phone, written, and most importantly for the times we live in, online. In addition, Mercury is one of the travel rulers, specifically ruling short-distance travel (which is basically anywhere you don t need a plane to get to), and things like bicycles, cars, trains, and busses. Mercury also rules our health, so all of his issues can bring out health problems, and rules our daily lives, so he can mess up our routines, schedules, chores, and organization, and governs our neighbors, neighborhoods, and communities. Mercury rules stress in general, which can bring on extra health issues, extra issues with focus, and extra problems in our daily lives. And Mercury rules our work too, so we re missing deadlines and lacking focus and getting into it over projects and work ideas. 6 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Mercury retrograde has these two astrological phenomena called the shadow and the storm. They are essentially when the Mercury retrograde begins to have an impact. You see, it doesn t start the second Mercury turns retrograde and end the second Mercury turns direct. Instead, we have these periods in the shadow and storm where the energy starts the ramp up, and we begin to feel the impact of the retrograde. The shadow period comes first. The shadow period begins when Mercury first comes to the point in the Zodiac he will turn direct at BEFORE he turns retrograde. The shadow period ends when Mercury comes to the point in the Zodiac he ll turn retrograde at AFTER he turns direct. The shadow period lasts for about two months. For the August-September 2017 Mercury retrograde, it ends at 28 degrees Leo, and Mercury first comes to 28 degrees Leo before the start of the retrograde on July 22nd. The retrograde starts at 11 degrees Virgo, and Mercury comes to 11 degrees Virgo after the retrograde ends on September 19th. SO the shadow periods lasts from July 22nd to September 19th for this Mercury retrograde period. The storm period for Mercury retrograde is when Mercury is moving less than 40 minutes per day. Mercury is the second-fastest moving planet (the Moon is the fastest), and doesn t like moving slowly at all, so this is usually the period where Mercury retrograde is most troublesome and creates the most problems. There are usually two storm periods, 7 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

one around the start of the retrograde and one around the end. Remember that planets are stationing when they turn retrograde and direct, so this is when Mercury is moving slowest. For the August - September Mercury retrograde, the first storm period is August 4th - 20th, and the second storm period is August 31st - September 11th. Most people don t feel the impact of the Mercury shadow. How do you know if you will? You might feel the impact if your Sun, Moon, or Rising is in a sign ruled by Mercury, in the sign Mercury will retrograde in, or if you have a strong natal Mercury. If none of that is the case, you usually won t feel the impact of the Mercury shadow, and instead will start to feel the impact of Mercury retrograde with the first storm period. Your first challenge: Determine if you ll feel Mercury retrograde during the shadow or the storm. You can feel the shadow period if: - Your Sun, Moon or Rising is in a sign ruled by Mercury: Gemini or Virgo - Your Sun, Moon, or Rising are in the sign Mercury will retrograde in: Virgo or Leo - You have a strong natal Mercury: You have a strong natal Mercury if it s the most or least aspected planet in your chart, it s on the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th house cusps, it s closely conjunct your natal Sun or Moon, it s a singleton, the apex planet of a yod or t-square, it s anaretic or at a critical degree 8 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

If none of that applies, focus on the storms. 9 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #1: The Houses The overall impact for each of us when it comes to Mercury retrograde is on the house(s) Mercury retrograde occurs in. The areas of life ruled by the house gets the brunt of the retrograde impact, and we can experience difficulties during the retrograde we need to work on. When Mercury retrograde moves from one house to another, it will cross over the house cusp of the house it began in, and this can be a hot spot period that lasts for about 3-5 days before and 2-4 days after Mercury actually crosses over the house cusp. This can be a trigger for events, developments, and general retrograde wonkiness, so it s one of the most important dates for you to watch during a Mercury retrograde period. Here are interpretations for Mercury retrograde in Virgo by house: 1st House: You can have great difficulty with the little things, paying too much or too little attention to the details, and it unravels everything in your life. You can be overly discriminating, too picky, and lack focus for work, not wanting to work at all or deal with the everyday tasks and chores that need to be tackled. Make sure you have an outlet for stress, and try not to take on more than you can reasonably do. 10 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

2nd House: You can pay too much attention to your finances, scrutinizing every little thing and being a miser, or you can pay too little attention to your finances, and screw yourself over missed details. Financial issues may bring about extra stress. You can feel less grounded, impractical, and can experience health issues from overindulgence, so get grounded and try not to go overboard. 3rd House: You can read too much into every little thing people say, or not pay enough attention to the subtle clues people are trying to communicate to you. You can be too discriminating with who and what you choose to communicate, or hold back on expressing yourself. You can be overly anxious during the retrograde, so maintain your stress levels, and give your mind a break. 4th House: You can pay too much attention to every little thing with your family and the people closest to you, reading too much into their emotional motivations, or don t pay enough attention to them and are overly subjective. You can have great difficulty expressing your feelings, and act timid and shy. You maybe overly critical of family and those close to you, so try taking a step back. Discomfort can create problems for you, so stick to what you know best. 5th House: You can hold yourself back from doing the things you enjoy most, feeling you need to focus more on your work and tasks, or you abandon work and tasks completely so you can focus on hobbies and 11 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

play. If you have children, you can overly scrutinize them or vice versa. In dating, you can be too discriminating. Try to go easier on the people you love, and make time for the things you love to do. 6th House: You can have great difficulty with your work life, focusing too much or too little on the details, the little things, and working yourself too much or not enough. Your stress levels can be much higher, and you can be too focused on having structure and order, or abandon routine completely and lack discipline. Give yourself some time away from all of the work and tasks and chores, and work on lowering your stress levels. 7th House: You can focus too much on the people in your life and your relationships, putting them under the microscope, or not focus on them enough and miss all of the little things. If single, you can be too discriminating, and if in a relationship, you can scrutinize your partner too much. Imbalance can also create extra stress for you, so work on being better balanced and focus on the areas of life that have been neglected lately. Go easy on the people in your life as well. 8th House: You can have obsessive focus with the details and miss the big picture, or you can obsess over something so much that you miss all of the details that are right under your nose. You can pick situations and people apart. You can struggle with work professionally that s done with a partner, demanding too much from them. This transit requires you to 12 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

lower your intensity, otherwise you can go too far with everyone and everything. Don t be so serious and lighten up. 9th House: You can be overly discriminating with your big ideas and opportunities, and talk yourself out of them, or you abandon any reason and logic and pursue opportunities that you shouldn t. You can feel extremely stifled mentally, and are so stuck in the details that you miss the big picture. You may crave more freedom than you have, or feel you have too much freedom. Try to balance your need for space and the reality of how much space you have, and avoid being impulsive. 10th House: You can pay too much attention to the details with your goals and not see your direction, or you avoid dealing with the details completely and make some bad decisions. You can be shy and don t make much of an impression. You can be overly discriminating with where or who you get advice from. Try to take a step back and merge the bigger picture with the details. 11th House: You can pay too much attention to the details with your dreams and talk yourself out of them, feeling that they re unrealistic, or you don t want to be realistic at all, and you believe in dreams that have no chance of happening. Try putting work on your dreams on hold for now if you start questioning things, and come back to them when the retrograde is over. You can scrutinize your friends or groups you belong 13 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

to, or are too discriminating with new contacts, so go easy on your social circle. 12th House: You can overly scrutinize subconscious motivations of yourself or others and get so focused on the details that you miss what s right in front of you, or you don t analyze them enough and have too many misunderstandings and emotional upset. Get out of your head and ask yourself if you should be focusing more on your own subconscious issues. You can listen too much to logic and reason, or to fantasy and dreams, so try to balance. You can also be exhausted, easily drained from doing too much, so take breaks. Here are interpretations for Mercury retrograde in Leo by house: 1st House: You can be overly focused on getting attention, wanting to be in the spotlight and be the center of everyone s world, but you may not get as much attention as you want, or you get attention that you don t like. Try not to be so demanding of other people focusing on you, and work to be more generous, friendly, and charming instead. Open up your heart and be more creative. 2nd House: Your confidence can easily be wrecked if you don t feel you re in a good position financially, and you can focus on trying to impress and come across as bigger than life, but you re only trying to mask your insecurity if you do. Try to work on improving your 14 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

confidence apart from your financial situation, and resist splurging on things you don t need to try and make yourself feel more secure. 3rd House: You can be even more theatrical and dramatic in your communications, and need to resist being gossipy or talking a big game that you don t back up, or even outright lying to make yourself look better. You can dominate conversations, or may feel that other people are trying to dominate your plans and ideas. Try to be more open with your mind, listen more to others, and use a creative outlet for your mind. 4th House: You may be more theatrical and dramatic emotionally, and when you get emotional, you can go overboard with your reactions emotionally, like you re putting on a show. You may be overly dramatic at home or with family, and if you feel insecure, you can be shaky internally. Work on strengthening your internal foundation, and focus on being more secure and confident so you feel strong emotionally. 5th House: You may only want to focus on what you enjoy doing, spending time on your hobbies or goofing off with friends and loved ones, or you may feel you don t have the time to do that or don t have the opportunities to at the moment, which can make you grouchy. Make time for fun when you can, but don t get pouty if you don t get your away, and avoid theatrics when you want attention. 15 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

6th House: You may want more attention and praise for work you do, and if you don t get the appreciation you feel you deserve, you may be insecure about your work and lack love for it. This can, in turn, create health problems for you. Try to strengthen yourself internally and make yourself feel more confident in your abilities without external validation, and infuse more love into your daily life. 7th House: You may completely avoid responsibilities in your relationships, and want everyone else to do everything for you, but this can lead to difficulties, so work on doing more work instead of pawning it all off on other people. You may want more attention from the people in your life, or have to deal with someone acting desperate for attention. Try to be more confident if you re the one who wants attention, and more patient if you re dealing with someone who does. 8th House: You may be overly controlling with the finances that impact other people, personally or professionally, and can throw a fit when you don t get your way, going to a dark place. Try to be more open with your plans for finances that involve other people, and view them as being just as entitled to a say as you. It may be a good time for a transformation that will help you feel more confident and secure. 9th House: You may want to push boundaries and get as far outside of your world as possible, demanding more space and needing more time away to get out into the world, but you may end up pushing people 16 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

away and regret that later. Try to find small amounts of space that give you the room to breath and roam as you please, but doesn t push away everyone you care about. 10th House: You may want more attention for your career and accomplishments, and seek the praise of people you admire, but may risk making bad impressions, which makes you feel more insecure. Try to develop more confidence in your abilities to achieve your goals and experience success without external validation, and give yourself the praise and recognition that you desire. 11th House: You may want more attention from your friends or groups you belong to, or want more praise and recognition for the good you ve done in the world, but you shouldn t be motivated by praise to do the right thing. Try listening more to your friends and the groups you belong to. You may also be more insecure about your dreams, especially if you experience a setback, but try not to let that get you too down. 12th House: You may run away from the spotlight as much as possible and be even more uncomfortable with attention, but you may get attention you don t want, or the spotlight may find you while you re hiding, so try to keep calm. You may want more attention behind the scenes or praise in the background. Try to work on subconscious issues or issues from the past that have made you feel insecure or lack confidence. 17 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Here are interpretations for Mercury retrograde crossing over a house cusp: If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 1st house cusp, this can bring about a major setback or delay, something important needing to be redone, a big miscommunication or fight, or almost anything else since the 1st house rules you. Try to focus the energy of something you want a second shot at to mitigate it. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 2nd house cusp, this can bring about a major financial development, and you have a financial issue to work out, a major transaction to perform, or a loss of money in some way. Work on your budgeting and stick to it to try to avoid difficulties. You can also be extra lazy, extra stubborn, and may lack confidence. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 3rd house cusp, this is one of the houses Mercury naturally rules and governs communications, so there s usually going to be a fight or misunderstanding, lacking attention and focus, or difficulties over your ideas and plans. You may need to make adjustments with your plans and be more open to new ideas. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 4th house cusp, the house of home and family, you may experience a development at home (those leaking faucets and broken appliances!), or with family (some sort of 18 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

setback or issue with them, or a fight or misunderstanding). Emotionally, you can be quite spent as well. Work on trying to give yourself more support and comfort. You may also experience a bottoming out of something or hitting a low point, requiring adjustments. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 5th house cusp, you may end up in a situation where you get attention you don t want, make a bad impression in the spotlight, or lack attention you re looking for. You can get into fights or misunderstandings with loved ones, especially anyone you re dating (if you re dating someone at the time), or your children (if you have any), and a development can come about with them. Make sure you have creative outlets. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 6th house cusp, you can experience a development with your work, needing to do a project over, missing a deadline, or getting into it with employers/employees. There can be an issue in your daily life, or you can experience a health issue, or feel sudden extra stress. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 7th house cusp, you can experience a development in your relationships, with someone in your life, or see the re-emergence of an old enemy. You may feel unbalanced (sometimes literally) and indecisive. Work on maintaining some peace and harmony to manage it. 19 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 8th house cusp, this can trigger a development that stirs up something deep inside of you, some deeply held issue that you d rather avoid, and you can be suddenly rageful. Work on small transformations and take baby steps. There can also be financial developments that impact others. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 9th house cusp, you may experience sudden space you don t want/need, or experience sudden restriction. There can be an issue with learning, speaking, or writing, and you can experience travel issues, though this is good for traveling somewhere you ve been before. If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 10th house cusp, you can experience developments with your career, goals, and ambitions, and experience setbacks or delays, make a bad impression, or are in the public eye, but not in a way you re comfortable with. You may be kicked down from a high place and experience a long fall (sometimes literally, so maybe avoid a ladder). If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 11th house cusp, you can experience developments in your friendships, in a group you belong to, or with your dreams. You may give up on a dream or friendship, or leave a group. Most often, this aspect triggers some sort of sudden, unexpected development or change you need to adjust to. 20 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

If Mercury retrograde conjuncts your 12th house cusp, this can trigger an ending of some sort, or you may need to let go of something or get rid of something. You can also become privy to a secret, expose a secret of your own, or something from the past can come back into your life. You can also experience an event or situation that feels a little like karma catching up to you. Your second challenge: Determine which house(s) Mercury retrograde will occur in for you. Track the date Mercury retrograde will cross over a house cusp, if it occurs. How may Mercury retrograde impact the house(s), and how can you handle it? This was originally an article I wrote for Astrology Weekly about the different ways you can do positive things with Mercury retrograde based on the house he's retrograde in your chart ; I expanded it for more ideas for you to play with to make your Mercury retrograde experience a positive one! 1st House: This is the house of the self. When Mercury retrogrades in your 1st house, you can manifest the Mercury retrograde energy purely, so redo anything and everything, revise like crazy, and do the one thing you ve always wanted to get a second chance at. It's the ultimate second chance period when Mercury is retrograde in your 1st house - if you can manage the wonkiness, at least! It's also good to become independent and a pioneer again. 21 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

2nd House: This is the house of money, so you can revise your budget, review a financial agreement, buy items that are used or refurbished, or resell something. This can also be a good time to make money in a way that you ve made money before. Rethink the way you approach your finances, your values, what you get your self-worth from, or what you feel is worth something in life. It's also good to reconnect with your body and senses again. 3rd House: This is the house of the mind, so it s good for having a conversation over again, reviewing documents, revisiting the details, and relearning something you learned before. Take a class for a second time, say what's already been said in a different way, or take up old projects again. It's also a good time to revisit your old neighborhood or neighbors, or reconnect with a sibling. It's good to reconnect with your mind again as well. 4th House: This is the house ruling home and family, so you can do renovations to your home, redo home improvement projects, move back to a place/area you lived before, or reconnect with a relative. Rethink what you need to feel emotionally secure, and work on strengthening your internal foundation so nothing can shake you. It's also good to reconnect with your emotional self again. 5th House: This house rules love and your hobbies, so you can reconnect with an old love, fall in love all over again, or pick up an old 22 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

hobby that you d given up on. Reconnect with your inner child, and give yourself plenty of time to goof off. It's also good to reconnect with your children. It's good to become creative again as well. 6th House: This is the house of work and health, so you can go back to work at a place you work at before or at a position you worked in before, review and revise at work, pick up old work projects and do them over again, try a health treatment that you want to give another chance, or go back to an old doctor. Re-examine the details, or go back to an old routine. It's also good to become practical again. 7th House: This is the house of relationships and commitment, so you can reconnect with someone you were in a relationship with in the past, recommit yourself to your partner, reevaluate your relationships, or recommit yourself to a project. Re-find balance in your life again, and give compromises a second chance. It's also good to regain your charming side or become fair again. 8th House: This house rules other people s money (taxes, debts, loans, inheritances, joint finances) and transformations, so you can review a business agreement, reconnect with an old business partner, revise financial arrangements that involve other people, or try to transform something in your life you ve transformed before and needs to be worked on again. This is also an excellent time to come back from failure, or to become serious again. 23 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

9th House: This house rules higher learning, travel, and the law, so you can go back to school, revisit a place you ve traveled to before (especially if it s far), or review legal documents. This house also rules your beliefs, so you can reconnect with old beliefs, and strengthen your passion for them. It can also be good to become optimistic again. 10th House: This is the house of career, life path, and goals, so you can go back to working in a career you ve worked at before, review a goal, pick up an old goal or get a second chance with a goal, or revise the direction your life is taking. You can reconnect with an elder (parent, boss, mentor) as well. It's also good to become responsible again. 11th House: This house rules your dreams for your future, friendships, and causes you champion, so you can work on a dream that you had previously given up on and want another chance with, reconnect with an old friend, or recommit yourself to an old cause. You can reconnect with your unique self, and embrace old quirks. It's also good to become a rebel again. 12th House: This house rules your spirituality, subconscious, and endings, so you can refocus on your spiritual self, revisit subconscious issues that you want another stab at, or end something for a second time if you weren t happy with it the first time. Take time for extra rest, 24 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

and reconnect with your imagination. It's also good to become whimsical again. 25 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #2: Hard Aspects Mercury retrograde can be very difficult when he s making a hard aspect to your chart - a conjunction, square, or opposition to a natal planet or house cusp. These aspects can be difficult energy, so paired with Mercury retrograde, you may have great difficulty. With the Sun, you can feel super off or experience a problem; with the Moon, you may feel insecure and emotionally unstable; with Mercury, you may have difficulty with focus, extra anxiety, and lots of misunderstandings; with Venus, you may have trouble getting along with others or are extra stubborn; with Mars, you may get into fights and are easily annoyed; with Jupiter, you may be prone to excess and super laziness; with Saturn, you may feel extra restricted, overwhelmed, or scared; with Uranus, you may experience a sudden change or feel extra restless; with Neptune, you may have difficulty with sleep, bad dreams, are extra sensitive or easily misled; and with Pluto, you may have extra rage, struggle for power or control, or have to face something you don t want to. Here are ways you can positively use the hard aspects during Mercury retrograde: With the Sun, plan to have extra time to get things done, be extra patient with yourself and others, and take it easy on yourself if things don t go well. Since the Sun rules your physical body, this can be a good 26 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

period to tend to your physical self and treat your body better. Get moving, eat well, or get a massage. With the Moon, tend to issues that are impacting you emotionally and making you feel shaky internally. Tackle whatever it is that s made your internal foundation shaky, and work on being more confident. When you re feeling extra emotional, give yourself comfort and support. A pint of ice cream can go a long way! (unless you re diabetic or lactose intolerant or just hate ice cream - insert your preferred comfort food here) With Mercury, give your mind a break now and then (or for the whole period!). If you try to force yourself to focus on what you re not interested in or what your mind just doesn t lock on, it ll become more and more difficult. If it takes you forever to get simple tasks done or you lash out irrationally, this is a clue you need to give your mind a break. Focus on other stuff, mindless stuff, stuff that doesn t stress you out and doesn t require a serious approach. Let your mind take it easy. This may be a good time for journaling as an outlet. With Venus, this can be a good time to work on issues in your relationships. Often, Mercury retrograde in hard aspect to natal Venus will bring out the issues so we can t act like they don t exist, and this gives an opportunity to work on them. You may need extra patience and understanding with your loved ones, but you can work to make the 27 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

relationship emerge stronger. You may also want to pamper yourself a little bit, as well as work on being better balanced. With Mars, this is usually where we get into trouble with lots of fights, being overly defensive and impulsive, so it s imperative that you have an outlet with these aspects. It should be a physical outlet that also allows your mind to kind of shut down and use up the extra energy you have. BUT you do need to be careful about accidents and injuries, so while you should be active, you don t want to push yourself too far, otherwise body casts might ensue. With Jupiter, give in to the laziness. Really, just give in. Pushing yourself to try to do something might make you get a tiny bit more done and that s it. These aspects are really about you getting a break. Take time for naps, for lazy days, for spending the whole weekend playing video games or binging on old movies. If you re on a diet, yeah, that s probably out the window, so plan to break it temporarily. With Saturn, we often try to push ourselves to the limit, but we just end up pushing ourselves over the cliff. Then we get mad that the car explodes when it lands. Totally irrational! It can be good to focus the energy on something productive, on a goal or plan, but you need to have realistic expectations for yourself, and plan for time away from work so you re not getting that overwhelmed feeling. It can be a great time to focus again on an old goal. 28 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

With Uranus, it usually goes, we experience a change we don t want, or we re restless and want change we can t have right now. SO work on implementing small changes to appease the restless energy, if it s the latter. If it s the former, work on being more open and flexible so you don t get knocked around by the energy. It can be a great time to work on making a change over again. With Neptune, you first need to schedule lots of time for sleep. Hard Neptune aspects usually equal exhaustion! Even if you get plenty of sleep, you still may feel tired, so don t push yourself physically too much. Your dreams may be highly active. It can be a great time for connecting to your intuition, though you need to be careful of interpreting messages wrong. Your imagination can be extremely active, so give yourself lots of time to get lost in daydreams and fantasies. And don t fall victim to anyone who sounds too good to be true - they probably are now! With Pluto, Pluto's energy is always great for a transformation, no matter what the aspect, so pick some aspect of your life or part of yourself that you want to transform for the better, and get going. It can be great if it s a transformation you ve tried before and want to try again since retrogrades are great for those second chances. It can also be a good time to dig deeper inside of yourself and tackle issues you d normally 29 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

try to avoid. And if you feel rage starting to surface, work on giving it a healthy outlet. No exploding! Your third challenge: Track the Mercury retrograde and find the dates he will conjunct, square, or oppose any of your natal planets or house cusps. You ll usually feel the impact for 3-5 days before and 2-4 days after. How may each aspect impact you, and what can you do to handle the aspects? 30 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #3: The Start & End If Mercury retrograde starts or ends conjunct, square, or opposite a natal planet or house cusp, this can also show difficult energy you may need to manage. It doesn t have to be an exact aspect at any point during the retrograde, and the planet or house cusp can be within 3 degrees. The Turn Retrograde: Mercury retrograde begins this go around on August 12th at 9PM ET, and begins at 11 degrees 38 minutes of Virgo. If you have a planet or house cusp between 8 and 14 degrees Virgo, this retrograde is starting conjunct, or joined with it. That gets lots of energy, lots of attention, and you may struggle with something related to whatever that planet or house rules. Struggles may also be seen with planets at 8-14 degrees Pisces, because this creates an opposition, and you may experience developments that feel out of your control or that seem brought on by other people, and you need to be more flexible. Planets at 8-14 degrees of Gemini or Sagittarius are square the start of the retrograde, and this can create more friction that feels very uneasy, but can be channeled into something productive if you can harness it. Difficulties can also be seen with planets and house cusps at 10-12 degrees of Aries and Aquarius, which are quincunx, a minor aspect of erratic 31 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

energy. Quincunxes require you to be adjustable and not get stuck in your place. You get some easier energy with planets and house cusps at 8-14 degrees of Cancer or Scorpio (sextile), or Taurus or Capricorn (trine). These are the easy aspects, and so you can get continuous beneficial energy to the planets or house cusps making these aspects at the start. You can also experience some easier energy with planets and house cusps at 10-12 degrees Leo or Libra (semisextile, a positive minor aspect, but since it s a minor aspect, the energy isn t as strong). In general, the start of the retrograde is opposite transit (moving) Neptune at 13 degrees Pisces, who is also retrograde at the time. We all may be feeling an extra dose of haziness and confusion because of this, and if you re experiencing a conjunction, square, or opposition at the start of the retrograde, this is even more so the case. Do what you can to stay grounded. The Turn Direct: The retrograde ends on September 5th at 7:29AM ET at 28 degrees 25 minutes of Leo. If you have a planet or house cusp between 25 and 29 degrees Leo, this retrograde is ending conjunct. That gets lots of energy, lots of attention, and you may struggle with something related 32 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

to whatever that planet or house rules as the retrograde is coming to an end. Struggles may also be seen with planets at 25-29 degrees Aquarius, creating an opposition, and you may experience out of control developments of issues brought on by others requiring flexibility. Planets at 25-29 degrees Taurus or Scorpio are square the end of the retrograde, bringing friction that can be used if harnessed. Difficulties can also be seen with planets and house cusps at 27-29 degrees Capricorn or Pisces, which are quincunx and require adjustments. You get some easier energy with planets and house cusps at 25-29 degrees Gemini or Libra (sextile), or Aries or Sagittarius (trine), the easy aspects, as well as at 27-29 degrees Cancer or Virgo (semisextile, minor positive aspects). Since the retrograde ends so late in the sign of Leo, you may also experience some of these aspects in different signs, which are out-of-sign aspects. They may be: Conjunct: 0-1 degree Virgo Sextile: 0-1 degree Cancer or Scorpio Square: 0-1 degree Gemini or Virgo Trine: 0-1 degree Taurus or Capricorn Opposition: 0-1 degree Pisces 33 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

In general, the retrograde ends conjunct transit (moving) Mars. This aspect is exact during the retrograde on September 3rd (5:28AM ET) at 28 degrees 43 minutes in Leo. Mars is the planet of energy and drive, so that can be heightened at the end of the retrograde for all of us. We can be more driven, impulsive, impatience, take action, and use energy enthusiastically. This is especially true for you if the retrograde ends conjunct, square, or opposite a natal planet or house cusp, and it s important for you to use the energy in a positive, productive way, and have an outlet for frustrations. Whatever aspects the end of the retrograde makes to your chart, this conjunction also makes with Mars, and you can really feel a boost in energy. The retrograde also ends trine (positive aspect) transit Uranus in Aries, also retrograde at the time, and this can help us to focus on change as we come out of the retrograde, and be more open to trying something outside of the box. Your fourth challenge: Determine if the retrograde will start or end conjunct, square, or opposite any of your natal planets or house cusps within 3 degrees. You can refer back to hot spots #1 & #2 for interpretations for how this may impact you with the houses and planets. What potential impact may these aspects have on you, and how can you work with the energy? 34 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #4: In Your Sun, Moon, or Rising Sign If Mercury is retrograde in your Sun, Moon, or Rising sign, this can have a general impact on you while Mercury is retrograde in that sign. The Sun and 1st house rule you and the Moon rules your emotions, so you can feel really, really off when Mercury is retrograde in your Sun sign, Moon sign, or 1st house, even if it doesn t conjunct your Sun, Moon, or 1st house cusp. It can be a feeling of, if it can go wrong, it does wrong, and you have to be extra patient with both yourself and others. It s generally not a good time for starting anything new, but it can be a great time for second chances. The August-September 2017 Mercury retrograde is in Virgo and Leo, so if you have a Virgo or Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising, this retrograde has some extra energy for you. In general, plan for extra time to get things done, hold off on the big stuff if you can, and have an outlet for stress. Also try to plan to give yourself a second chance with something to make the retrograde really positive. Pick something you ve been thinking about trying again and work on a plan to make it happen. If you re a Virgo Sun, Moon, or Rising, you get a double punch with the August-September 2017 retrograde because Mercury rules Virgo, so you can feel more than extra off - you can feel a LOT off! It s even more 35 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

important for you to give yourself extra time, extra patience, and work on those second chances. Virgo is a sign that likes to focus on the details, so make sure you don t get lost in them. Virgo is also prone to anxious energy and lots of stress, so make plans for an outlet before the retrograde starts, otherwise you can become a ball of anxiety and stress. Make a plan - Virgo loves a plan! - and give yourself little things to do to help stay calm and grounded. And please avoid Virgo perfectionism. If you experience a setback, failure, or things just don t go your way, that s no reason to put yourself through the ringer. You re only human and we all have to fall at some point. Clean yourself up and move along. Keep yourself moving and this can help you not dwell on the things that don t go well. Mercury is retrograde in Virgo at the start August 12th until August 31st. If you re a Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising, you re not hit quite as hard as the Virgo people since Mercury is not your ruler (the Sun is), and Mercury is retrograde for a shorter time in your sign (August 31st - September 5th). But you can still feel pretty off when Mercury is retrograde in your sign. Leo likes to get dramatic, so try to avoid the theatrics if you re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Focus on the creative side of your Leo energy, and use creative outlets to manage the retrograde. Draw, sing, dance, mime - whatever tickles your fancy! Make time to do the things you love to do or be with the people who remind you how to have fun and connect to your heart in positive, healthy ways. This can help make the short time Mercury is retrograde in Leo zoom by a bit faster. You 36 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

may also find you want more attention during this period, but make sure you re not acting desperate and clingy to get it. If you do want more attention, ask yourself why. What is it that feels lacking in your life that is making you want attention? While getting the attention you seek may satisfy your desire in the short-term, it s only a quick fix and will be sure to return the next time Mercury is retrograde in Leo in 2018. So work on the core problem and put yourself in a better position next year! Your fifth challenge: This one only applies if you re a Virgo or Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising for the August - September 2017 Mercury retrograde. If you re a Virgo Sun, Moon, or Rising: - Make a plan - Keep moving - Don t be hard on yourself - Don t dwell If you re a Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising: - Have a creative outlet - Avoid theatrics - Do what you love - Be with fun people 37 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Mercury Retrograde Hot Spot #5: The Eclipse The August-September 2017 Mercury retrograde comes with a special astrological event - an eclipse! A solar eclipse occurs on August 21st at 2:30PM at 28 degrees 53 minutes in Leo. What s special and ties these two together is Mercury ends at 28 degrees Leo, and actually crosses over the eclipse point on September 2nd in retrograde and September 7th once the retrograde ends, so it s right at the turn direct. This actually triggers the eclipse, and anything that the end of the Mercury retrograde is doing to your chart is also happening with this solar eclipse, and will be triggered at the end of the retrograde. On top of which, Mars crosses over the eclipse point on September 3rd, also acting as an eclipse trigger. So this eclipse is activated in a BIG way to start September! The solar eclipse occurs at 28 degrees 53 minutes of Leo, and eclipse aspects have an orb of 5 degrees for major aspects and 2 degrees for the minor aspects of semisextile and quincunx, so the aspects are: Conjunction: 23 degrees 53 minutes Leo - 3 degrees 53 minutes Virgo Semisextile: 26 degrees 53 minutes Cancer - 0 degrees 53 minutes Leo; 26 degrees 53 minutes Virgo - 0 degrees 53 minutes Libra Sextile: 23 degrees 53 minutes Gemini - 3 degrees 53 minutes Cancer; 23 degrees 53 minutes Libra - 3 degrees 53 minutes Scorpio 38 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Square: 23 degrees 53 minutes Taurus - 3 degrees 53 minutes Gemini; 23 degrees 53 minutes Scorpio - 3 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius Trine: 23 degrees 53 minutes Aries - 3 degrees 53 minutes Taurus; 23 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius - 3 degrees 53 minutes Capricorn Quincunx: 26 degrees 53 minutes Capricorn - 0 degrees 53 minutes Aquarius; 26 degrees 53 minutes Pisces - 0 degrees 53 minutes Aries Opposition: 23 degrees 53 minutes Aquarius - 3 degrees 53 minutes Pisces Because this eclipse occurs so late in Leo, you can experience aspects in a different sign but still within orb. The aspect may not be as strong out of sign though, so you may want to focus more on the aspects that are in sign (conjunctions in Leo, semisextiles in Cancer and Virgo, sextiles in Gemini and Libra, squares in Taurus and Scorpio, trines in Aries and Sagittarius, quincunxes in Capricorn and Pisces, oppositions in Aquarius). The orb for eclipses is also wider than what you d normally use for the start and end of Mercury retrograde (3 degrees), so the aspects the turn direct makes can be considered up to 5 degrees instead of just 3 degrees (but again, the aspects in sign can be stronger). Solar eclipses are enthusiastic, energetic, and a time for new beginnings. That s not usually the case with Mercury retrogrades though! Putting them together, combined they may be showing a 39 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

combo that s potent for second chances. The focus will usually be on the house it occurs in, any conjunctions, and the closest aspect by degree and minute. For general interpretations by house and aspect, check out the New and Full Moons page on The Dark Pixie Astrology (new moon interpretations apply). Your sixth challenge: Determine what aspects the solar eclipse will make to your chart, and how this may impact you with the end of the Mercury retrograde. What can you focus on to use the energy to your advantage? 40 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

To Recap: The Parts of Your Battle Plan One: Determine if you ll feel Mercury retrograde during the shadow or the storm. You can feel the shadow period if: - Your Sun, Moon or Rising is in a sign ruled by Mercury: Gemini or Virgo - Your Sun, Moon, or Rising are in the sign Mercury will retrograde in: Virgo or Leo - You have a strong natal Mercury: You have a strong natal Mercury if it s the most or least aspected planet in your chart, it s on the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th house cusps, it s closely conjunct your natal Sun or Moon, it s a singleton, the apex planet of a yod or t-square, it s anaretic or at a critical degree If none of that applies, focus on the storms. Two: Determine which house(s) Mercury retrograde will occur in for you. Track the date Mercury retrograde will cross over a house cusp, if it occurs. How may Mercury retrograde impact the house(s), and how can you handle it? Three: Track the Mercury retrograde and find the dates he will conjunct, square, or oppose any of your natal planets or house cusps. You ll usually feel the impact for 3-5 days before and 2-4 days after. How may each aspect impact you, and what can you do to handle the aspects? 41 / The Dark Pixie Astrology

Four: Determine if the retrograde will start or end conjunct, square, or opposite any of your natal planets or house cusps within 3 degrees. What potential impact may these aspects have on you, and how can you work with the energy? Five: If you re a Virgo Sun, Moon, or Rising: - Make a plan - Keep moving - Don t be hard on yourself - Don t dwell If you re a Leo Sun, Moon, or Rising: - Have a creative outlet - Avoid theatrics - Do what you love - Be with fun people Six: Determine what aspects the solar eclipse will make to your chart, and how this may impact you with the end of the Mercury retrograde. What can you focus on to use the energy to your advantage? 42 / The Dark Pixie Astrology