In two days, Mercury goes direct (July 12) again! Mercury has been retrograde in Water sign Cancer since June 18, and even before then, we were dealing with Venus retrograde in Gemini (which ended June 25). It’s been a slog of retrograde energy, starting with Venus in mid-May and then picking up with Mercury. Finally, the end is near!

　　As Mercury slows down to go forward again, it might be another 1 – 2 weeks before everything really starts to pick back up. Don’t fret if things still feel kind of slow to get moving forward. This is normal as Mercury retrograde ends with Mercury direct. It can take time to readjust.

　　This Mercury direct comes with Mercury in Cancer, bringing together the head and heart. That makes this a great time to focus on clearing them out so you can look at everything with fresh eyes and a better perspective. Mercury in Cancer always helps us align our minds and hearts!

　　Read this next: The Ultimate Guide to Retrogrades

　　

What is Mercury Direct in Cancer?

Retrogrades occur when a planet appears to be moving backward through the zodiac from our view here on Earth. The normal motion for the planets is forward, so when they’re moving backward, their energy operates differently.

　　Mercury retrogrades 3 – 4 times each year for about 3 weeks at a time.

　　Mercury is the planet of communication, so Mercury retrograde tends to be a time when communication goes a little wonky. We can struggle to say things right, and we have to be more mindful of the impact of our words, become more thoughtful and better listeners, and slow things down so we can give everything an adequate amount of attention.

　　Cancer, meanwhile, governs our emotions. This sign relates to the 4th house of home, family, and foundation, and is the core of who we are. There’s been a real shift in foundations, and it’s been partly driven by a way of expressing emotional energy, which is very Mercury retrograde in Cancer.

　　A planet turns direct when it’s no longer appearing to move backward, but is turning back to go forward again.

　　Planets move more slowly when they’re turning retrograde or direct, and seem to be hovering in about the same spot, which is called stationing. This gives a continual burst of energy, and the periods around a planet turning retrograde or direct bring strong energy.

　　

5 Ways to Use Mercury Direct in Cancer

1. Practice Self-Care

Taking care of yourself is always important with Mercury direct, since we’re usually coming out of a frustrating period. Being in Cancer, it’s even more important to maintain or restore emotional balance.

　　Nurture yourself the way you nurture others. This helps with clearing out your heart of any emotional uneasiness that’s accumulated over the last few weeks.

　　

2. Work on Emotional Boundaries

Emotional boundaries are a good thing to have, and they allow you to clean out emotional sludge and not replace it with more baggage.

　　What boundaries have you seen fall apart over the last few months in your life? Which relationships haven’t had boundaries at all that you’ve become aware of? In what ways have you not respected the emotional boundaries of others?

　　It’s important to maintain these boundaries in your life, and encourage others to do the same.

　　

3. Strengthen Your Internal Foundations

With Cancer ruling the core, the inner foundation, making sure that foundation is strong within you is something that you should work on with Mercury direct. This ends up helping you in many different ways, including giving respect to both your head and heart.

　　The more solid and secure you feel at your core, the easier life can be, not because what you’re going through gets easier, but because you’re stronger, wiser, and have a better perspective.

　　

4. Write Down What You’re Feeling

If it’s been difficult for you to properly express yourself and get your head on straight, then try writing down what you feel with this Mercury direct. Just let it flow out. You may be surprised by what you write, and what revelations you can have from it.

　　This can help with clearing out your mind and release some of the thoughts that have been running through your head and messing with your emotions. Give it the space to be expressed, and then let it go.

　　

5. Keep Track of Your Dreams

As a Water sign, Cancer can relate to your intuition and dreams. We all may be a little more tired than usual with this Mercury direct, and dreams can be stronger as a result, especially in their connection to your emotions.

　　They may feel like both your mind and emotions are trying to find an outlet.

　　Try keeping a dream journal, even if for just a couple of weeks, and see what you can decipher from your dreams. Make sure to use our dream dictionary to help decode them!

　　Check this out: What Your Dreams Are Trying to Tell You

　　

Harness the Energy of Mercury Direct in Cancer

Now that we’re coming out of this retrograde energy, communication can finally start to get back on track after being targeted for the last few months. Work on being more open in general, and being a better communicator in every way.

　　Effective communication is a hugely important part of all good relationships!

　　Do know that this Mercury direct does come with Mercury widely square Mars in Aries, which is a hard angle between the two. Mars is aggressive and impulsive, so tempers may want to flare up even more, but we need to stay in control of that energy and not let it control us.

　　The Mercury direct also comes on the heels of a Lunar eclipse, so emotional energy is quite high right now. We may need to reflect, revolutionize, and reassess with this energy.

　　Keep yourself busy, and have positive, healthy outlets for frustration to avoid blowing up. Take productive action and thrive!

　　Related article: The Complete Guide to 2020 Retrogrades