We started one of the auspicious Mercury retrograde periods on July 7th, and the good news is, it ends on August 1st, 2019, in the Water sign of Cancer!

　　Connected with the fourth house of roots and foundations, Cancer is the sign of home, family, nurturing and oh yes baking, cooking and eating. Let’s look at how Mercury direct energy will help amplify good changes at home and what you have to look forward to.

　　When Mercury stations direct, we see things start to move forward again, and we can finally think clearly enough to make those big decisions we’ve been putting off. During retrograde periods, especially Mercury retrograde periods, we often don’t have the words or can’t find the way to express how we feel because we are focused more on looking within to figure out what it is we want to say. Now the energy is free and we don’t have to keep looking to the past to learn our lessons. It’s time again to shift our lives into taking action and apply the things we learned during the reflection period of Mercury retrograde.

　　

Remind Me, What is Mercury Retrograde Again?

If you’re not sure what Mercury retrograde is, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In astrology, the energy created by the movements of the planets through the zodiac signs results in predictable states of mind that we can take advantage of and see ahead of time. Many people attest that they notice the effects of tricky Mercury retrograde. Mercury controls the mind, so it can have us thinking about the past when it goes retrograde. But we still have to take care of our daily lives and we all know when our mind is somewhere else, we often trip over our own feet because we aren’t looking where we are going.

　　During a Mercury retrograde, people often experience miscommunications, electronic malfunctions or feelings of being unable to move forward with their goals (I call this the running in sand feeling). In a more positive sense, the retrograde is a time to learn from our past so that we can break any behavioral patterns that aren’t helping us live a positive and fulfilling life. When Mercury stations direct, it represents our minds shifting back to the present and future so that we can move forward with more wisdom and a better approach.

　　In this case, Mercury, being the planet of communication, will help us say what we need and want in order to feel comfortable and happy at home when it stations direct. Our attention will be drawn to the home because the Cancer zodiac sign brings a nurturing, home-body type of energy. You can look forward to good conversations with loved ones and more family time even if they are at a distance (or at least you can catch up over the phone). You will feel like taking time to make your home nice and welcoming so that it is a place of refuge where you can recharge your batteries.

　　

5 Ways to Use Mercury Direct in Cancer Energy at Home

1. Divide Up Chores

If you live by yourself, you can set a goal for weekly and monthly cleaning to help keep the vibes in your house up. If you live with other people, you want to make sure no one feels they are stuck doing all the housework. Use the Mercury direct in Cancer vibes to talk about keeping the energy in the home uplifting instead of pointing fingers at who isn’t doing something right. Approach communication with the idea of positive solutions instead of negative feedback.

　　

2. Plan a Night to Cook at Home

Sometimes we get in a routine of getting through the week and feel busy but don’t stop to share our love with the people we truly care about. If you live with people, cooking together and turning off your phones can really help to make home life fun again. If you live at home, perhaps you can spend time learning a recipe you’re excited about instead of heating up a frozen dinner or ordering something quick. You can also invite a friend over to cook with you and catch up or deepen a new friendship.

　　

3. Create a Meditation Space

Home can be a place to rejuvenate and unwind and creating a place to be with yourself can help you value your meditation and make it a part of your day. Everyone in your life benefits when you spend time meditating too. Creating this space can help create positive momentum in your relationships with everyone because it will help you settle down and see things without being overly emotional.

　　

4. Create Healthy Boundaries for Venting

Talk about how it’s best to limit negative dumping about your day to the people at home. Walking through the door only to express how mad you are will bring down the home energy. Allow the moment of coming home to be welcoming and loving and set a time when you can share the heavier things and listen to each other so that the negativity doesn’t spiral and so no one becomes a sounding board. If you live alone, notice if you do this by calling someone or if they do it to you.

　　

5. Make a Vision Board

Having a goal that you can focus on helps you feel inspired when you’re in your home. If you live with people, supporting each other’s goals can build strong positive bonds as well. Include self-development goals so you each hold yourself accountable for improving communication and taking responsibility for bringing positive energy into the home.

　　Read this next: Chiron Retrograde in Aries: Accept Who You Are

　　

Closing Thoughts…

The Mercury retrograde post-shadow period will still be in effect until August 15th. If you’re wondering if there are more Mercury retrograde 2019 dates you need to be aware of, well you’re right to be wondering that! There is one more on November 1st through the 20th. But you have some time before that happens to live your life focusing on moving forward.

　　It’s important to never look at one part of what is going on in astrology by itself or you won’t really get a clear picture of the energy you’re dealing with. We are not quite out of the weeds when it comes to retrogrades:

　　Uranus (January 6 – August 12)Chiron (July 8 – December 31)Pluto (April 24 – October 3)Neptune (June 21 – November 27)Jupiter (April 10 – August 11)Saturn (April 30 – September 18)Without a long, drawn-out explanation of how all of that is affecting us, let’s say it is a time of inner transformation and learning from our past.

　　Keep yourself up to speed each day by printing off a copy of our awesome and totally free astrology calendar.

　　Related Article: The Meaning of Neptune Retrograde