Mercury Retrograde, Tarot and You - An Update for June 2013

Mercury's ruling tarot card,
The Magician from Corrine Kenner's Wizard's Tarot©

The astrological theme for June has been communication and Mercury, the planetary ruler of communications has been camped out under the sign of Cancer this month.  Many of us received messages from our higher selves insisting we get rid of our baggage and get serious about establishing meaningful dialogues with ourselves, our co-workers and in our personal relationships as well.  For those of us who've listened and worked hard to clear the channels, the Universe, in a master stroke of irony, developed a litmus test for the end of this month.  Mercury Retrograde.

If you're not familiar with Mercury retrogrades, I'll take a minute to explain.  Each year as Earth orbits the Sun, it overtakes Mercury three to four times.  When we pass Mercury, it creates the optical illusion that Mercury is actually reversing it's orbit.  This optical illusion is a metaphor for the mishaps and misstatements that punctuate our lives during this period.  Mercury goes into retrograde on June 26th until July 20th.  Afterwards, we have only one more Mercury Retrograde period to deal with this year.  It runs from October 21st to November 10th.

Have you tried planning a fun, last minute get-away this week

Cancer the Crab's ruling card,
The Chariot from Corrine Kenner's, Wizard's Tarot©

only to find your reservations have become a big, red, tangled ball of yarn?  Has your computer or smart phone suddenly refused to function for no particular reason?  Did your carefully worded text or email ignite a volley of controversy?  Welcome to the joyless pit of Mercury Retrograde - bad communications, emotional quagmires and missed connections.

This month's Mercury Retrograde may be a breeze, but on the other hand, we're still feeling the effects of our Super Moon on June 23rd.  If you had a rough patch during the Full Moon it may be continuing, but don't despair.  There are several quick fixes you can do to get things back on track.

The key to a successful Mercury Retrograde is preparation.

1) Know your yearly retrograde dates, relax and breath into them.  Meditate more often.

2) Keep you expectations low during this time, both personally and professionally.  Try not to enter into new contracts or negotiations.  Don't decide to have air-clearing discussions with friends and family.  

3) Remember your  "R" words.  Renew, revisit, rest, re-plan, re-figure, renovate.  Things that are already in progress can benefit from a Mercury Retrograde revision.  Those are safe to do.

4) Keep your favorite tarot deck handy and plenty on sage and sweetgrass incense about for cleansing as needed.  Swords caution you about over-thinking or living in your head.  Cups point out over-indulgence of angst.  Pentacles keep your feet on the ground and Wands remind you to revise ('r' word) your game plan.

Follow these steps and while life won't necessarily be a breeze, it will be much easier. And if all else fails, invest in a vat of liquid smudge.

Lady Oracle

The exceptional tarot deck, "Wizard's Tarot,"© by Corrine Kenner and illustrated by John J. Blumen is available for purchase at my website  www.ladyoracle.net

An amazing deck! Click here to purchase!