"ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE ..." !!!

The Cosmic "curtain" rose today, July 23rd, at 8:15 AM EDT as Mercury began its dramatically expressive transit through the ambitious, optimistic sign of Leo ... Mercury is now ready to blaze through Leo where the mindset and communicating functions will most likely become "center stage" somewhere in your life for the next few weeks ... as Leo is a fire sign it will bestow Mercury with a lot of creativity ... this Mercury is quite the performer who wants to get your attention along with your admiration any way it can ...

Mercury in Leo thinks dramatically and always with the heart ... here one can become a visionary and highly idealistic ... romantic attachments tend to take a major portion of ones concentration ... there is a display of dignity, a sense of innate refinement, and a desire to make good impressions on others ... there is also a desire to be the authority in ones chosen field ... there is ability to solve problems, but sometimes the details are ignored ... ambition abounds under this energy ... and since this is a very dramatic energy for communication it should not be a surprise that every now and then comes the tendency to exaggerate, be self-centered, or tell a little white lie or two !!! ... entertainment could easily be ones forte with dramatic talent being given here - okay all you wannabe actors, now it's time to show us what you got !!! ... this is often the natal placement of those in the entertainment industry ... there could be skills at sales, advertising, promotion or any means of persuading people with ones mind and tongue ... there is also a desire to have ones thinking or style of communication given a lot of attention ... speech is made with abundant energy, great pride, liveliness and a lot of charisma ... drama and humor is frequently used in communications ... learning is best achieved when one is aroused and excited by a particular topic ... sometimes the ego has a way of getting involved here which could lead to fixed thinking or limited objectivity ... presentations are usually dramatic and magnetic ... one could become interested in power, children, fame and creativity ...

This Mercury is very strong in its purpose but is still considered to be in its "fall" - as it is in opposition to the sign, Aquarius, where it is considered to be exalted - making the expression of its true nature somewhat difficult ... remember a planet in its "fall" is said to be like staying in someone else home where you do not feel very comfortable ... but there is still plenty of potential to be found with this placement of Mercury !!!

Mercury transiting through the sign of Leo teaches us to instill our thinking process with ambition and creativity ... its the idea person ... one is usually proud of their intellectual talents and capabilities ... with the mind being so closely connected to the heart, there is great passion, strength and originality in the mode in which one thinks and communicates ... sometimes there is insecurity here which can lead to one coming on too strong or causing one to underestimate the power of their mind ...

Mercury usually functions best when it is cool and detached from the ego, but this can become difficult in the self-conscious sign of Leo where personal aims and intentions appear to be to all-important and other important factors become far less important ... it is wise to realize that people give up trying to help others who always think they know better ... but ultimately, being able to combine ones own creative and enterprising mind with an awareness of others ideas and attitudes that are involved in your personal drama will benefit everyone ... problems are usually approached with great imagination and energy ... learning to use the input of others will allow one to avoid being a one-person endeavor, and then the mind will become a vital spark that will ultimately ignite a larger group endeavor ... the power of Mercury in Leo can be expressed in the following ways:

POSITIVE: mentally creative, distinctive verbal style, warmly articulate, identifies with popular ideas, grasps the entire issue, intellectually confident, focused concentration, fixed intentions, enthusiastic worker, convincing speaker, outspoken and optimistic, knows ones own mind, teaching and planning ability, foresight, executive mind

NEGATIVE: mentally conceited, liking the sound of ones own voice, only interested in ones own ideas, overlooks details, mentally arrogant, inflexible mind, stubborn and one-track mind, self-centered, feels superior at work, craves appreciation, verbally over-bearing, talks "AT" others, wrapped up in pet projects and theories

Mercury now joins the Sun and Jupiter already transiting through the sign of Leo ... so you can bet those ideas are most likely going to be grand and scathingly brilliant - at least in the mind of the one from which it sprang !!! ... BUT .... keep in mind that once Venus begins its next retrograde journey on Saturday, July 25th, it will return to the sign of Leo on July 31st where it will remain until its retrograde journey is finished on September 6th ... so, for the last 9 days of this transit, Mercury will most likely be affected by the backwards energy of Venus, and any scathingly brilliant ideas you come up with are best put on hold until Venus resumes forward motion on September 6th - especially if they involve money or people we find a certain affection towards !!!

And as it has been said that "all the worlds a stage and all the men and women merely players", exactly what kind of "scene" from what kind of "play" will each one of us be "acting out" during this dramatically expressive transit especially while under the influence of the influence of the ensuing Venus retrograde ??? 

Mercury, true to its fleet footed nature, will do a hop, skip and a jump through Leo it will complete its transit through the sign of Leo in just 16 days on August 7th  ... new ideas and projects just might have quite a theatrical air about them !!!

While Mercury is in Leo, it is wise to remember that we should teach others what we really want to learn our self ... we stand or we fall by what we say and how we say it ... do not ignore that "small still voice" that is an important part of the greater good ...

One final word of advice - be aware that whatever springs from your mind, and ultimately from your lips, is only as good and true as that which dwells in your heart ... so, curtain up ... light the lights ... cue applause ... now, let's get out there, take center stage, think big and then - communicate with a dramatic flair which for certain people will not be a difficult task at all will it ???