"WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE LIVING FOR ... APPLAUSE ... APPLAUSE" - AIN'T IT THE TRUTH !!!

The Sun begins its "majestic" transit through the dramatic, romantic, proud sign of Leo yesterday, July 22nd, at 4:37 AM EDT ... this solar energy is all about is being acknowledged, appreciated and applauded !!!



The Sun in Leo is very happy here ... in fact it is in dignity as this is the sign it naturally rules in the zodiac ... when a planet, or luminary in this case, is in dignity, you control the circumstances in whatever area of your life the sign falls !!! ... The Sun is extremely efficient with its energy transiting Leo being dignified in this position ... but just how "dignified" and efficient the first part of this transit will be becomes the "burning" question with Mercury retrograde for the first ten days of this solar transit !!! ... if you've had your natal chart done, then you may gain awareness on what "stage" of your life this energy may affect you during this 32 day solar transit !!!

The Sun in Leo bestows us with a pronounced craving for attention ... Leo energy usually loves giving and receiving hugs ... The Sun in Leo encourages one  to shine through creative endeavors, seek recognition through risk-taking or exciting activities, shine through ones generosity, and certainly shine through ones own charisma ... this is the ultimate in fire energy - it is very happy,optimistic energy ... and isn't the Sun pretty much at its peak in Summer during July/August (at least in the Northern hemisphere !!!) ??? ... it's easy to see why these native born individuals are so warm and cheerful - unless of course they are modified by some other "darker" energy in their natal chart !!! 

Leo is a masculine/fire/fixed sign which makes it enthusiastic, powerful, expansive and creative, generous and extravagant, dogmatic and VERY FIXED in its opinions ... as previously stated, Leo is ruled by the Sun, so the Sun is extremely happy to be transiting through this sign !!! ... the Sun is the center of our solar system and therefore the most powerful planetary influence which bestows vitality and authority !!!

Leo's symbol is the Lion - regal, brave, dominating,possessing nobility and pride, and sometimes insensitive to pain ... the glyph for Leo represents two valves of the heart ... it is also the Greek symbol for the first letter of Leo ... symbolically, it is two incomplete circles of the Sun joined by a crescent Moon (its tail) which symbolizes that power is derived from both the intellect and the emotions ... its key phrase is "I Will" and its keyword is "Magnetism" ... the Sun is the main expression of the individual ... it shows the qualities of leadership and success ... it represents the masculine principle, the father, husband, and men in general ... it rules health, vital principles, authority and bosses, rank, title, high office, progress, dignity, energy, sense of identity and capacity for experience ... wherever the Sun is located in your natal chart is where you find the life and heart of your horoscope - it is where you truly want and need to shine !!!

Leo anatomically rules the heart, back, spine, the right eye of the male and the left eye of the female ... emotional strain and physical overexertion can cause back and spinal ailments in Leo born people ... sometimes Leo born people can be overbearing and challenging to the point of unknowingly provoking others into impulsive violence !!! ... Leo is the sign directly opposite of Aquarius in the natural zodiac ...

Leo naturally rules the 5th house of the horoscope ... it is a house of life whose keyword is "Creativity" ... the 5th house represents children, artistic expression, love affairs, romance, pleasure, amusements, holidays, vacations, games, speculation, hobbies and what distracts you from your main employment ... it also represents your emotional attitude, the love you give, your enterprise, sports, originality and creative outlets, shows dramatic, literary or artistic ability, shows publications, politics, the fine arts, social affairs, pregnancy and the education of children ... also represented here are any groups to which you may belong that relate to having fun ...

The Sun in Leo teaches us all about learning to live through the process of creating and being creative ... it is one who is truly a child of the Sun ... it wants to shine and be the center of attention ... even if you are shy or lacking in confidence, you will want to be noticed in some way ... respect is vitally important not only for yourself but from others as well ... respect is dependent on self-respect ... a radiant glow is often physically noticeable !!!

Leo can create an "air of certainty" which makes many things possible ... but for all the apparent confidence streaming forth from ones heart, it can belie the fact that one is highly dependent on being appreciated !!! ... here one must pay special attention to critics and admirers alike to avoid being blinded by ones own light and thus destroying whatever it is that one originally tried to create and maintain - a relationship, ones home, health, profession or even ones own children ... just like the Sun, Leo energy cannot see the shadow it casts ... ultimately Leo must realize that its power and influence shine through it and not from it ... and when that power is wounded or challenged, it is very much like the Sun disappearing behind a cloud - the world becomes a colder and darker place ... the energy of the Sun in Leo can be expressed in the following ways:

POSITIVE: noble, confident, generous, gracious, encouraging, commanding, ambitious, enterprising, proud, cultivated, dramatic sense, impressive, self-expressive, wealth of ideas, fun to be with, warm, affectionate, loyal, romantic

NEGATIVE: pretentious, self-righteous, flamboyant, domineering, demanding, intolerant, overestimating, vain, snobby/stuck-up, melodramatic, show-off, self-centered, overbearing, overblown, scorching, affected, fierce, impossible, unrealistic



HAPPY SOLAR RETURN LEO BORN !!!! ... Leo born individuals this is your time of year to SHINE - even more so than you usually do most of the time !!!



For all of us, we should remember that most of those who love us do so for our inner glow more than our outer show ... the Sun never tries to shine AND set conditions - THE SUN JUST SHINES !!! ... recognize, appreciate, respect and pardon both yourself and others ... take time to get in touch with your inner child and try to enjoy the simple pleasures of life !!!

The Sun is currently the only luminary transiting through the sign of Leo, but I think it is just fine with that and all of its fiery energy !!! ... the Sun remains in the sign of Leo until August 22nd when it moves into Virgo and we become highly focused on daily work and service, health and nutrition and possibly family issues !!!



This larger than life energy compels each one of us to take "center stage" in some area of our life ... and as the lyrics to that famous song goes - "WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE LIVING FOR ... APPLAUSE ... APPLAUSE" !!!

"A-HA" OR "UH-OH" ... ARE THE "LIGHTS" STARTING TO COME BACK ON YET ???

MERCURY completed its second retrograde journey for 2020 and stationed back into direct motion Sunday, July 12th, at 4:21 AM EDT  - do I hear a BIG SIGH OF RELIEF out there, well sort of  ???



Hopefully, some of the disorientation, confusion, frustration and outright irritation along with the sudden and unexpected issues that may have been produced by this Mercury retrograde is beginning to clear and subside as it becomes time to move forward into the swing of things on all levels !!!

Now that is has been 9 days since resuming direct motion, continuing over the next few weeks or even months, there will undoubtedly be quite a few "a-ha" as well as "uh-oh" lights coming on in regard to decisions made or actions taken during the retrograde period from June 17th/18th through July 12th, and possibly as far back as June 2nd when Mercury entered its shadow point - the point where it would come out of this retrograde journey on July 12th at 5 degrees 30 minutes Cancer ... did issues and complications or questioning arise in regards to things done during the last retrograde period from February 16th through March 9th??? ... or maybe even as far back as the retrograde period from October 31st through November 20th ??? ... and it's a sure bet that as Mercury moves forward once again crossing back over the degrees it covered during this retrograde period issues may begin to arise potentially sooner than later in whatever was going on the first time it crossed over the retrograde degrees !!! ... Mercury crossed over 5 degrees 30 minutes Cancer through 14 degrees 46 minutes Cancer from May 26th through June 17th/18th, then went backwards over them during the retrograde, and now moves forward over them once again from July 12th through July 26th - the good old "scrubbing effect" as we sometimes like to refer to it !!!



Mercury retrograde periods, even though annoying and extremely frustrating at times, are actually a very beneficial thing, especially for those who were strong and fearless enough to dig deep down, as we need to validate, or in some cases invalidate, actions and situations gone awry and deal with them in order to finally release them to produce a calmer, positive and more productive state of mind thus allowing us to move forward to bring about greater personal and spiritual growth !!! 

If you've had a natal chart done, you should look to see in which house or houses 14 degrees 46 minutes Cancer back to 5 degrees 30 minutes Cancer falls - what kinds of issues did you have to  deal with in the areas of life governed by that house or in some cases those houses ??? ... how many of you went with the flow and how many of you tried to swim upstream in the raging current of Cosmic confusion ??? ... I heard from many people that this Mercury retrograde was particularly rough especially while it was retrograde during the last 7 days of the recent Venus retrograde in Gemini which is one of the signs that Mercury naturally rules !!!

Of course the recurring question we may find ourselves asking now that Mercury is back in direct motion is "WHY" ??????? ...What actions did you take yourself or have taken against you that you or the other person may now be regretting. or you may be simply wondering why you chose to do what you did or why you were the victim of a particular course of action from other(s), and why didn't you or the other person wait a little longer ...  or perhaps you are simply now trying to figure out why it even happened ???



Relationships may have come to an end - some needed to be released and others may have jumped the gun and you are now wondering, or will be, why did I do that or end things during this period ...  how many of you had relationship issues surface or resurface - extremely likely in a Mercury retrograde - that you thought surely had been resolved or didn't even realize existed ???  ... or how many of you had one or more people come back through your life that you thought you had seen the last of or even forgot about and now most of them are gone or going once again ???  ... and how many of you began new actions within a relationship, personal or professional without waiting for the retrograde period to conclude ??? ... AND ... how many of you got married - OOPSIE  ???



Did anyone make any major purchases - homes, cars, electronics - that now don't seem like the best thought out course of action or that you are beginning to regret or will do so in the days ahead ??? ... there could be problems regarding any purchases made especially with anything where electrical energy and/or computers were involved ... all of these scenarios are possible as the energy of a Mercury retrograde is one where communications and mental energy is going "backwards" ... so now that the mental processing facilities are no longer going backwards - at least for most of us - in regard  to Mercury and its functions, it's time to finally RELEASE these emotional holds and allow ourselves to move forward with our lives ... let go of what is best left in the past so you can achieve greater personal and spiritual growth !!!

Mercury retrograding in the sign of Cancer yielded an emphasis for an opportunity to rethink how we emotionally respond to life ... and being in a water sign, Mercury retrograding in Cancer produces a strong desire to retreat inward ... when Mercury retrogrades in a water sign our feelings and emotions are strongly activated and, as challenging and sometimes even painful as it can be, we MUST address them in order to promote personal healing by making us have to work harder at producing a more stable balance between our emotional and the mental processes ... as waters can run very deep, that is where we most likely are going to have to dive into ourselves to come face to face with our innermost feelings and emotions ... and wherever this retrograde energy fell by house in your natal chart, actions could have arisen in that area of your life causing you to undergo a careful and hopefully honest examination to determine if these feelings and emotions are producing a positive or negative contribution to the quality of your life !!!



This was also an excellent time to keep a dream journal to discover what the Universe is revealing to us deep within our unconsciousness ... even though this could have been challenging, it could have been an excellent time for honest self evaluation if we had the strength, trust and courage to allow the process to unfold !!!

In addition to the "usual suspect" issues which arise during a Mercury retrograde, being in Cancer there was the potential for issues to have arisen which included : your home, parents, family, foundations, psychological roots, personal security, property - houses and/or real estate, for some the closing years of life, and endings of any kind ... these are all issues addressed in the 4th house of the zodiac naturally ruled by Cancer !!! 

In regards to overall health, remember Mercury is the natural planetary ruler of the 6th house which rules health, so there could have been more chances to have health issues in general during the Mercury retrograde period ... retrograding in Cancer there could also have been issues in the areas of the breast and stomach ... the stomach area most likely being activated by emotional stress conflicting with the digestive process !!! 

A Mercury retrograde is usually not a good time to have surgery as the healing process could be slowed down or there could be the chance of having to go back at a later date and take care of something that wasn't done correctly - especially in regards to cosmetic surgery ... hopefully if you did partake in any kind of elective surgery it won't run into any issues down the road !!!  ... as for emergency surgery, we have no control over that and trying to put that off might have produced catastrophic results !!!

Gemini and Virgo born since Mercury is your natural ruling planet, did you "try" and slow down for personal review and rethinking - especially in regards as to what has transpired in your lives since Mercury last resumed direct motion back on March 9th??? ... what have you learned about yourself in regards to where you are going and whether or not you are proceeding wisely in order to become more successful ??? ... what did you discover that MUST be changed - in fact what did anyone discover that MUST be changed so you are not left stagnant and hanging in limbo ???

Mercury now moves forward to complete its entire transit through the sign of Cancer on Tuesday, August 4th which initially began back on May 28th ... below is a reminder of what this mercurial energy is all about should you need to "review":

MERCURY began its transit through the domestic, sympathetic sign of Cancer on May 28th, at 2:09 PM  EDT ... our thought and communicative processes now turn from a highly intellectual mode towards a more emotional mode of operation as the ruler of Cancer is the Moon which, among other things, rules the emotions ... our thinking and communicating often ends up resulting from how we FEEL !!! ... Mercury was last in Cancer from June 4th through August 11th, 2019, a longer than normal transit due to a retrograde period and that will be the case again this year !!!



Mercury in Cancer has a way of subconsciously picking up signals from everyone else .. the mind becomes as much a receiver as a transmitter under this energy ... here we have a highly intuitive mode of thinking and communicating ... this placement also usually bestows a very good memory along with strong poetic power ... Mercury in Cancer thinks with the heart and often interprets the meaning of others communications through how it "feels" !!!



Mercury in Cancer does not always say everything it is feeling as it tries to avoid hurting itself and others as well with careless ill-spoken comments ... one is very protective of their thoughts ... it likes to nurture ideas and encourage growth before sharing ... one uses emotions as well as logic and often may end up letting sensitivities sway ones decisions ... subconscious fears, habits, or prejudices could inhibit ones objectivity or openness to the new !!!



There is usually an above-average psychic ability ... one learns through absorbing their experiences and making emotional connections ... interest here may include family, the home, the land, the past, the public or security ... Oh yes, we most definitely may find ourselves thinking about food A LOT, and hopefully that thinking doesn't become a nasty habit of overeating causing us to expand in ways we would rather NOT !!!

Mercury in Cancer teaches us the importance of about thinking through nurturing ... it is a caring mind ... one has to be careful not to take everything so personally here ... it is important to remember to look at the facts in addition to the opinions of others ... it is also important to remember and be aware that each one of us is our own source of light and warmth ... most importantly it is necessary to make a collection of good memories that will give rise to clear and positive thinking ... the energy of Mercury in Cancer can be expressed in the following ways:

POSITIVE: mentally tenacious, good memory, reliable, sensitive mind, poetic, intuitive, agreeable, absorbs information, attuned to public opinion, profound, polite, softly-spoken, discreet, diplomatic, arouses sympathies, emotionally appealing, persuasive speaker

NEGATIVE: mentally habit-ridden, distracted, inflexible, overly impressionable, impractical, irrational, yes-person, too open, taking things too personally, depressive, self-conscious, unclear, incomprehensible, diffuse,  prejudiced, untruthful



While Mercury is transiting through the sign of Cancer, one should realize that the natural ability to influence others is worthy of only our highest motives ... tuning in to ones finer feelings and expressing them is ultimately more rewarding ... and finally, try to focus on what you are after, who you are with and why ... and then stick with that !!! ... and by all means - enjoy the mental trips down memory lane as they will surely "light the corners of your mind" !!!

Mercury will exit its retrograde zone on July 26th when it reaches 14 degrees 46 minutes Cancer, the point where it began this second retrograde journey for 2020 back on June 17th/18th ... Mercury remains in  direct motion until October 13th when it begins its third and final retrograde journey for 2020 at 11 degrees 40 minutes Scorpio ... it will be a dual sign retrograde going from 11 degrees 40 minutes Scorpio back to 25 degrees 54 minutes Libra where it will station back into direct motion on November 3rd ... Mercury enters its next shadow point on September 23rd when it reaches 25 degrees 54 minutes Libra !!!


And a very important caveat here, the final Mercury retrograde for 2020 will be completely embedded in the upcoming Mars retrograde which takes place from September 9th through November 13th completely in the sign it naturally rules which is Aries ... this could prove to be yet another extremely challenging and frustrating period for many !!!


But don't start worrying about that now ... stay focused on the here and now and the most important fact that it is definitely - TIME FOR MOVING ON !!!