Hot air

Mercury's about to do something funky preceding Mars's retrograde in Gemini, which is a Mercury-ruled sign. I think these things are connected. This is going to sound complicated, but bear with me. Mercury will oppose Neptune in Virgo in mid-August, then it will oppose Jupiter in Libra as it stations (stops) to go retrograde (backwards) in early September, then it will retrograde back to the opposition with Neptune when it stations to go direct (late September), and as it picks up speed (in October) Mars will be stopped in the sky in Gemini (Mars retrograde is November-January).

Jupiter opposite Mercury is over-optimism.

Neptune opposite Mercury is unreality.

Basically, the sky will be full of hot air for a while, and then it will deflate. Worst case scenario: you become convinced something's going to work out, based mostly on hope and optimism, and it doesn't. At all. This is what I'm trying to protect you from. That, and liars.

• Don't sign legal documents unless you absolutely have to.

• If someone has a big idea that sounds too good to be true, there's a 95% chance it is.

• Maintain skepticism or borrow mine. I've got plenty.

• Keep track of where your phone and keys are.

Prepare to see a couple of friends or associates absolutely in orbit during the Mercury retrograde. Mercury-ruled people are going to have to struggle to keep both feet on the ground with this one. If this is you, maintain your routine and run all of your decisions by a Capricorn before enacting them (NO SUDDEN MOVEMENTS. This means you). Or just nap. A lot. (I know I suggest naps often, but sometimes the best use of your energy is doing nothing because then you don’t have to devote a lot of time and effort to undoing things. My solution to most problems I can’t solve is just to go to sleep.)

Mercury will be retrograde in Libra and Virgo, and retrogrades are a time of re-doing and re-thinking. Ergo:

• Re-organize your cabinets

• Re-think how you balance or distribute chores in your household

• Think about your diet

• Assess how nicey-nice you are to people, and do you need to be nicer, or less nice? Libra loves it some things that are nice.

• Think about how much money you spend buying containers for specific items

• Daydream

• Read or write fiction

Stay safe out there.

J