Or maybe you are witnessing people having the shortest fuse and the least amount of patience at every turn.  You plan a party or a night out and everyone seems to cancel at the last minute or you're off on holiday and every step of the way seems hard as your taxi arrives late, your plane is delayed and you miss your connecting flight, or you turn up to your travel destination and it appears they have no record of you ever booking in at the hotel you've been booked into for months?

That's right, call it Mercury Retrograde a million and one ways to destroy your patience and have you feeling like you just wanna give up at every little turn.  Mercury is just taking this going backwards thing, just one step to far on your scale of things you can handle.

So What is Mercury Retrograde?

Mercury Retrograde happens three to four times per year, when the planet Mercury slows down, and appears to stop or become stationary and move backward (meaning retrograde). It's an optical illusion, since there is always forward movement, like speeding in your car past a slow moving train, as you go past it recedes, it appears to go backward.

How many times have you experienced this optical illusion, and not thought much of it? Well unlike that scenario Mercury in Retrograde sure makes everyone stop in their tracks on some level, for Mercury rules commerce!

So how not to be a hot mess and have a nervous breakdown at the office or home? 
Don't start anything new. Review all your contracts before you sign.  Mercury Retrograde is the time to 
Reflect and rethink. Release and relax. Rest and Recover. It is a fantastic time to go within and take stock of what you are really working towards.

Mercury retrograde can crash electronic equipment in the most frustrating ways and times. Back up your computer, calendar and cell phone address book. Expect delays if you're traveling on any form of transport. You may feel compelled within this time to get in touch with old friends – and on that note don't be surprised if people from your past all of a sudden track you down. You might hear from an ex or someone from your childhood during retrogrades.  Mercury also rules contracts, so think about if it's REALLY the right time to be signing something or having a contract written up.  More than likely there will be issues that take longer to sort out than waiting till the end of retrograde.  Either wrap up important negotiations before the cycle starts, or wait to sign anything until Mercury goes direct.

Mercury Retrograde Dos and Don'ts

Travel - 
Do get a tune up, on your car or bike.  Check, check, checking is the key! This includes the petrol gage.
Don't try to be badass or live life in the fast lane so to speak.  This is the time to live on the side of caution and not invite trouble in, such as getting lost or having an accident.

School/Career - 
Do review all your work and make sure to backup or save as you work.
Don't let your tongue run away with itself or get caught up in office politics/drama. Check who you are sending things too, as more than likely this will be the time that you send that text to the wrong person, or an email to the entire office instead of your best friend.

Love Life - 
Do get lost in the wonderful memories you've made together.  A fantastic time to renew vows, take a trip down memory lane and visit the place you first kissed or got married.  a great time to reignite the flame within any relationship.
Don't make serious commitments to anyone or anything.  Decisions made during retrograde are often reversed when Mercury goes direct so avoid any major relationship moves as this may not go in your favor at all.

Money - 
Do think about putting a little extra away for a rainy day or go through your finances/bills and get them all in order.
Don't go off on a shopping spree online or in-person.  Now is the time to be comparison shopping, rather than purchasing as more than likely when Mercury goes Direct whatever you've brought may very well fall apart or break or even worse get lost in the mail so you don't get to experience your purchase at all.

Mercury Retrograde cycles are not meant to be the source of all evil and endless aggravation. However, if you go against the flow of this cycle you're likely to experience a whole lot more stress and discomfort in your life. Taking a good long pause every now and then allows us to gain a new perspective and realize what we might have missed in the past. Now we get a chance to fix it and become even stronger because of it ... so in short I want to say a HUGE thank you to Mercury Retrograde, because without it, we may not have the opportunity to learn some fantastic skills in patience.  And whatever has come up during the month that we have tucked away in a closet somewhere in our past, we may never have had the opportunity to deal with once and for all!

With Love and Huge Blessings for an amazing last half of Retrograde, filled with much understanding, awareness, being gentle with yourself and those around you, patterns and beliefs obliterated completely from our lives and SOOOO much patience for the rest of the month ahead.

Rebecca Fox R.M.

The new moon marks the very beginning of the cycle and the FULL MOON marks the release.

At the Full Moon, the energy as I'm sure some of you have experienced is powerful and intense. This surge of energy enables you to take action if you choose to.  This is the perfect time for releasing anything that no longer serves you; or allowing yourself to let go of something that you no longer need or wish to have in your life; or an opportunity to let go of a part of yourself that you have outgrown (old patterns, past beliefs and behaviours).

A Full Moon ritual is a powerful way to let go and release (a ritual is a set of actions, often with symbolic value (however you interpret that to be), performed in a ceremonial manner). Releasing. Letting go. Unburdening yourself. Purging all that no longer feels good in your life or brings you happiness.

You get rid of the past the old, celebrating your growth by stepping out of an old way of living, of being, an old identity, behaviour, attitude, pattern, relationship, frame of mind or situation.  Everything and anything that no longer serves you for your highest good.

The Full Moon ritual/ceremony marks this inner growth/transformation in a formal, ceremonial way, allowing yourself to honour what you once were, what it taught you, how far you have come and the strength and wisdom you have gained from each layer that falls away (much like the skin of a snake, we too emerge from ourselves, new, transformed, slothing off and removing old skins). Emphasising to yourself and the Universe that you are ready to let go and allow the  new you to emerge. Making way for new opportunities to come to you.

When deciding how to best release what is no longer needed for you personally use your intuition to guide you. You may just want to sit with a lit candle, you may want to write down what you want to release and burn it under the Full Moon. You may want to have a shower/bath or jump into the ocean as part of a cleansing ritual. You may want to meditate on what to let go of and do your release that way.  Whatever way you choose, it's not wrong and will be PERFECT for you!

Go with what works for you and what you feel most comfortable with. It all comes down to intention. However much, you choose to trust in yourself and hold intent that what you are doing is the perfect way to release for you, then so it shall be. As long as you stay centered in why you are doing things in a certain way, the results will follow as you intended them to.

Fire and water are great ways of purifying. Fire, being one of my favorite, not because I love burning things lol, but because I choose to  purify and cleanse myself every day in water, so to me fire is more symbolic.

• Fire – consumes, burns away the old
• Water – cleanses, washes away

The Cycles of the Moon:

• New Moon: A new fantastic cycle. Brings with it an energy of new possibilities. This is the time to set your intentions for what you want to bring into your life.
• Waxing Moon:  This is all about new growth, remembering continued action will see results come about.
• Full Moon: Brings empowerment, high tides, amplifying, renewing and creative. It is a time to release that which no longer serves you, what you no longer need in your life or an aspect of yourself that you have long outgrown.
• Waning Moon: Withdrawing, a sucking and pulling impact. 
• Dark Moon:  This is theA time to go within. Solitude can be a wonderful thing to behold if seen as a tool and not a means for self-sabotage. A powerful intuitive time where revelations from deep, deep  within can emerge. It’s important to make space for whatever comes up, with awareness and reminding yourself to be gentle on you.  Preparation for the new cycle and new beginning.

What are you ready to let go of?

Here are some suggestions for things that you may be ready to release:

A fear of change
Worrying or stressing over money issues 
Releasing a relationship/job/situation and the energy that is attached to it
Old beliefs/patterns that no longer serve you
Letting go the need for approval from family/friends or co-workers
Comparing yourself to others
Being stuck in the past/or future tripping
Constantly searching externally for answers (other people's opinions) rather than going within and trusting your own guidance.
Fear of letting people down
Fear of judgment or harsh criticism
A belief that your not or never will be good enough

With the powerful and supportive Full Moon energy, what are you ready to let go of in your life to make way for the new? Even if you don’t want to do a ritual, take a moment to consider what it is you’re ready to release from your life.  Release, step forward into your brilliance and know that you are NOT alone in this world, we all have struggles, we all are continually growing and that's a beautiful and magical thing in itself.

Set your intentions and allow the moon to work it’s brilliance. Just this once, allow yourself to Let Go.  
You never know, it might just be the best thing you  have ever done for yourself.

Love and Blessings for a fantastic release

Rebecca Fox R.M.

Your invitation comes snail mail, in a pretty (insert favorite color) envelope disguised as life's challenges, traumatic experiences, tragedies, and on the opposite side...Joy, happiness, triumphs. It is up to you to open it and discover the gifts within and they really are gifts of gold!!

Some people simply get a postcard from a far off place and go HELL yes I'm on that trip of a lifetime, let's get this party started! Well, they are the one's that RSVP right away. But for most of us, the arrival of the envelope can be so tear jerking, heart rippingly painful or so distracting (monkey mind, which stands for over thinking) that we can't understand our very own soul's message that comes so sweetly wrapped up inside, like pure candy for the distressed, distracted soul. The gift of bumping you, head on towards the direction of where your soul REALLY wants to go

We either end up staring at the envelope (monkey mind) thinking that's all there is; or we open it, throw away the invitation and keep the envelope and then totally obsess over it (your story) and pick to pieces every single little inch of that beautiful little envelope.

So, are you ready to let go of the pretty envelope, delve deep inside, accept the INVITATION and embrace its message for all that it has to offer you on this amazing, unique, fantastic, far too short trip called life? Can I get a 'YES" if you are ready to rip open that envelope and RSVP right NOW!! You got this! I Believe in YOU!!!


Rebecca Fox R.M.