The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo...

Good Day!

How are you faring with the Full Moon lunar phase and Mercury Retrograde?  Are you experiencing the push/pull between these two astrological events?

The Full Moon is the time to drive our project or idea over the top, to exert ourselves to bring some matter to fulfillment.  This is part of a monthly cycle in which we initiate something new after the New Moon, focus our will to grow our idea into manifestation over the next 10 days of the waxing Moon, and then at Full Moon we take our project public, we present it to our customers, we invite feedback, we expose ourselves!

And then over the next two weeks the Moon leaves its fullness and we start the process that eventually hands the project off to others and we prepare ourselves for the next cycle of inspiration and hard work.

Simple right?  This is a cycle we repeat more than 1000 times in an average lifespan so even if we’re not consciously aware of it we’re most definitely unconsciously responding to its rhythms.

However, during this particular lunar cycle we are also experiencing Mercury retrograde, a time for pulling back, letting projects simmer, and giving ourselves time and space to let solutions bubble up from our inner storehouse of wisdom.  We experience the three-week Mercury retrograde period about 250 times in an average lifespan, so we’re not unfamiliar with this either.  In fact, one of the intentions of this blog is to make us all more familiar with both of these cycles so we can use them to advantage in our business lives.

So the Full Moon phase is telling us to produce NOW!  And Mercury retrograde is telling us to withdraw, review, and bide our time.  One way we could parse this out normally is to look at the different areas of life each is affecting as reflected in our horoscopes or that of our businesses.  Then we could say, well I’m going for it in this area, but I’m holding back and reviewing in that area.  Not this time.  Retrograde Mercury is in Virgo, the same sign as the Sun.  Therefore the areas of our business affected by the Full Moon and retrograde Mercury are the same.

This could feel a bit like an alternating current.  A burst of energy and intention may come, followed by a sense that the timing isn’t right to act.  A solution may come only to fall apart when you try to implement.  Conversely, you may decide to stay at your desk and try to make incremental progress but your employees or customers call on you to be more active.  You may feel totally stuck but with an inner urge to produce.

What is the solution?  Time.  Soon the Moon will be in a phase, waning to darkness, that will be easier to coordinate with Mercury retrograde.  And before we know it Mercury will resume direct motion.  So if you’re feeling like you’ve fallen through the looking glass, just hang in there a couple more days. The phase of the Moon will be more in sync with Mercury retrograde and at least we’ll feel like both feet are in the same boat – a welcome relief if you ask me!

Do you have a question for Ellen? See the “Work with Ellen” tab at the top of this site for my Straight to the Point Response service.

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – Aug 23 – 29

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – August 2010

For tips on how working with Mercury Retrograde, see

10 Best Practices for Mercury Retrograde

Mercury Retrograde – 10 Ways to Engage