How to not be a nitpicky jerk when Mercury enters Virgo in retrograde

Your inner critic is getting amplified, and the crumbs on the counter are itching to start a war this week as Mercury, our planet of communication and exchange, transitions on July 25th from the PR, jazz hands, and glitter spackle of Leo on July 25th into the precise, perfecting clean lines, and sharp observations of Virgo.

This is an ideal time to organize, seek solutions, finalize details, and button up your bulls–t. Get it while you can, folks because the wiley planet of words is going retrograde on August 4th.

Mercury is both exalted and at home in Virgo and thus can fully and freely express his cerebral, communicable might. Virgo is the sign of service, and with Mercury here, we’re encouraged to make that motherf—er work for us.

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As Joshua Pingley AKA The Spiritual Weatherman , suggests, “Use this time to say what’s on your mind, get s–t done, tell someone you don’t like that you don’t like them. Tell someone you like that you do like them. Make that challenging decision at work. Make that challenging decision in your life. Mercury in Virgo is a time for action, dictated by words.”

Indeed, Mercury in Virgo supports and encourages clean truth, thorough analysis, and direct communication. Don’t hold back, side shuffle, or procrastinate, as your words will sound and land much better this week than next.

Mercury in Virgo is aces at separating the necessary from the excessive. Use this energy to clear and/or cull any areas of your life or people within it that feel sticky or expendable. Cleaning house, literally and metaphorically, will offset any significant complications from the upcoming retrograde.

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Preparedness makes us ready, and no one does readiness with more vigor than Virgo.

Part of this prep is information gathering and increased awareness. Tune in while the frequency is still lucid, and be open to sudden changes in perspective. My advice? Remove one physical object from your home and one obsessive thought from your mind.

The danger of Mercury in Virgo is a near-sighted relationship to details, a refusal to ask for help, and a punishing need for perfection.

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Bear in mind the words of Anne Lamott , “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane, and it is the main obstacle between you and a sh–ty first draft.”

Sometimes, nay, most times, it needs to be bad before it can be great, and the space between is where Mercury in Virgo truly shines. Thus, my dudes, grant yourselves the glorious freedom to fall short so that you might yet rise above.

As Virgo is a mutable sign, the mutable signs Gemini,Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces stand to gain the most ground and feel the effects of this transit most acutely.

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience.

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