Mercury will be retrograde from August 20^th, 2010 to September 12^th, 2010, in the sign of Virgo. Specific days to be wary of are August 20^th through August 29^th, and September 8^th through September 12^th. (Note: The reason for this is that these are the days when Mercury is moving at its slowest.)

Mercury retrogrades are all about communications of all types, anything mechanical, and travel. During this time it is best to double check everything, especially in the area of communications. Make sure that you are saying what you intend to say, that your intended audience has understood what you have to say, and that you fully understand communications that are coming to you from others.

The gift that Mercury brings to us is t he ability to see through fresh eyes, and to adjust our thoughts, our attitudes, and even the direction that we are moving in. In essence, it is a time of retrospection, when we reconnect with reality in a new way. This is in part because Mercury retrograde forces us to revisit unresolved issues from the past.

In the sign of Virgo, Mercury retrograde takes us nt a time of introspection. What we are “reviewing”, in essence, is internal to us, rather than existing in the external world. All of the mutable signs – Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces – will be undergoing a very trying period of “head over heart” (intellect over emotions).

This is a time to be tying up loose ends, rather than making efforts at new beginnings. Look at the areas of your life that are coming to a close, or at projects that are ending. What needs to be done to finish them well? What projects are not going as planned? Are they worth fine tuning, or do they need to be scrapped so that something else can take their place? Are all of your efforts in align with your current goals? If not, why not?

Mercury retrograde is a great time to clean out your life, bring a close to projects or issues, and move forward with integrity and a clean slate!