By Diana Garber, The Feng Shui Results Lady http://www.IntuitiveConcepts.com
1-866-689-6891

Astrology and Mercury-Retrograde

When the planet Mercury travels in retrograde motion, there is a high probability of delays, communication problems, and issues (mentioned below). During Mercury retrograde, mistakes are likely. During 2012, there are three Mercury retrograde periods.

Retrograde periods encourage us to change our thinking processes, refocus, and seek others along similar paths. This is not a time to react, but to be proactive; thus new and creative ideas are called for (and will also surface). Mercury Retrograde provides us with the opportunity to adjust our thoughts, attitudes, and communication. The outer world (communication) can suffer during this time requiring one to pay extra attention to communicating clearly with others.

Before a retrograde starts:

• Perform full system back-ups and anticipate technology breakdowns. In addition to backing up your important files, upgrade virus-protection software .• Ensure your vehicle’s oil is taken care of, tires are in good working order, or take the vehicle in for a tune-up.
• Regarding travel arrangements -- validate then reconfirm. .

During Mercury retrograde:

• Utilize this time to tweak, edit, reevaluate, rework, or repair whatever you’ve been procrastinating.
• Plan and prioritize projects, recycle, or detoxify. Assess your career, finances, and health but wait (until retrograde is over) to take action.
• Avoid initiating new projects, surgery, grand openings, major purchases, or signing contracts while Mercury is retrograde.
• Mail can move more slowly or be lost; appointments are missed; and, misunderstandings are more common.
• Complete unfinished business and explore your personal perceptions. Go easy on yourself because breakdowns are likely.
• Schedule half of what you normally do to allow for delays. Use extra time to catch up but allow enough time to fix mistakes that surface so you don’t have to rearrange your schedule.
• Re-establish communication with former contacts. Past acquaintances are likely to turn up at this time – so don’t be surprised

If you have clients or patients who cancel or reschedule, look inside (you or your processes) and consider one of the following as a lesson from this experience:
• Your schedule is too full and you need time to complete or address something.
• Someone needs your attention. Let the Universe know you have availability and the person in need will surface.

Mercury-retrograde periods are:

March 12 – April 3
July 15 – August 7
November 6 - 26

There are other retrogrades that take place during 2012:

• Mars retrograde is from January 23 to April 13 and only happens every couple years. During this time concentrate on planning and research as business will likely decline. This is not a good time to initiate something new. Mars implies conflict so be willing to hear others out. Gather all the facts and don’t rush to a decision. Mechanical failures are likely during this time, so thoroughly test products and moving parts before releasing them.
• Venus retrograde starts May 15 through June 27 and affects pricing, purchasing, credit, business alliances, negotiations, assets, and products. This is not a good time to increase prices or start a new company. Avoid more debt or signing contracts. Current alliances may need to be reevaluated.

Retrograde energy is felt a couple weeks prior to and following actual retrograde periods. Again, be proactive and enjoy the ride. When things return to normal, resolve any issues and focus on moving forward.

Planetary Eclipses -- Lunar (LE) and Solar (SE)

Eclipses tend to signal significant change and new information. They can sometimes signal a stressful time, mainly due to the shift in circumstances that may occur. Try to avoid making important decisions during an eclipse as the energy around you will tend to be unsettled and changeable.

Solar eclipses (SE) are closely associated with new beginnings and their effects can last up to one year. Lunar eclipses (LE) are associated with completion or endings and their effects can last up to six months.

To prepare for an eclipse:

• You may start to experience an eclipse up to 30 days prior to the event. A good rule of thumb is not to start anything new a week prior to an eclipse.
• No two eclipses are alike (based on patterns, aspects, degrees, etc.). Some eclipses affect us more than others based on our company and birth charts. A consult with a professional astrologer is a good investment. Identifying angles, axis points, and trines (as examples) are beyond me.
• It's also wise to wait at least a week for things to settle after an eclipse before making any important or final decisions.

May 20, 2012 = SEJune 4, 2012 = LE

These eclipses have to do with rewards due to effort. In other words, if you’ve been working diligently toward an end goal, the fruits of your efforts will start to unveil. This is a good time to pursue success for your ideas.

If you are so inclined (open to the idea), the lunar eclipse can also connect you spiritually -- you may see images or hear messages from our collective consciousness or your guides. The flip side of this (for those not inclined) is getting in your own way – avoiding an opportunity that can lead to a rewarding opening.

November 13 = SENovember 28 = LE

These eclipses have to do with good news that involves new responsibilities or a commitment. The solar eclipse could bring about aggression so funnel that energy into a good cause or goal. Otherwise it can have negative implications. When I see this type of scenario, I process it this way: If for the good of others – good will come of it. If not for the good of others – bad can come of it. The lunar eclipse is about inner wisdom and faith . Seek others to expand your horizons.

Moon Cycles

Preparing for the moon cycles:

• The new moon is a positive, motivational time for initiating new beginnings and projects.
• The full moon is a time for completion and endings. Avoid scheduling elective surgery during a full moon as you will tend to bleed more. However, planting on the full moon is known to produce better crops.
• Consider starting projects and signing contracts between full and new moons (we can provide your best energy days).

More specific astrologic moon signs help with your strategies and activities. When the moon goes into a specific sign, that energy lasts at least two days. As examples, the moon in:

• Aries brings enthusiasm and new ideas. Avoid impulsive acts.
• Taurus focuses on finances, strategies, and the senses. Stubborn tendencies surface.
• Gemini is a time to learn something new. You can feel a bit slap happy.
• Cancer centers on nurturing relationships. Trust your intuition .
• Leo invokes creativity and self expression. Is the lion willful or noble?
• Virgo conveys logic and improvements.
• Libra negotiates ensuring fairness. Ensure there is closure.
• Scorpio likes intrigue and power. Good time for transformational work.
• Sagittarius is visionary and joyful. Good time for goal setting .
• Capricorn adds structure and foundation to important goals.
• Aquarius initiates radical ideas and community efforts. The future is now.
• Pisces inspires. When you come from love and light, you change the future (but commit finances during another moon cycle).

Our date analyses include this level of detail. For the purposes of this article, below are 2012 Full Moons (FM) and New Moons (NM) for the Eastern time zone:

Full Moon New Moon
Jan 9 Jan 23
Feb 7 Feb 21
Mar 8 Mar 22
Apr 6 Apr 21
May 5 May 20
Jun 4 Jun 19
Jul 3 Jul 19
Aug 1, 31 Aug 17
Sep 29 Sep 15
Oct 29 Oct 15
Nov 28 Nov 13
Dec 28 Dec 13

If you have a personal calendar that lists first-quarter moons, make note that these can be challenging times. Persevere and take action. During last-quarter moons, bring tasks to a close and reflect on lessons learned. Don’t start anything during either of these periods.

In summary:

Mercury
Retrograde Lunar
Eclipse Solar
Eclipse New
Moon Full
Moon
January 23 9
February 21 7
March 12-31 22 8
April 1-3 21 6
May 20 20 5
June 4 19 4
July 15-31 19 3
August 1-7 17 1, 31
September 15 29
October 15 29
November 6-26 28 13 13 28
December 13 28

Remember that if you are planning something important, we have several tools to help you be more successful and improve your experience. Call for a free telephone consult today!~~~~~~~~

Author's Bio: 

About the Author

Diana Garber has several decades of experience in environmental energy and risk management. Her company, Intuitive Concepts, was founded in 1998. She has a unique blend of talents which include business executive, senior project manager; former Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP); Myers-Briggs; classically-trained Master Feng Shui Practitioner, and graduate of Landmark Education.

In her former position, Diana was Vice President of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery at Bank One. Her responsibilities entailed 70,000 employees, 65,000 workstations and 2,500 servers. She helped to run command centers for the NY terrorist attack; Hurricanes Lili and Isidore; tornadoes that devastated cities, floods of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; Y2K; and much more.

Diana chose to leave the corporate environment to Feng Shui the world…one company, one home, one person at a time. She’s accredited internationally and has been bestowed many awards (including Woman of the Year, Best of Columbus, and Achievement in Consumer Excellence). Diana was also nominated for the International Peace Prize and Jefferson Award. She’s listed in several Who's Who, serves on several boards, and her 2009 project at the Building Industry Association’s Parade of Homes won the bronze award for overall design.

Diana was credentialed in 2005 as the Feng Shui practitioner for The Ohio State University. She was also Director of Education for the International Feng Shui Guild. There her charge was to begin nationally-recognized certification standards for schools and practitioners.

Diana regularly appears on TV and radio, is published internationally, and is the Feng Shui expert blogger for The Women’s Book. Her eBook, 8 Simple Steps to a More Balanced You is available free by request. She’s featured in ABEC’s Small Business Review’s Best Stories 2010; and coauthor of The Gratitude Project: Best of Pets, The Gratitude Book Project: A Celebration of Personal Heroes, and The Woman’s Advantage 2012 Shared Wisdom calendar. A Book of Hope: A Story of Healing (first in the A Book of Hope: Wisdom & Abundance Series) will be released soon.

Follow Diana on Twitter
Friend Diana on Facebook
Become a fan of Intuitive Concepts (project pictures and tips)!
Become a fan of A Book of Hope: Wisdom & Abundance Series
On LinkedIn too
Want to get together? Meetup.com for gatherings and workshops
Obtain tips on You Tube

If you found this article interesting, informative, or inspiring, please let Diana Garber know: Box 899, Sunbury, Ohio 43074 USA; 866-689-6891; www.intuitiveconcepts.com; fengshui@intuitiveconcepts.com . You may publish or reference any portion of this article so long as you provide credit to the author and a link to the website.