Don’t make any important moves when Mercury is retrograde. Nothing will be settled successfully for the future during these periods anyway – you will find it nearly impossible to nail down a plan. During a retrograde period, it is hard to get decisions from others. Even if a decision is made, it will be subject to change, either just after Mercury turns to direct motion or much later.
Mercury retrograde periods would not be good times to do anything involving communications, such as launch a magazine, website, or an advertising or publicity campaign.
These phases are also considered poor times to launch any new endeavors, even if they are not related to the communications industries.
Similarly, a retrograde period is not a good time to sign any contracts or even to shake hands on any new agreements. Do not close on a house during this time nor sign a lease. Verbal agreements are considered the same as written ones. The environment will be quite fluid and changeable, no matter what you are told or what you think.
It’s not that the people you are dealing with are necessarily duplicitous. It’s just that nobody can fully predict what conditions will be like later. If you start a new job, it won’t necessarily be the position you thought it was when you accepted it. If you are a manager, you will have difficulty choosing the right candidate for the job, so, if you can, hold off hiring anyone. If you buy a house, problems could crop up later that were completely unanticipated.
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The NEW MOON SOLAR ECLIPSE occurs on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 10:48 PM EDT.
On Thursday night, the New Moon occurs in the sign of Cancer.  In the Moon-ruled sign of Cancer, domestic issues, family, personal popularity, the public, women’s interests, safety, security, food, support, our past/roots/heritage, and emotional issues are likely a strong focus.
This eclipse is about new beginnings regarding all of these matters. Occurring in the sign of Cancer, we are called upon to feed our foundation–all of that which we call “home,” including the foundation we have built inside of ourselves, needs to be tended to and honored. We need to pay attention to our instincts, our deepest needs, and our feelings; and to recognize the importance of our family and our personal circle of friends and the security, sense of belonging, and safety we derive from them. We are called upon to get in touch with our vulnerability and our needs for intimacy, as well as opening ourselves up to accepting support from others; to offer and show support for others, without a hidden agenda; and we might begin a new project that involves improving the home itself, or improving domestic life in general.
With this potent Cancer energy, we have the chance to make important changes in our lives that will benefit us well beyond this Moon cycle. For some of us, circumstances are such that we need to pay more attention to these matters. Some of Cancer’s “lessons” involve learning to feed our souls, to honor our innermost feelings, and to get in touch with our vulnerability and dependency on others. We are reminded of our support system and our need for a sense of safety and security. If we focus too much on achieving our career objectives at the expense of building a solid sense of personal satisfaction, we eventually become ineffective both personally and professionally. This is because our push for results on a professional level will not bring us long-term success if we don’t know what it is we need for ourselves on a personal level.