All About Mercury Retrograde
There is something about the first day of a new month that makes people want to begin again. We buy new planners, set new goals, clean out closets, create budgets, write intentions, and promise ourselves that this month will be different. Even people who do not consider themselves particularly spiritual tend to treat the beginning of a month as a checkpoint. We naturally pause and evaluate where we are, what is working, what is not working, and what deserves our attention moving forward. Today carries that same energy, but this year it arrives under very different circumstances.
Just two days ago, Mercury stationed retrograde in Cancer while a Full Moon rose in Capricorn. Mars is now moving through Gemini, creating movement, conversation, curiosity, networking, learning, and a desire to gather information from as many sources as possible. Jupiter has recently entered Leo for the first time since July 2014 through August 2015, bringing attention back to themes of visibility, creativity, confidence, leadership, self-expression, and the willingness to take up more space in the world.
Individually, many people are beginning to feel the urge to think bigger, reach farther, and stop minimizing themselves. Collectively, we are likely to see increased activity in entertainment, media, luxury goods, personal branding, performance, and the arts. There is an undeniable sense that something wants to move forward.
At the same time, Mercury Retrograde has entered the conversation and is asking a very different set of questions. Before you chase the next opportunity, have you fully utilized the opportunities already available to you? Before you decide what you want to attract, have you looked honestly at what requires your attention? Before you focus on expansion, have you examined the foundation supporting it?
That is why I find this particular July 1st so interesting. Most conversations about manifestation focus almost entirely on attraction. We are encouraged to think about what we want, visualize what we want, speak about what we want, and feel as though we already have what we want. There is value in all of those practices. However, Mercury retrograde introduces a layer of practicality that is often missing from these conversations. It asks us to examine whether our daily actions support our stated goals. It asks us to notice where our energy is going and it asks us to identify what remains unfinished, unresolved, disorganized, or neglected.
The first question I would encourage you to ask yourself today is surprisingly simple: what currently requires your attention? It is not a glamorous question, but it is often a revealing one. What projects remain unfinished? What responsibilities have been postponed? What financial matters require review? What conversations continue occupying space in your mind? What goals have been repeatedly pushed into the future despite their importance? What promises have you made to yourself that you have quietly stopped honoring?
Most people assume they need more motivation. But more often than not, they need a clearer picture of what is already sitting on their plate. One of the greatest drains on personal energy is not the task itself but the mental effort required to keep remembering the task. Every unanswered email, unfinished project, delayed conversation, unresolved obligation, and postponed decision continues requesting attention. It occupies space whether we acknowledge it or not.
This is why I am such a strong believer in beginning the month with a comprehensive list of everything that currently requires your attention. Write it all down; every appointment that needs scheduling, every financial responsibility that needs review, every project that deserves completion, every goal that matters enough to pursue, every loose end that has been quietly draining your focus. The simple act of moving these things from your mind onto paper often creates an immediate sense of relief.
Mercury Retrograde is particularly useful for this process because it excels at revealing what has been overlooked. Although Mercury retrograde has developed a reputation for delays, confusion, and inconvenience, it is also one of the most effective periods for reviewing plans, improving systems, revisiting decisions, reconnecting with opportunities, and organizing the areas of life that have become unnecessarily complicated. Many people spend enormous amounts of energy searching for something new when the next step is actually hidden inside something they have already started.
This is where manifestation becomes more interesting and, in my opinion, more effective. Many people approach manifestation as though it exists independently from practical action. They focus on what they hope to receive without spending much time considering whether they are prepared to receive it. Yet preparation is an energetic practice, organization is an energetic practice, following through on your commitments is an energetic practice, and completing unfinished business is an energetic practice.
If you want greater abundance, it helps to become organized enough to manage it. If you want more opportunities, it helps to create space for them. If you want a healthier relationship, it helps to examine the habits, beliefs, and expectations you bring into relationships. If you want a more successful business, it helps to look honestly at the systems supporting that business. This is because manifestation and participation are not separate processes, they are actually partners.
This brings us to one of the most popular rituals associated with the first day of the month: the cinnamon ritual.
The Cinnamon Ritual:
By now, many of you have probably seen some version of it online. On the first day of the month, you place a small amount of cinnamon powder into your palm, stand outside your front door, focus on prosperity, success, abundance, and opportunity, and then blow the cinnamon through the entrance of your home. Some people say a prayer, some repeat an affirmation, while others spend a few moments visualizing the opportunities they hope to welcome during the coming month.
What I appreciate about this ritual is the symbolism. Throughout history, cinnamon has been associated with prosperity, value, attraction, warmth, and abundance. It was once a highly prized commodity that traveled across continents through trade routes. The doorway itself carries symbolism as well. A doorway represents a threshold and marks the point where one experience ends and another begins. When you perform this ritual, you are creating a moment of conscious intention. You are also acknowledging that you would like to welcome something into your life rather than simply hoping it arrives by accident.
Whether you interpret that psychologically, spiritually, energetically, or simply as a meaningful personal tradition is entirely up to you. The ritual itself is not nearly as important as the clear path it creates. For a few moments, you stop rushing and focus your attention on what you genuinely want to cultivate.
Another ritual that becomes popular around the beginning of the month is writing yourself an abundance check.
The Abundance Check Ritual:
If you have never done this before, the process is simple. Write yourself a check for an amount that represents a financial goal, an income target, or a milestone you would like to achieve. Some people write a specific dollar amount. Others write “Paid in Full.” Some write the exact monthly income they would like to generate. Once completed, the check is placed somewhere meaningful, often beneath a pillow, inside a journal, or somewhere it can be revisited throughout the month. There are even abundance check templates available online for those who prefer something more formal.
The value of this practice lies in the specificity it demands. Most people remain surprisingly vague about what they want, as in they want more money, but they cannot define how much. They want greater success, but they struggle to explain what success would actually look like. They want abundance, but abundance remains a vague concept rather a clear picture. The check forces specificity and requires a decision. It also asks you to define what you are trying to create and why it matters.
What makes these abundance rituals particularly interesting this year is the fact that they are unfolding under Mercury retrograde in Cancer. Cancer is associated with memory, emotional history, security, family, belonging, and the foundations upon which we build our lives. Mercury moving backward through Cancer encourages us to examine the beliefs, experiences, habits, and emotional patterns influencing our decisions. In many ways, it asks whether the future we claim to want is actually supported by the choices we are making in the present.
This is also one reason people often experience the return of former relationships, friendships, clients, employers, and opportunities during Mercury retrograde periods. Mercury governs communication and connection, and Cancer governs memory and emotional significance. When those two archetypes combine, the past becomes unusually active.
And the question everyone inevitably asks is whether exes return during Mercury Retrograde. The answer is that they often do, although not always in the way people expect. Cancer and Capricorn placements remain among the strongest candidates because Mercury is currently retrograding through Cancer while the Full Moon recently activated Capricorn. Aries and Libra placements may also feel this energy strongly because they occupy the remaining points of the cardinal cross. Individuals with significant placements between approximately 16 and 26 degrees of Cancer, Capricorn, Aries, and Libra may notice this more intensely because Mercury is actively retracing that portion of the zodiac.
What interests me far more than whether someone returns is the reason for their return. Mercury retrograde tends to expose unfinished business, and unfinished business can take many forms. A former partner may remind you how much you have changed, an old client may present an opportunity that was not available six months ago, a friendship that quietly faded away may reconnect under different circumstances, and an abandoned project may suddenly reveal value that was overlooked the first time around. The return itself is rarely the story because, in my opinion, the information that comes with the return is usually far more important.
That perspective becomes even more valuable when we consider Jupiter’s recent entrance into Leo. Jupiter is fundamentally concerned with growth, expansion, possibility, and opportunity. Leo is associated with creativity, self-expression, confidence, visibility, and the courage to be seen. The last time Jupiter occupied Leo was between July 2014 and August 2015. Think back to that period. What dreams mattered to you? What ambitions were beginning to emerge? What risks seemed worth taking? What talents wanted more room to develop?
The circumstances of your life have almost certainly changed since then, but similar themes may begin resurfacing in a new form. The difference is that you are no longer the same person. You have accumulated another decade of experience and you have learned through both success and disappointment. The opportunities appearing now are not asking you to become someone new, but I do feel like they are asking you to become more fully yourself.
That is why I believe July should begin with intention, but also with honesty. Write the goals. Perform the ritual if it resonates with you. Write the abundance check. Visualize the future you would like to create. Then spend equal time examining the practical actions required to support it. Create the budget. Organize the calendar. Finish the project. Follow up on the opportunity. Schedule the appointment. Have the conversation. Follow through on the commitment.
The combination of practical action and clear intention is where real change begins. And here are some mantras to help you embody this now.
Mantras:
I welcome abundance by becoming a responsible steward of what I already have.
I trust that preparation and opportunity are working together on my behalf.
I move through this month with confidence in my ability to create meaningful change.
July 1st does not require you to predict the future, force outcomes, or convince yourself that everything will happen overnight. It simply asks you to become intentional and to identify what matters, organize your energy accordingly, and participate actively in the life you are attempting to create. The cinnamon ritual reminds us to open the door. The abundance check reminds us to become specific. Mercury Retrograde reminds us to revisit what remains unfinished. Jupiter in Leo reminds us to think bigger. Together, they create a powerful invitation to begin the month with optimism about responsibility, and a willingness to meet opportunity halfway. When preparation and possibility finally begin moving in the same direction, remarkable things often follow. And I promise they will for you friend!
