As we go about our lives, nothing is more important than being able to express who we are and what we are feeling or thinking to others. But how many times have you felt that they just didn’t understand you?  Conversely, have you also had the experience of hearing someone speak and somehow what they are saying makes no sense to you?

Chances are what is influencing this misunderstanding is a difference in style of communication or incompatible Mercury’s.

Mercury rules communication – our thought processes, how we listen or receive information, and the ease (or not) and style of sharing our thoughts and awareness.  The differences between Mercury’s sign, house placement and planetary aspects in our charts help to fuel misunderstandings if unharmonious or enhance a feeling of closeness if favorable.

For example, my Mercury in Pisces has a great capacity to receive information from many sources at once.  I can multi-tract. That means, I can hear what you are saying and be thinking about several other things at the same time.  When it come to communicating my thoughts, it becomes more difficult because I am in essence narrowing my awareness to fit into specific words that form sentences.  It is easy for me to mix metaphors as I seek to communicate what I am feeling, as any one who has come to me for a reading may attest.

Pisces is a water sign.  People with Mercury in water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) may find communicating exactly what they are feeling to others is a bit difficult.  Someone listening with Mercury in an air sign (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) might find it hard to fathom what you are saying because they are more interested in logic and thus miss the subtle feeling sense that a water sign Mercury seeks to express.

People with Mercury in a fire sign (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius) tend to talk fast and with such passion that frustration arises for people with Mercury in an earth sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn).  When they receive information they are looking for practical, useful details not what they may experience as a burst of hot air from a fire sign Mercury. 

Naturally, people who share the same element have the greatest of ease in communication – a Pisces Mercury to a Cancer Mercury can communication much more that the words would convey as they both appreciate the subtle nuisances below the surface.  A Gemini Mercury and an Aquarian Mercury will talk for hours sharing perspectives on world peace, the digital divide or the entomology of words, while a Virgo Mercury and a Capricorn Mercury may go over details of the work to be accomplished in the next week.  It is the Aries Mercury and the Leo Mercury who can find themselves in a competitive attempt to upstage the other with the importance of their newest endeavor.

So consider…  How much better could your communication with a partner, a co-worker, or a family member be if you knew the basis of the other’s communication style (Mercury)?  Allowances could be made to accommodate differences.  When something really important needs to be said, expressing it in a mode that the other person can understand prevents much conflict and heartache.  Understanding each other’s Mercury placement is just one way you can benefit from a compatibility reading.

With Saturn leaving the sign of Cancer and moving into the sign of Leo on July 17 and Mercury going retrograde in Leo on July 22, the sign of Leo is highly emphasized.  It brings importance to what Leo stands for and what role it plays in our lives.

The Sun travels through Leo from roughly July 22 through August 22 each year – the hot, sticky “dog days” of summer.  So it’s not surprising that the Sun is the planetary ruler of Leo. 

Like the Sun, the center of our solar system, Leo represents the expression of our core self or individual ego.  The energy of Leo is creative, dramatic, and often risk-taking.  That’s why sun sign Leos may be actors, artists, business executives, and others who seek applause and need to be honored with your attention. 

Just as the cartoon Leo the Lion was “King of the Jungle,” so many Leos are leaders, business executives, presidents or even kings (President George W. Bush has a Leo Ascendant). That’s why it is often suggested that Leos have no peers.  They tend to stand alone in a position of leadership.

However, the generosity of a warm-hearted Leo who has overcome the ego needs to be self important can shower abundance on those they love. You are lucky if you loved by a Leo (my dear husband has a Leo Moon).

Now that we’ve got a better idea of the energy of Leo, what do Saturn and Mercury’s movements in Leo foretell?

Saturn travels through each sign of the zodiac for about two and half years.  As the planet of responsibility, restriction, lessons, and accountability, Saturn’s arrival in Leo will put leaders and corporate executives on notice that they will be under scrutiny and held to a greater standard of honesty and integrity.  Look for the possibility of more exposure of abuse of power issues in business and government.

Movie makers and other artists may find increased expectations for excellence from their audiences or find smaller numbers at the box office.  The interests of parents and children may become highlighted as Leo also rules children.

The whole topic of leadership will be hot.  Slogans like “lead or get out of the way” or “if your not contributing, you’re taking up space” give a flavor of the way we will all be called to bring more of who we are to our work and our life.  It will be time to set aside egotistical behavior and move forward with humility, modesty and compassion, while confident that our contribution is needed.

Don’t worry about what is expected, however, because we have two and a half years (until September 2007) to develop our leadership and self-confidence under Saturn’s tutelage.

Mercury going retrograde in Leo one week after Saturn arrives will be the impetus to become more introspective about the Leo issues that Saturn raises.  Naturally, the people who are most affected by Mercury’s retrograde will have planets in Leo. However, we all will feel it in some way.

Since Mercury rules communications, travel, transportation, and mail, we can expect misunderstandings, delayed travel plans, broken down vehicles and computers, and slow or lost mail.  These possibilities always exist when the “winged messenger” (Mercury) relaxes in retrograde motion.

As a point of clarification, Mercury doesn’t really back up in the sky, of course. From our perspective here on Earth, though, it appears to reverse motion like a train next to us when ours moves forward – an optical illusion.  Actually all planets, with the exception of the Sun and Moon, go retrograde, but since Mercury does it most often and scrambles communication, we tend to give it the greatest attention.

Mercury retrograde in Leo may cause intellectual confusion and mix ups due to egoistic behavior.  Exaggeration, aspiration and pride may be overdone. Watch for over dramatic or over confident leadership behavior which negatively impacts how clearly we are able to hear what is being said or find agreement.

So be sure to “chill out” and relax from July 22 until August 15, when things begin to come back to normal (whatever that is).  It’s a good time to find a moment to sit by the water and read an exciting novel or two!

Ultimately, we are all called to come into the fullest expression of who we are as Saturn matures our leadership style.  Remember, who you are is too important not to be fully participating in life!