Mercury Retrograde - detox to streamline

image : https://unsplash.com/@fionawang

In my last post, I briefly mentioned the upcoming Mercury Retrograde from August 4-28,  which will be taking place in the signs of Virgo and Leo.

Mercury Retrogrades have a higher spiritual purpose. Though they can feel frustrating, emotional or downright exhausting, this cycle can help us streamline our processes (Virgo) and how we express our authenticity & style (Leo.)

Colette Baron-Reid has referred to getting "right-sized." Are there are things that have gotten a bit out of hand or that just need to be reviewed, re-considered and re-evaluated?

On a collective level, this retrograde period, featuring a Jupiter-Saturn square (a "right-sizing" energy if there ever was one) and that extends into September when the Sun and Mercury oppose Saturn will highlight this theme as we move toward November and the US election.

What does integrity mean to you and look like for you, personally?

When you perceive a lack of integrity in yourself or others, what makes you believe that? Are you evaluating yourself on your own terms or on others'?

Delving into these questions at this time can help you "right-size" your decisions going forward. There are broader questions of moral integrity: we acknowledge that serious crimes for example show a lack of fundamental moral integrity. 

Beyond these basic principles, our individual beliefs and values can vary person to person or group to group. 

Increasingly, the universe is inviting us to see what's in integrity for us individually and for the people we are here to serve, while being conscious of the bigger picture.

One of the gifts and challenges of being a conscious entrepreneur is embracing more of your authenticity as you evolve in a way that is mature enough to handle challenging criticism and disagreement yet is willing to uphold our boundaries, too, even if it means losing clients or customers.

 I've been observing the entrepreneurs and mentors I look up to and how they've navigated this and been moved by their courage and integrity. It's not easy.

What if we change our minds, our values and point of view shifts or we simply want to try something new and creative....?

as someone who in the past has been perhaps too eager to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" I'm aware of how a seeming about-face can look flakey or weird at best and cynical at worst. 

And, I do feel a little embarrassed for example that some of my earlier branding and business efforts involved being extremely vocal and passionate about my politics, even to the point of self-righteousness and now...i barely mention it.

 To me, it was a long time coming, I had said what I needed to say (perhaps too authentically lol) and was done.

Even though I tried to be honest about how that inner process was unfolding, I now see that from a different, more traditional perspective, my re-brand might evoke suspicion, fear or anger.

(Talking politics never helps with that, welp. If and when I decide to do so again, it will be done in a completely different way.)

And I could have done a much better job of communicating the shift so it wasn't so abrupt.

And here is where we need both courage and backbone and also compassion for ourselves because often, we'll miss the mark.

 The other definition of integrity (according to Collins English) relates to "unity" and "wholeness."

And darn it if that ain't the whole point of shadow work, alchemy (and thus healing)

Showing compassion for those parts of us we feel fall short or are somehow flawed and integrating them through love and compassion and forgiveness. 

If there's an action or actions we need to take to "right-size" ourselves, we can take them FROM that place of greater self-love and awareness, rather than from nervous-system red-alert needing damage-control.

It's an on-going process and those of us who are perfectionists or fearful of perfectionists, it's going to take courage and vulnerability.

There's always going to be a chance of being misunderstood (whether willful or not.) That's the nature of language for you.

We can try at least can go the extra mile to make sure we’re not contributing to that as much as possible. (To this end, stay tuned for an exciting announcement about the future of the blog next week.)

Over to you: Where have your values and beliefs shifted? Where is your brand or aspects of your business (could be small or significant) needing to be upgraded to be in greater integrity? Where might you want to start?

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Peace and blessings,

Sym

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