30 June – 23 July 2026
Mercury returned to Cancer on 2 June 2026 and due to his Retrograde turn from 30 June until 23 July, will remain in this sign of the zodiac until 25 August 2026 – a very LONG transit for Mercury through Cancer, which in my opinion, is just what this world needs right now. Cancerian energy naturally puts the needs of others ahead of its own, and this energy can be extremely healing for humanity and the planet at this time, if we can allow ourselves to practise more compassion and understanding for one another in every way.
For a large part of this transit the Sun will also be in Cancer making our primary focus one of compassion, empathy, intuition and creativity. Cancerian energy is often referred to as the “Earth Mother energy” as it so naturally puts the needs of others ahead of its own.
Mercury is the planet of communication and so when he moves into Cancer our communication style and our communication needs tend to lean more towards understanding and caring rather than opposition and judgement.
Mercury in Cancer – ALL the smarts!
Mercury in Cancer is considered to be one of the most intelligent placements of the zodiac as when we are under this influence, we have a greater ability to use both sides of our brain – our intuitive and creative side as well as and in conjunction with our analytical and knowledgeable side. This then means that we are thinking about and into things in a much more holistic and entire way. We are taking into consideration how things make us feel as well as whether they make sense to us or not. We are often told that we only use around 10% of our brain or grey matter and this relates to our ability to think and analyse information. But did you know that the more intuitive or creative you are, the more of your brain you use? That other 90% can be lit up extensively when we allow ourselves to think outside of logic and practicality and into what we intuit, create or feel.
This wonderfully long transit of Mercury through Cancer, when he is in Direct motion, will help us all to act on and speak about what we feel within ourselves. This could therefore be a very emotional time for some, and for others who aren’t as in touch with their emotions, it could be a bit of a challenge when these emotions suddenly appear for you to deal with. Your emotions and sensitivities are not your enemies they are in fact your super-powers as they allow you to feel, to step outside of what is practical and how things should be done, and into the realms of what feels right and is aligned with you, and who you truly are. So, while Mercury is in Direct motion in Cancer, 2 June – 29 June and then again from 24 July until 25 August 2026, it is your opportunity to express yourself; to let people know how you feel; to mend fences and to allow yourself to rely so much more on the intuitive and emotional lens through which you view life. During this transit we get the opportunity to act on what we feel and intuit, and then comes the Retrograde period where we go within and think about what we are feeling, and then once again he moves Direct in Cancer and we can take action on what we have been internalising and working on.
The power of self-love
Mercury Retrograde in Cancer is everybody’s big opportunity to work on the most important life lesson we ALL need to learn and that is the power of and use of unconditional love and in particular, unconditional SELF-LOVE!
During this Retrograde period you may have to face up to some tough lessons in how you treat yourself and what you allow yourself to feel. As human beings we only ever seem to learn things the hard way, and so you may find that you have to stand up for what is important to you, or you may have to admit to deeper feelings and beliefs than you feel comfortable with. Or, you may have to do some deep and powerful work on your self-love. You see for so long as we put ourselves last, put everyone else’s needs ahead of our own, run around being everybody’s doormat, or, simply don’t see our own worth, we are running on empty. You can’t fill a glass from an empty jug and you can’t expect others to love and believe in you, if you don’t love and believe in yourself.
As the Sun will be in Cancer for some of this Retrograde period the spotlight will be shining brightly on how you treat yourself and whether you are able to put what you want ahead of what others want from you.
Mercury Retrograde gets such a bad rap but to be honest with you all, I love it! I love it because it gives me the chance to take my foot off the pedal; to stop doing and start just Being; to think and plan and create more detail in my dreams and goals and to allow myself time to go over and revisit the direction my life is taking to see if it is aligned with who I truly am.
The Year of Sovereignty
Remember 2026 is the Year of Sovereignty – a year where we are all finding that what is not aligned with us and the direction we are heading will not be allowed to stay with us. It’s the Year of the Fire Horse as well, and this may mean taking a direction and galloping out on your own towards your own goals and destinies knowing that this is what you need to do for YOU.
So, use this Mercury Retrograde to really work on any areas within yourself that feel insecure, unloved, fearful and lost. Look to what issues and beliefs you are holding on to from the past and whether these are serving a positive purpose in your life, or not. And most importantly practise deep and loving kindness to yourself in every way. Get that massage, buy yourself flowers, say nice things to yourself and give yourself ALL that love, attention, care and joy that you deserve. Spend time loving you for all that you are – warts and all! Because YOU ARE WORTH IT! Blessings xox
