Mercury Retrograde Ends The Same Day As The New Moon — And That Means Big Changes Are Coming

Guys: We've almost made it. We swam through the sea of tears that was also known as Cancer season. We came out of the summer's series of eclipses in one piece (well, for the most part anyway). And now, we rejoice, because Mercury retrograde summer 2019 ends on July 31 — the very same day of the new moon in Leo. That's a lot of astrological action taking place in a single day (not to mention this new moon marks the second in the month of July!). But is there any special astrological significance when Mercury goes direct during a new moon? Short answer: Yes. We've got new beginnings energy abound, and it's time to start getting excited about moving forward.

Now, let's start by acknowledging some of the difficulties that this particular Mercury retrograde period brought. As usual, Mercury retrograde is a time for slowing down. Communication is majorly scrambled, scheduling and timing is difficult, technology can't be relied on the way it usually can — it can be a challenge, yes. But all of this mayhem is in an astrological effort to get us to slow down, reflect on where we're at, and reevaluate how we'd like to move forward.

But Mercury will station direct on July 31, meaning that its energy will start moving forward again. This takes place just a little more than an hour before the height of the new moon in Leo — and as you may know, new moons denote a brand new lunar cycle and tend to be a really good time to plant energetic seeds for your future.

"This is a New Moon and we are being beckoned to try new things, look at the world with new eyes, and maybe even take a few chances," explained astrologer Lauren Howard Coleman on her site. "We’re like little birds breaking out of their eggs, and adjusting to a new world."

Bustle spoke with astrologer Lisa Stardust about the significance of the new moon taking place on the same day as Mercury direct. "We are coming to terms with our emotions and trying to get clear on the next direction of life," she explains. "We’ve had the opportunity to see situations and people from a different perspective — and now we are deciding how we want to proceed as individuals."

Moving forward without reflection isn't the move, y'all — take what you've learned and integrate it before jumping ahead. The integration is real. We're adjusting our outlook to include the lessons of both Mercury retrograde and the summer's recent series of eclipses, so this new moon energy is reviving us and awakening us to a new, more experienced state of being.

"We are stepping outside of our comfort zone, which is scary and hard, but necessary," continues Stardust to Bustle. "Through this journey, we will come to terms with what we really want from others and ourselves."

The energetic combination of Mercury stationing direct at the same time as a new moon is significant and important to work with, but that doesn't mean everything is coming easy: We've still got the post-retrograde shadow period to deal with, so we're not yet out of the woods.

"Mercury will be in the post-retrograde zone until Aug. 15, causing havoc and chaos until then — it’s not over," warns Stardust. "We still have one more chance to improve our situations and relationships."

So, while new projects started during this time might take a little longer to get started due to Mercury having just stationed direct, it shouldn't slow you down. It's a super auspicious time to start fresh, and there's no need to be hasty — starting slow simply means you have more room to work out any kinks in your plan before it gets off the ground.

This new moon is also going to be a really good time to re-up your magical work. You may have already been hittin' the spellbook to cast some Mercury retrograde protection rituals, but during the eclipses that took place over the summer, it wasn't a good time for manifesting or spell work. That's changing with these transits, though.

"This luminary is called the 'Black Moon' and is also a Supermoon. This means the Moon is very close to Earth and is a powerful time for spell casting," Stardust tells Bustle. "Under this luminary, we will be cosmically pushed to evolve and move towards our hearts desires. During the eclipses, matters came to light — now, we can use the information and move forward towards what we love."

With that in mind, send out the group text to your coven and get to work! Mercury stationing direct alongside the new moon offers us a beautiful opportunity to start fresh with our magical practice, plant seeds for an exciting and creative new beginning, and start integrating all the lessons learned through the summer's eclipses and retrogrades. We're emerging as new, cosmic babies and will feel ready to hop into the second half of 2019 with an extra dose of empowerment.