You’ve probably read everything possible about Mercury retrograde by now—and more. Because the retrograde is a little bit more potent, it calls for an all hands on deck approach among astrologers. It lands in between two eclipses, several planets going retrograde with a few more preparing to go direct, plus Mercury itself will be going back into Cancer from Leo (from end of this week until the second week of August).

But how you maneuver these energies is important, especially the Mercury retrograde in Cancer energy (for approximately three weeks) and how to best protect and nurture some of your favorite ideas.

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If you’ve been working on something, have an idea brewing or probably already launched, the Cancer energy for Mercury is giving you an opportunity to re-nurture it, give it a little more TLC and the attention it merits. Here are 5 ways to protect and care for your ideas before launch, or shortly after if you’ve already taken the plunge:

1. Don’t share or compare what you’re doing. The Cancer energy with Mercury makes our thinking a little more susceptible to other’s thoughts, feelings and energy about our work. If ever there was a time to not read comments about your work, it is now. If you’re going to work on a particular idea or refresh something old, then do it without telling others what you’re doing. Simple as that.
2. Get rid of the cobwebs. Mind mapping is a great way to clear out the path for your ideas. And of course, we created mind mapping printable for you to use with this blog post and tap the Mercury retrograde energy to the fullest. If you have an idea you’ve been wanting to flesh out a little more, we included some questions, prompts and enough space for you to run wild with it.  
3. Speaking of visualize, do this a lot.  Because this is about nurturing your idea or work, and nothing does this better than visualizing it from beginning to end. Whether it’s a piece you want to publish, event you’re looking to do or just wanting to get a first draft, imagine yourself getting through the process.
4. Remain open to other ideas. Just because you’re working on something, doesn’t mean you need to shut yourself down to other inklings in the air. It’s good to have a place to write these down and create a way to capture what comes, as ideas during this phase can come flooding through (the energy is water, remember?) versus having more of a trickling or smooth waves.
5. Be ready to let go. With all the nurturing and preparing, it’s easy to forget that at some point you have to let go. That’s part of producing work. Letting go and seeing what blooms. You’re not always to get the results you want, but building on your work, your magic and work with the cosmos will bring more than what you’ve dreamed of into your orbit. Trust that. 

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