Water on the Brain?

This is How It Feels

This is how it feels
When you wait for a call that never comes
Are you waking up ’cause you miss someone?
This is how it feels
When the trust you had is broken,
And you’re left to burn with your heart wide open

Think about the last time you had your heart broken. Or even the last time somebody hurt you or upset you or took you for granted. How did you react? Did you confront that person? Did you talk to them about it? How quickly did you get over it? Have you still not moved on? Did you assume that they would know they had hurt you? Did you sit in your room and play songs that reminded you of times you had together? Maybe you have songs that say exactly how you feel. Perhaps, like me, you play over and over songs that you wish you could dump to a CD and send it off to them with a message that reads something like:

In this CD is everything that I am wanting to say to you that I feel, but just can’t…so this is how it feels…

Whilst the sign that the Moon is in will show how you instinctively and emotionally react to situations, the sign that Mercury is in tells us a lot about how we think, how we communicate, how we learn and how we connect different pieces of information together.

When Mercury is in a Water sign, emotions, feelings and environmental moods are what matters. Emotions motivate thought word and deed. If you have Mercury in a Water sign, you may have problems expressing how it feels.

People with Mercury in Water signs are unable to detach emotionally from a problem or situation. Because they feel it or sense it, they often assume that those around them are also able to absorb knowledge at an emotional level as well. They assume that the words don’t need to be said…and between watery people, quite often they don’t!

Where Mercury in Gemini makes connections between disparate pieces of information using words, Mercury in Cancer will rely on feelings and moods to make the same connections. Where Mercury in Gemini will then want to talk about it, Mercury in Cancer will tuck those thoughts and ideas into the protection of her shell and grow them and nurture them until they are strong and secure enough to stand on their own. Only when she feels that it is safe will she disclose them.

Even at this point, she will often choose her words carefully to avoid risking those emotions which make her so very vulnerable. When she does speak, she does so instinctively, with sensitivity and with an amazing ability to feel the mood of her audience. Mercury in Cancer will soften and personalise even the most chatty and inquisitive of Gemini suns or the proudest of Leo Suns.

A Gemini friend has the Moon and Mercury in very tight conjunction in Cancer in the 4^th house. She listens carefully and she is deeply caring.  The words she uses and writes are careful, thoughtful, heartfelt and sentimental- without any sickly sweet aftertastes. She treasures the past and the history of our friendship. What she rarely speaks of is how she feels, but above all, she remembers everything.

In the body, Cancer rules the parts of the body which act as “containers”- the stomach, breasts, uterus. In this way, Cancer is very much an enclosing and protective sign. So it is that Mercury in Cancer holds and protects memories. Her ability to recall information is particularly valuable when it comes to problem solving and study.

She will remember conversations, events, anniversaries, arguments and slights (real or imagined). She remembers events from her past and from your past and from your shared past. She may not talk about it, but she will remember. Rest assured, when the birthday card arrives, it will tell you all you need to know- and then some. This is feeling beyond logic, words to treasure and adding warmth to known truths.  

This also means that Mercury in Cancer is able to hold a grudge longer than many other signs…but doesn’t tend to have the revenge fantasies that Mercury in Scorpio is capable of.

She will assume that your memory is as clear and retentive as her own. What she uses to access and catalogue these memories is mood and emotion. How did the event, person, conversation make her feel? What was the mood of the conversation? What was the mood of the event? What emotions were raised?

If you happened to mention in passing that it would be great to catch up when you are next in town, Mercury in Cancer will look forward to it and then feel let down when you don’t contact her. You, in the meantime, have completely forgotten even making the comment. Will she say anything? Nope, but she will remember. She will also assume that you know she feels hurt.

Perhaps something reminds you that she seemed a little pre-occupied about a problem at work last time you spoke. You send her a quick text:

Hey there, thinking bout u. All OK? J

She sends back a quick one-line:

All good. Tx for asking J

She is touched that you asked. In her mind, you have proven to be as tuned into her emotions as she is to those of everyone else. Will she say anything? Probably not. But she will remember. You, on the other hand, have already forgotten about it.

When talking to Mercury in Cancer, she will be listening to you, but also “feeling” you. She knows that “fine” usually means anything but! What you are saying will not be as important to her as the emotions she is hearing behind the words. No matter how she may personally judge a situation, she is able to empathise with you. She knows you may not want a solution and will simply provide an ear.

Because she is looking for the meaning behind the words, Mercury in Cancer can take what you say personally and defensively- even when what you said was not intended to cause offense. This comes back to Cancers’ need to protect her emotions. Because she is reluctant to share how she feels (if you really knew her and really cared about her you would just know) it can be hard for those around her to know just which subjects should be avoided or at least treated with more care. She isn’t really hiding anything, she just credits everyone else with the same level of intuition as she has.

When faced with something new or confronting Mercury in Cancer will withdraw into her shell in order to explore and absorb the new information away from the jangling emotions of others. This allows her to make decisions which are more objective and intuitive than they otherwise would be. If you push for a quick answer from Mercury in Cancer, it will generally be “no”.

Mercury in Cancer prefers to avoid arguments and conflict wherever possible. Passive-aggressive is her preferred method of attack. A simple “fine” can contain a myriad of alternative meanings. She will then retreat to her shell where she can replay the conversation along with the verbal responses she could have and should have used.

She will be hurt that you don’t know how she feels and may wish that she could tell you, but knows that she never will. Anyone who has Mercury in Cancer needs a safe environment within which to disclose these emotions. A journal (preferably with a lock or password protection) is an absolute must…chocolate also helps.

Mercury in Cancer may also be drawn to poetry and song lyrics. There is something so very special about hitting on a line or a verse that says exactly what you can’t. I have this theory that some of the best poetry and most emotionally inspired songs are written by Mercury in Cancer in what I call “shell-mode”.

Coming back to my heartbreak scenario, Mercury in Cancer may wish she could send him the poem or the lyrics…but of course she won’t. Anyway, she reasons, if he really cared, he would know.

…

Wasn’t it me you didn’t want?
Wasn’t it me who was hanging on?
Now I’m done but before I go I want you to know …

Lyrics from “This is How it Feels”, by The Veronicas

Teleconferences the Gemini way…its all about the questions… and instant messenger! Check it out here.

Ever wondered about Cancer in the workplace? Is there more to this than home baking? Check it out here.

So, what does Masterchef have to do with Mercury in Cancer? If anything? Check it out here.

Another busy week, but on the countdown to holidays- 5 days left of (real paid) work, in case you are interested.

A mixed up week- another tragedy in the office goldfish stakes (4 years of a trouble free tank and now 2 losses within a month ), a lot more kays stacked up on the treadmill and some culcha and bubbles to finish off with.

I spent brekky yesterday celebrating a friends’ birthday at the Bathers Pavilion at Balmoral Beach (yummy baked ricotta with a citrus salad), then high tailed it into the city to catch up with more friends at the Opera Bar for lunch, bubbles followed by a play starring the amazing Sir Ian McKellan… lots of fun and oh so culcha’d, but I still haven’t completely worked out the sub-text (these Very Important Plays usually have really clever hidden meanings)…but I laughed a lot!

As we came out of the Opera House in the afternoon we heard the boom of a ships horn & there, coming under the Harbour Bridge on its way out to sea was the same ship I will be cruising on next week. Very excitement… Sydney truly does have the most beautiful harbour…

Finally a great big heartfelt congratulations to my BMF who ran his first half marathon today & kicked a BFHA goal. In his own words “I came, I saw, I conquered”…such an Aries. Yes, you’ve made the blog, yes it is about you and yes I am so proud of you- enjoy the Maccas- you deserve it.

On the Blogs

I have finally posted pieces on Mercury in Gemini (Because Y is a Crooked Letter) and Venus in Leo (Queen of the Jungle). Because I am lazy and couldn’t think of anything else, I re-printed last years’ Sun in Cancer piece dedicated to my Nan- Silver Heels- so very Mavis!

I also finally did something on Jupiter in the 11^th house- Hey Now, This is What Dreams Are Made Of. Naf title, but for anyone who has the Sun or Ascendant in Taurus, this is you when Jupiter comes back into Pisces and if your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini, this will be you while Jupiter is in Aries. Also some more Questions and Answers as part of my occasional Google Jo series.

What’s Happening Up There?

There was a beautiful lunar eclipse last night- did you see it? If you have planets or chart points within a few degrees either side of 5 Capricorn, Cancer, Aries or Libra, you may have felt it as well…. I tend to be one of those people who eclipses either don’t impact or my head is buried so far in the sand that I don’t notice…even on direct hits. Famous Last Words perhaps.

The Sun is now in Cancer where he has been joined by Mercury… communication may be a tad soggy for the next few weeks. Uranus is getting ready to turn retrograde and Jupiter will follow in the last week of July. I dread Jupiter retrograde every year- as my Chart Ruler, whenever he turns retrograde my wings generally are clipped in a big way- enforced introspection.

Anyway, I have a  chook is roasting in the oven, so better go and peel a couple of potatoes- we are carb free again in the evenings for this week (I have a new purple blingy cocktail dress that needs to be fitted into on the boat), so this is a little treat for long suffering hubby and daughter.

Until next time