Virgo - Mercury Retrograde (August 20 - September 12)

Yes, it's that time of the year again, another Mercury Retrograde is around the corner. (A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac.)
This time she comes in the sign of Virgo.

Mercury feels at home in the earthy service oriented sign of Virgo as we contemplate our connection to the Earth, the land, environment, and ecology. Leave no details undone, or at least get as much completed as possible from your end. Reflect on how much of a footprint you leave upon the Earth. This can include how much trash you create and dump out, to if you recycle and possibly even how much energy you waste. Since Virgo governs over efficiency and streamlining, this is a grand opportunity to review and make changes in your daily life. It starts with creating a simple schedule which includes everything that is a priority.
Pay close attention to what you say and communicate in general, particularly around the days of Mercury's stations (August 29th and September 12th). If you are itching to argue with someone, especially, or if you are planning on "signing on the dotted line", try to hold off. It is likely that you will have a change of mind once the station passes, and you can do some damage in the meantime.


Mercury Retrograde Overview

As the planet of communication, Mercury retrograde tends to breed a certain level of confusion. Mercury rules our "lower" mind--how we perceive and interpret information that we receive from our environment, and how we relay that information to others. Mercury has rulership over such things as speaking, negotiating, buying and selling, listening, formal contracts, documents, travel, the mail and shipping, and so forth. All of these areas of life are affected when Mercury is functioning in a sluggish state.

Decision-making is challenged during Mercury retrograde. Needless to say, it is not advised to sign contracts, engage in important decision-making, or launch a new business. Delays and challenges are more probable with Mercury retrograde. It's a time when being careless with money, our personal information, or paperwork can be costly.

There is a positive side to Mercury Retrograde. This period is best used for re-organizing and reflecting. We look at the world a little differently--through different filters--and can come up with some very important inner revelations. It may be difficult to communicate them under this influence, but not everything needs to be rationalized. Mercury retrograde periods can be times of heightened inner awareness, when meditation, benefiting from keeping a journal, reworking old plans, and reviewing past work are favored. Minor breaks in the mechanical aspects of communication can actually re-connect us to other means of communication, such as when there is an unexpected power outage and we're forced off the computer and television, finding different and often satisfying ways to entertain ourselves.

It is important to note that there is absolutely no reason to suspend projects or anything of the sort during the Mercury Retrograde cycle. It's not an ideal time to start new ones or to sign contracts, simply because a change of mind is very possible once Mercury turns direct. However, it's a fabulous time to do some "outside of the box" thinking. Acting on our ideas, however, might be best left for a Mercury Direct period.

http://www.cafeastrology.com/mercuryretrograde.html
http://celestialspace.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/mercury-retrograde-in-virgo-on-august-20th-2010/

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Body language speaks silently

Body language speaks silently. Are you fluent in body language? Do you understand what a hunched shoulder, crossed arms, or a frown mean? The subtle nuances of a person’s behavior can add up to mean something completely opposite of a spoken statement. Become bilingual today! Learn body language with the help of some books from the library.

Body language 101 : the ultimate guide to knowing when people are lying, how they are feeling, what they are thinking, and more / David Lambert This book discusses the cues that body language gives people indirectly. People communicate positive and negative emotions by shrugging, crossing their arms/legs, or meeting/avoiding eye contact, among other things.

Convince them in 90 seconds or less : make instant connections that pay off in business and in life / by Nicholas Boothman This is another book that goes beyond simply understanding body language. This book strives to help the reader improve their life and career by deliberately using and responding to body language.

Caro’s book of poker tells : the psychology and body language of poker / Mike Caro This is an even more specific book about body language. This book explores how understanding it can improve your poker game. The bluffs that people use in poker games can be seen through sometimes if you know what to look for.

Body Language Secrets

Meghan Casserly discusses how to spot a lie in the workplace at Forbes.com.The study of body language became popular in the 1970s when experts began to analyze the link between physical gestures and truth-telling. Since that time, we've developed a running list of signals or "tells" that tip us off as to whether or not the person we're talking to is lying: avoiding eye contact, touching one's mouth when speaking, fidgeting--each one so-called body talk for telling lies.