Lexie Marshall is a writer, tarot reader and environmentalist. When she's not writing, turning cards or trying to save the world, she's normally found buried in a book.
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Your emotional cups run over.
By Lexie Marshall — Written on Jun 04, 2019
On June 4th, Mercury enters Cancer. The messenger planet will be hanging out there until June 26th, but what does Mercury in Cancer mean? Well, in astrology, the planet of communication, thought and intellect is in the emotional, romantic, defensive zodiac sign of Cancer.
Now, as far as tarot goes, this placement corresponds with a generally entertaining and light-hearted card: the Three of Cups. In traditional tarot, the Three of Cups looks like quite the party. Well, that's because it kind of is. You have three figures dancing with their cups raised high.
This is what happens when you bring the emotional Cancer into bubbly, chatty Mercury. But more than that, this card is called the Lord of Abundance. Your emotional cups runeth over during this time.
The number three represents communication. Combine all of this and it makes for a jolly good time. When things are good, they feel really good.
Other themes like friendship, relationships, celebrating with people and community come into play here. New friendships are likely to form during this period. But as Cancer lives in the past, it will guide Mercury to pick up the phone or send a message to some friends we've lost touch with.
And as the weather gets even warmer and school lets out, it's the perfect time to reconnect. While the Two of Cups represents connecting emotionally with one person, the Three is connecting with many people.
Family relationships come into focus here as well. Now that kids are out of school, this is the time go and do something fun to reconnect. (Especially while the weather is warm... Water park, anyone?) Mercury's need to communicate and Cancer's emotional nature bring about a time of deep discussions, especially with family, and those considered to be like family. Small talk just isn't going to do it.
This is especially true in romantic relationships. The urge to really express your feelings with your partner is going to be pretty high during these few weeks. And as Cancer is very romantic, expect to either get swept off your feet or be the one doing the sweeping. A dimming romance can easily be rekindled here.
But while this means connecting with other people, it can become entirely possible to get too wrapped up with others. This is where we're going to need to take a step back and recharge our batteries if we want to keep our own personal harmony.
There's also a danger of doing too much for people and then feeling abandoned and unappreciated when said people don't put in as much for you as you are for them. Remember when I said this card is called "abundance"? That doesn't always mean a good thing.
Like at any party, there's that chance of someone overdoing it on the alcohol. And this placement holds just as much danger of overdosing on emotions. When things are bad, they are awful. That's because of cerebral Mercury adding cynical logic into an already emotionally charged situation.
Normally, during this time your imagination can be a thing of beauty, especially for artists and writers. However, that dark side of abundance comes into play and your imagination can run away with you. And in an attempt to gain control back, we turn to emotional manipulation. Add in Mercury's brilliance and we get scarily good at it.
Yeah, cut that out. We didn't like it when we were on the receiving end of it. And with emotions running high, going down that route can just turn a bad situation worse.
Now, what does the Three of Cups card mean for relationships? Well, the advice here is to enjoy yourself as well as maintain a sense of harmony.
If you're single, with all the social events coming up this can lead to meeting new people. You'll find yourself thinking about being in a relationship, even if you're happily single. Really think here on whether you want a relationship or if you're truly ready for one. This card's main message is harmony, and you need to be in harmony with yourself before you're in harmony with anyone else.
Since Mercury in Cancer lives in the past, try not to wallow in past hurts. You're perfectly allowed to be upset, but don't let it control you in the here and now.
Another thing to look out for is the urge to stir up old pots. And by that I mean past romantic relationships. Again, seriously, do something thinking on this one.
The danger of going this route is if you're in a relationship as well. There's a desire to have cake and eat it too. And even if neither of you were planning on straying, there's a high chance an old lover might pop out of the primordial soup to do a little pot stirring.
Does this mean we're going to have to spend the next few weeks putting on chastity belts and beating off irrelevant losers with sticks? As much as that would make for a good comic strip or web cartoon, it doesn't mean that.
What it does mean is that communication (Mercury) is key here for your sense of emotional secuirty (Cancer).