Mercury, the planet of thought and speech, is combust by the life-giving Sun, first in Cancer and then Leo, from August 13th to September 13th, 2026.

Combustion arises when Mercury sits close to the Sun and is burnt up in the solar glare, where it literally disappears in the sky and you lose your power to communicate and think clearly. Your overall communication becomes confused, and thoughts and opinions are not properly formed, resulting in your voice being unheard in discussion. Mercury’s orbit is always close to the Sun, but this passage sees your mentality becoming even more highly subjective, and you tend to overthink every problem and make it bigger than it deserves to be.

Mercury begins this transit in Cancer, even after the Sun moves into Leo on August 17th, which finds you preoccupied with security, emotional and financial, and also sensitive to atmospheres and people’s moods. Moving into Leo by August 22nd, Mercury shifts your mental tone and you think and express yourself more creatively and dramatically. You also become more stubborn at this point and insist on your viewpoint, even when good advice points another way.

You may want to impress somebody or feel that they have power over you, and it’s difficult to get a clear perspective. Mercury is at its closest to the Sun from August 25th to 30th in maximum combustion, where a pressing issue dominates your thinking, or perhaps an overpowering personality casts an undue influence over you. Talking to a trusted friend helps you separate facts from imagination, and you may benefit from getting an expert view from a professional.