
Mercury: The Messenger of the Gods
Rules the Signs: Gemini and Virgo
Quality: Mutable
Symbol: The Messenger of the Gods
Mercury and Venus are the only two planets that rule more than a single sign. Although Gemini and Virgo, as well as the 3rd house that Gemini rules and the 6th house that Virgo rules, are quite different, Mercury is multi-faceted and strangely flexible. Therefore, the most obvious commonality between both Gemini and Virgo, as well as the 3rd and 6th houses, is the planet Mercury itself.
Mercury is called the messenger of the gods because it is an incredibly fast-moving planet! Moving so much more quickly than most other planets, Mercury orbits around them multiple times before many of them have completed a single orbit. As a result, this planet has frequent retrogrades and boy don’t we all dread those Mercury Retrogrades? 🙄
Positive Qualities: Intellect, information, observations, logic, the rational/logical mind, curiosity, knowledge, perceptiveness, communication, language skills, speaking, learning, focus, ideas, expression, public speaking skills, interests, thought patterns, level of energy, ability to problem-solve, brilliance, geniuses, giftedness, etc.
Negative Qualities: Nervousness, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, perfectionism, being critical of others and their work, being high-strung, tension, panic disorders, learning disabilities, speech impediments, social anxiety, fear of crowds, fear of public speaking, etc.
Mercury can also give us insight and information about our siblings and neighbors, and depending on your personal placements, the possibility of frequent means of travel and quick trips and/or short distances.

Mercury Through the Signs:
1. Aries: An aggressive speaker, quite loud, no filter; not always aware of the way one may sound; to the point and can hurt feelings with words easily; highly opinionated and not afraid to express it, can sound frustrated when not meaning to; intimidating and defensive; sees the big picture rather than focusing on details; will never be passive-aggressive; a good leader- infectious and motivating; old-fashioned and traditional ways of thinking; may come off as impatient when feeling fine, etc.
This placement will never spare the truth, even if it hurts. Hardly ever pausing to think before diving in head-first, this person can fly through all options without ever making a choice or finishing what they started. Extremely individualistic, their differences are admired, but they can sometimes feel misunderstood and alone because of the tendency to drive others away by not tempering their strong impulse to speak all that comes to mind.
2. Taurus: Spends a lot of time doing some serious thinking; has all the common sense in the world; quite stubborn and fixed in one’s ways; great perception with all of the senses; every choice made and acted on is deliberate; doesn’t like surprises or quick changes; taken very seriously; amazing listener and listened to very carefully because they don’t talk a lot; needs evidence for everything-faith is doubtful; no-nonsense approach to living; doesn’t like attention, etc.
Although these people are always focused on improving themselves, they can sometimes seem like a slave to tradition and are wholeheartedly and absolutely going to stick to their guns on anything they truly believe in, without any wavering. They will always choose what has stood the test of time and will likely argue until death without changing their mind if someone can’t prove to them otherwise. Even if they decide in their heads that they were wrong, their stubbornness may keep them from admitting it.
3.) Gemini: Nervous/anxious energy no matter the situation; high-strung and nearly always stressed-out-even when life is seemingly okay; paces when thinks or speaks; very curious, highly quick-witted, a wordsmith; don’t miss any details; clever and cunning, may lie to cover tracks, can manipulate easily if one feels it’s necessary; processes information rapidly; enjoys other languages; has a hard time believing things and denying things; comes off as detached; is good at public speaking, has a great sense of humor and can come up with jokes on their own, etc.
These people are highly perceptive when communicating and know exactly how to charm their way into anyone’s good graces. They’re filled with ideas and possibilities and love to talk about all of their exciting dreams, with gleeful expression. The problem, however, is that they’re easily distracted, especially by excess, and this can inhibit the path they felt they have forged.
4. Cancer: Communicates feeling rather than thought; empathetic to people and environment-picking up on all changes in mood; remembering how something made them feel rather than the reality of an event; sensitive and intuitive when communicating; mood is based on perception of other’s emotional status; passive aggressive and avoids disagreements, but is defensive of self; protective of loved ones; often withdraws from crowds or makes the choice of being a wallflower as to not get overwhelmed, etc.
This placement may make a person who is cautious when meeting someone new, can take a while to actually open up, but when they do, their communication style is emotion-based on or often led by emotions and sentiments rather than small talk, philosophy, or intellectual debate. Perhaps having a history of shame in speaking up or a scar in sharing from the past, they seem to think a lot about how someone may perceive them or react when they do open up.
5. Leo: Has been called bossy several times throughout life; has impulsive need to express ideas and opinions; is often surprised when others do not respond to them well; has a hard time communicating any further than surface level; warm, friendly, and artistic; good at leading- charming and persuasive, could lie and manipulate for gain, but feels burdened for it; prideful and grounded in own opinion; doesn’t listen to others without difficulty, highly capable of nearly anything, etc.
This person shows a lot of confidence in sharing the information they know. Their minds work rather quickly and they love talking about whatever ideas flood their brain. Having a love of learning, they simply desire to teach it, but may feel slighted when no one will listen. This can make them feel rejected, but at the root of it, they may be terrified to lose anyone they love or rejection and abandonment issues.
6. Virgo: tries to stay off the stage and lost in the crowd, but highly perceptive and feels separate from the rest; receptive to facts and highly aware of all details; critical and even nit-picky at/in work; is anxious in busy environments and needs to be somewhere quiet and organized to learn; is quite humble, but very impatient and feels that their way is the best way and doesn’t rely on others to get jobs done; is very quick-thinking, but gets frustrated when having to repeat themselves, etc.
This placement is considered the best at communication out of all the signs placements under Mercury. Being Extremely influential speakers, they can read a crowd and know exactly how to work it to their favor to gain their admiration. They have the ability to find the needle in every haystack with skilled precision and find the flaw in every perfection. The negative side to this placement, however, is that they also overthink very excessively and create a lot of mental stress, feelings of overwhelm, and a heavy amount of unaddressed issues, which can cause them neck and shoulder pain.
7. Libra: Very diplomatic in speaking- even passive-aggressive because of a desire to not complicate things, disrupt, or anger anyone-particularly so that no one is upset with them; handles things quite gently, as not to hurt anyone or lose anyone, but can explode from time to time due to holding in their deeper and darker thoughts; is quite idealistic, when it comes to relationships especially, and can sometimes seem extreme or even unfair- contrary to their reputation to be fair, etc.
Generally quite comfortable to be around, seemingly light-hearted and sweet-tempered, these people do not enjoy stirring the pot or rocking the boat and will likely avoid saying what’s on their mind if it means that they will. They can keep up the appearance that they are easy-going individuals, but they are actually really skilled at finding the perfect time to attempt to speak about concerns. If anyone notices that they’re bothered, it’s possible they will lie and say they’re fine rather than admit the truth if it’s not their perceived perfect time, creating some tension between themselves and others later on because it changes the original image they had of them.
8. Scorpio: Conversing with this placement can be quite an intense experience, their entire objective is to transform (whether or not they are even aware of it), and they will go deep to make it happen; is a great listener and talks little, but when speaking, people will stop and pay attention; easily sees past shallow waters and lies; highly observant and is led by instinct; very protective of those they love and will defend all known underdogs; tendency to be paranoid and a bit suspicious of others.
With this placement, there is a high level of suspicion centered around how they communicate with others and it can create nervousness among others who are less serious. These people may feel an intense need to talk through everything and this comes from the core level of the desire of investigation that this person may naturally possess. Unknowingly testing people, they may set up traps for others to talk themselves into, but this person may not totally unaware they’re doing it. It’s simply how they figure others out. After initial discomfort in sometimes shrewd discussions, this person can also use this to heal others because they can help them discover deep insight within themselves as they make everyone question their own motives.
9. Sagittarius: Very opinionated, naturally optimistic, and highly expressive with ideas, which can sometimes make this person come across as pushy or close-minded; intellectually restless; they make great speakers and teachers; can make learning fun for others; tendency toward being scattered and unorganized- even mad from passion; quite impatient and not the best listeners; fun-loving although not self-aware, but has the best intentions.
Often appearing quite idealistic, this placement loves the adventure of thinking, learning, teaching, and enthusiastically broadening their perspective. Having the urge to contribute to any exciting conversation, this person can often be found in profoundly philosophical, religious, cultural, or other types of deep discussions. Feeling as though they can really change the world for the better, they can sometimes lack tact in their speech and may sometimes feel they have impulsively stuck their foot in their mouth. Great at giving advice because they possess a strong mind, but they don’t dislike when another gives them advice in turn.
10. Capricorn: Is very methodical- even writing and speaking quite slowly; skeptical and serious-minded, this placement has ambitious goals and plentiful resources; conservative and makes good use of all time, even hating small talk for that reason; can come across to some as cold or judgmental in their manner of communicating and can have a hard time expressing themselves on a deeper level, especially if they’re feeling pressured or overwhelmed by others.
Showing dedicated support and careful consideration, this placement is someone who says what they mean and means what they say, but only after tough deliberation that resulted in a confident decision. Preferring to communicate through actions rather than actual words, you can bet that this is someone who will do what they say they’ll do and they’ll even do it on time. Highly dependable and rarely beating around the bush, this sign shows natural authority and will likely not accept being challenged. Stern and sometimes seeming cold in speech, they may be very hard to read because of their serious demeanor. Once something breaks their intellectual walls, they will open up a bit more and let some occasional new ideas in.
11. Aquarius: Can be flashy and eccentric and is somehow always seemingly pretty different than the rest of the crowd; a liberal, free-thinker who enjoys debating and other intellectual pursuits, but can come across as someone who enjoys arguing; interesting, quirky, and colorful in a speech in their expression; personality can be hard to pin down; surprisingly organized with things that pique their interest; comedians or pranksters; into science and philosophy.
This placement is often quite flighty in speech and may not listen without either fidgeting or talking over another person. Uncontrollable and sometimes domineering, this person is not someone who is easily convinced of anything if they didn’t discover it themselves to begin with. They pave their own path in life and don’t need anyone’s help to get there, but along the way, it’s possible they can improve the path for all with their innovative ideas and approach. The negative here is that they may appear eccentric and unorganized in their minds and in the environment. They will, however, share all that they know about their passions and have the intention to use it for the common good of all.
12. Pisces: Can be easily overwhelmed by the emotions of others in the environment, especially in conversing because this placement is like a sponge of other’s emotions; tendency toward being passive-aggressive to avoid absorbing moods; is dreamy and artistic, but often scattered and unorganized; encounters many misunderstandings in communicating with others as they lack detail and are often unclear on their actual thoughts and feelings.
Highly imaginative and sometimes too dreamy to understand, this person prefers fantastical flights of fancy to anything sound or logical. Poetic and pretty speech is something they are likely drawn to because they see possibility rather than proof, which can mean they mostly speak with their internal monologue before they speak to others. This helps them sort out intuitive messages they receive, but the attachments they’ve created with emotions can sometimes create misunderstandings between them and others. Through heightened perceptions, they are able to follow a path, as long as they can stick to their own true feelings. This placement may apologize a lot when they usually have nothing to be sorry for.
From Within the Labyrinth,
-Lakin