The Messenger of the Gods
Ruled by both the third house and the sixth house, Mercury is in the service of speaking. Why? Because the third house is the house of communication and the sixth house is the house of service.
Mercury is kind of a special planet for the simple fact that it is ruled by BOTH of the signs Virgo and Gemini.Virgo is an earth sign and Gemini is an air sign. Although the elements are not super important in understanding Mercury, it may help you make sense of it symbolically.
Why? Because Mercury is the Messenger of the Gods. Gods= air. Messenger= earth.
Mercury is called the messenger of the gods because it is a fast-moving planet! Moving much quicker than most other planets, it has the opportunity to meet larger, slower-moving planets such as Neptune and Saturn, multiple times before either of them have fully made it around the twelve zodiac signs; and this is why Mercury is the planet of communication.
Mercury in Astrology
Moving quickly, if you’re paying attention, you’ll have an opportunity to take in quite a bit of information, right? Well, this is why Mercury is the planet of 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.
On the opposite end, if one is especially good at communicating and realize it could benefit them quite a bit to use it, once could lie or manipulate. These are attributes that can also be found within our Mercury sign, depending on their placements. Some other negative characteristics of mercury include: 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.
On an earthly plane, one that is outside of us, Mercury can also give us information about our siblings, neighbors, our and frequent means of travel.
Mercury Through the Signs
Like the our sun, moon, and rising signs, we also have a Mercury sign! As mentioned above, our mercury sign gives us insight into our intellect and communications. Depending on the sign our Mercury is in, as well as the house, and aspects to the planet, we may or may not be great speakers or communicators.
Let’s find out below!
If you don’t know your Mercury sign, you can find out here.
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.
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 the 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.
3.) Gemini: Nervous/anxious energy not 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; doesn’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.
4. Cancer: Communicates feeling rather than thought; doesn’t need information to believe or feel; empathetic to people and environment-picking up on all changes in mood; holds onto 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.
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.
6. Virgo: tries to stay off the stage and lost in the crowd, but highly perceptive and feels separate among the rest; receptive of 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.
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 being fair, etc.
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.
9. Sagittarius: Very opinionated, naturally optimistic, and highly expressive with ideas, which can sometimes make this person come across as pushy or close-minded; is addicted to new information and forms huge plans life daily; intellectually restless; great speakers/teachers and 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.
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.
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 speech in their expression; personality can be hard to pin down; surprisingly organized with things that peak their interest; comedians or pranksters; into science and philosophy.
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.
