This planet was the messenger of the gods in the Greek myths. MERCURY would be the one to send messages between the various gods of Mount Olympus, and also from the gods to man. He was a very androgynous male figure. Since he is also responsible for messages from god to man, as a force he could be considered equivalent to Angels, and divine intuitions. But he was also a trickster, and could show a more disruptive face. He is responsible for misunderstandings between people and the power, yet limitations of language to convey our thoughts to one another. He is responsible for words, having stolen the alphabet from the gods and brought it to man. The god MERCURY is rather amoral in his behavior, capable of lies and petty thievery, as well as love poems and messages of encouragement. He is capricious and takes flights of fancy. But there is rarely anything deeply malicious about his influence, just irksome and annoying at times. He is generally playful, and for all his fickleness, is sincerely distressed when someone is upset. At those times he can become a playful clown, cracking witty remarks. He might not really solve the problem, but he may show you a way to laugh at it. His realm of rulership includes all of the communication methods used by man, telephones, faxes, the mail, gossip columns, and even telepathy. MERCURY’S influence makes us aware of what we say to one another, how we phrase it and what they say back to us. The planet MERCURY lends cleverness and acuity to a personality. There is often something ironic about MERCURY, he being the planet/god responsible for puzzles, riddles and brainteasers. When MERCURY is making his influence felt, we become keenly aware of the various sides and aspects of an issue or idea.

MERCURY rules both Gemini and Virgo. In his Gemini incarnation the tendency to see the world as black and white is very pronounced. The Gemini generally sees all sides of an issue with that limber mind of theirs. This can give rise to categorizing people and information in static ways. The Gemini will then grab whatever piece of information serves their argument and use it to their favor. They can look at life as a chess game, where the smartest player will use the other persons words, thought and ideas to defeat them. The object of the game; prove your mental superiority. The Gemini who lives life by an overriding principle will use that sharp mind to expose flaws and faulty logic for a constructive purpose. The self-serving Gemini can use their brilliance to con and manipulate other people.

MERCURY also rules Virgo, since I consider CHIRON to be a modern ruler for Virgo, I recommend that you read that page also. In the Virgo personality mental flexibility is dedicated to storing information and checking details. The Virgo generally is interested in finding and storing data, so that they can prove any hypothesis that they should be asked to follow out. The Virgo wants every piece of information to be put in its proper place. Disarray makes them feel nervous. And a nervous Virgo is a critical Virgo. They can’t help it, they just notice every item or comment that’s casually thrown about, and want to find it a home. A big secret about Virgo is that they are very sensitive, and want to extend their own need for order and calm to include everyone else. Since a pea in the princess’s bed will keep her from sleeping she will see to that there are no peas in any beds throughout the land. Virgo makes sure that certain standards are met and upheld in life.

One other note about MERCURY is that 3 times a year it goes retrograde. This means that from the perspective of the Earth it appears to stop and then travel backwards along its orbit for a period of several weeks. During this time communication foul-ups increase, people from the past resurface and previous words and/or work often need to be clarified and revised. It is a confusing to begin MERCURY related activities, to buy electronics or to sign contracts. Learn more by watching the video below:

Every individual has MERCURY somewhere in their Natal Chart. Its influence will determine the way we communicate our thoughts, and the way we use our minds to grasp and use information. For more information about MERCURY’S influence on you I recommend having a Natal Chart Interpretation.