Understanding Mercury in the Birth Chart

Episode 05: Understanding Your Mercury Placement.

Mercury is the planet of thinking, speaking, and communicating, the mind, intelligence, and wit. It rules all communication, both spoken and written and gives the power of persuasion and reasoning. It can provide insight into our preferred communication styles, what our default communication can look like, where we may struggle or succeed in all things communication and how our mind processes information. Find out more about each of the 12 Mercury placements and how it can show up in a birth chart.

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Transcript

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You are listening to the Celestial Origins Podcast. Join Christy and Lindsay as we discuss all things metaphysics, astrology, dreams, magic, and more, along with a hearty amount of laughter. Hey everyone, I'm starting a new series where I am breaking down all of the planetary placements to really get an idea of what they represent in our lives and also breaking down what it means for each of those placements. So I felt it was necessary to start in chronological order with the first planet in our solar system, Mercury. Mercury is the planet of thinking, speaking, and communicating. It represents the mind, our intelligence and wit. It controls, or it rules rather, our communication, both in spoken and written, and it gives the power of persuasion and reasoning. It can provide insight into our preferred communication styles, what our default communication can look like where we may struggle or succeed in all things communication and how our mind processes information. Mercury also rules technology, innovation, and invention. It is the ruling planet as well for Gemini and Virgo. From an astronomical perspective, Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, which is why we are starting out with this. It orbits around the sun in 88 days. And because of this, Mercury also travels right alongside our sun sign. If you go back a couple of episodes, I went into the basics of a birth chart reading where I break down on a high level what the sun sign, moon sign, and rising signs are. So because Mercury travels right alongside our sun sign, it travels very closely together. So our mercury sign will be in the same sign as our sun, or in the sign right before our sun sign or right after. If your mercury sign is in the same sign as your sun, then you are true to that sign, a classical version of that sign, if you will. If your mercury sign is in the sign before or behind your sun sign, it really just gives you another view of the world. The right use of mercury is the key to spiritual enlightenment. It's where we go when we're pressured. In Roman mythology, Mercury is the messenger of the gods with winged feet that quickly share news and information as fast as thoughts themselves. So I want to take the time to go through each of the Mercury placements in each of the twelve astrological signs to give you an idea of what that may mean. So listen for yours. And if you haven't already done so, make sure that you pull your birth chart. And in order to do that, you can go to astro.com, which is a free online resource for pulling birth charts. You will need your date of birth, your location of birth, as well as your time of birth. And this is what's going to give you the most accurate birth chart. So once you have that, you're gonna look at the Mercury placement in your chart, which is noted by a little glyph that almost looks like the female gender sign with a little thinking cap on top of its head. If you have mercury in a water sign, this placement is going to be in terms of thought and communication, how they process. They're going to be more sensitive than others, more creative. In some cases, in the disempowered side, they may be spacey in terms of how they communicate. But they are the great writers, poets, musicians, psychics, for sure, psychics. Um, when you think about thought, there is for sure under control. These are the people that truly feel the pain of the collective, and they may not be able to discern what that pain is or why they're sad. It's just sort of taking on this collective feeling. Um they're very much absorbing the energy of others, which is a very water-like trait. Um, and if you think of the elements, water, emotions, tears, you know, the um they're definitely the feelers, but it looks a little bit different in every sign. Mercury and Cancer are the type of people that will never forget anything. Memories from their childhood, they will remember as if it was yesterday in specific detail. Um, and they also are very loyal to those memories, the people that are connected to those memories. These are things that they hold on to for the rest of their life, they're very much um tied to their family of origin in some way, shape, or form. They strongly need quiet and like their close-knit few people. And if they had a motto, it's going to be prepare for the worst and plan ahead. And they're also great organizers when they're working by themselves. Mercury and Scorpio. These are the people that may see the worst possible scenario that could possibly happen. They may have precognition or premonition of something that may happen, or it may just be that they are so concerned about a worst-case scenario happening that they become fearful of the negative possible outcomes. They also have a great amount of focus. Um, you know, Mercury in Scorpio, that's a fixed sign. So very much fixed is sticking to being committed to seeing something through, so having great focus on something for a long period of time. They're also the detectives of the zodiac. They can really see right through people, and basically they have a great bullshit meter. So you really can't lie to a Scorpio, and if you do, they're eventually gonna figure it out. Scorp Mercury and Scorpio can also create stories in their heads about people that might be more embellished, um really to kind of be the ones that take people down. So if you do a someone with a pro a very prominent Scorpio placement, if you do them wrong, they will make sure that they take you down. Um they also can be really good at pretending to be kind.

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Um they are great with big numbers and fearless to aim for success.

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Mercury and Pisces are the visionaries. They are the ones that are definitely very dreamy. This sign is very much water in the sense of dreaming and going with the flow and just being the person that is looking to the future, dreaming of the future, dreaming of all of the possibilities, and I see this as more being the light and airy kind of water sign. Um, they have a great ability for science design, architecture, film. Um, they're really those kind of people that channel art, music, photography, again, the visionaries. But they are not necessarily the people that are going to be on center stage. Um, they like to be behind the scenes, the ones that are writing the script, not performing it. The disempowered side of Mercury in Pisces can look like uh addiction with any kind of outlet, uh, making up stories about things and the possibilities. So, not necessarily in a bad way about making up stories, but more so just coming up with the possibilities of stories and just sort of making everything into some kind of adventure where everything can have a story. Um, if they go to a place to visit, they may see themselves living there. Um and they're also a natural spiritual leader, um, but they may not be keen on taking the role of leadership. If your mercury placement is in an air sign, this is where if you think about the elements and air, it moves quickly. So in a mercury in an air sign is going to be fast, speedy. In some cases, they may be seen as the know-it-all in the disempowered side. But they may also be able to fill in your sentence because they're processing things faster than someone else may be, or they may already be able to anticipate what this person is going to say. Um Mercury in air is also the perpetual student. There is a constant need, not just a desire, a need to learn, to be curious. They're also the storytellers, the writers. And in some cases, they may love or hate writing. Um, and by hating it, it may be just that it doesn't come naturally to them, but there is another form of communication that does work better for them. They're also great managers, overseers, um, the researchers, the scientists wanting to get to the answer. They're going to be the people that are going to ask why. Um, they may also seem very random. There's, you know, in a way, the air quality of uh a mercury in air placement may be someone that is uh very um spontaneous in the sense of there is a uh almost a lightning moment of uh an idea. And they also have a memory for details. Mercury in Gemini. And on the disempowered side, they may also be forgetful. This is the rolling planet for Gemini as well as Virgo. So it's very much at home in the sign. Mercury in Gemini loves to read, listen, they love to gather information and provide and spread information. They have a versatility of interests, and they are true networkers. They are the ones that are super smart, they take in information very quickly. Um, they're great note-takers, they're ones that have great one-liners or jokes. Uh, they can be cryptic, in some cases, antisocial. Um, there's not necessarily a one-size-fits-all for Mercury and Gemini. Um, they also are very funny and entertaining. Um, the downside of this is they can underestimate their writing ability and their skills because they are comparing themselves to others. Um, they may edit things for fun, they see all of the details, they have a great versatility with their language, and they in some cases they may prefer texting or talking on the phone over writing. So really, this is a sign that loves to communicate, loves information. Mercury in Libra. These folks can be indecisive, saying one thing, meaning another, um, but they may not mean that with intention. It may just kind of happen where, again, like air is flowy, going with the flow but in a different way. They love to notice patterns and they love working with people. Remember, Libra is the scales, they love uh balance, and um, they really are the people pleasers, the ones that love love and love connection and love relationships. Mercury and Libra are also the natural therapists. They love to help people and they always have an opinion that they want to share. For them, injustice, again, Libra being the scales and wanting to maintain balance, injustice creates a reaction and they can feel very strongly opinionated about things when they are injust. With displacement, with how they think, they may build up frustrations and then have an explosion where everything's kind of just pushed underneath the rug, and oh, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine, until finally they trip and fall, and then it's like, what the heck? What is all this stuff doing here? Why did I do that? Um, so while they may put themselves in that situation, it may be something that they can get over and then want to immediately be the peacemaker. Mercury in Aquarius. These are the people that are brilliant and probably don't even realize it. Or maybe they underestimate themselves, maybe they're insecure about their thought process because they may be contradicting themselves. Um deja vu, ESP, um a lot of cerebral tele not telepathic, but um they may be the true manifestors of bringing their dreams to life. Um, they may make up random phrases or random isms that they just kind of come up with out of nowhere. They're able to laugh at their own jokes and they have ways of saying things that other people may not have thought of, and it just makes sense. Um, they find themselves fascinating, they never leave their point of view even when they're wrong. Again, uh, with the fixed signs, Aquarius being a fixed sign, there is a certain level of stubbornness where they are sticking with their opinion, they're sticking with their choice, even if they're wrong. It's something that they believe in and they're gonna stick with it. For those with a Mercury placement in Earth, these are the people that think and communicate in a very slow, stable, and deliberate way. They have very high standards for themselves and likely for other people. Um, but yet there's always gonna be this sense that um they themselves may not feel smart enough. Um, and really, this is like the so a Mercury in Earth sign is going to be steady eddy. They may not make quick progress, but they're going to make constant, slow, deliberate progress on things, and they're just gonna keep moving forward. Um, they're sort of the the pace car of how they think and communicate. They're they may need to hear things when you're communicating with them in small bite-sized pieces. So they might say, Hey, okay, I I heard what you said, but can you please repeat that again? And I just need one piece at a time. And they may ask you to repeat yourself just to be able to process in their own way, and it's not necessarily in a way of being rude, it's mainly just ensuring that they have received the information, they are processing it, and then they are also processing how they're going to respond to that. So they really require clear, deliberate direction. Mercury in Taurus, these are the slow, cautious, and patient thinkers and speakers. They require structure, they require repetition, and they require predictability. They need to know the outline if you are going through some kind of long presentation or performance. They need structure, they need to have a schedule, they need to be able to know what to expect, they need things repeated to them. And this is just another way of thinking and operating. They're very hands-on, they want to be shown, not told. They need the demonstration to reinforce and really be able to hone in on what it is that's expected of them. They also may feel insecure about their skill set, even if they're successful. Um, this may come from feeling like they can't necessarily keep up with other people's ways of thinking and performing, um, which there's no right or wrong, there's no good or bad. Everyone operates on their own path at their own pace. Mercury in Taurus also has a high need for financial security. When a student, they may be able to excel after a lot of practice, um, but typically may be a slower learner, and they just need the extra time to catch up just later down the line when they have caught up with everyone else, which may make school or a traditional learning environment challenging for them because they may require additional support or extra time to really reinforce the concepts that they're learning. Mercury in Virgo. The sign of Virgo is also ruled by Mercury, so it's very much at home in this placement. Mercury in Virgo looks very detailed, they enjoy things being organized, and they talk with precision. Typically, these are the people with a plan, an outline. Everything is in order. They can also come off as very judgmental, but they just have a very high expectation for themselves and for others. So they want things to be perfect. They live with rules, um, and they very much are about what is right and what is wrong and following the rules. Um, Virgo also being the ruler of health and daily routines, they're going to have discrimination on what they're putting into their bodies. They're really going to be conscious and thinking about those things, making those decisions, and communicating that with others. Very much planners. There are going to be critics, they're going to be the proofreaders, they're going to be the ones that are very much in the details, in the weeds of everything. They're great with numbers, they might have a mind of a physician, a doctor, a nurse, or an accountant, and they're great students. There is a desire, perhaps a need, for feeding their brain and being mentally stimulated. Mercury in Capricorn. These are the people with an excellent memory. They may not be a good listener, and they may come off as a no at all in the disempowered side of things, but they often are right. They have a heck of a lot of street smarts, and they're going to be great lawyers. Capricorn is a cardinal sign, so they're very much the Leaders and being the initiator or the leader in an earth sign is leading with structure, leading with a plan, leading with rigidity or predictability, and um just playing by the rules and being consistent and grounded in how they move through the world. Um Mercury in Capricorn does not like false authority. If you are not truly a leader that has the best interest of the collective in mind, they're going to fight against that because they want things to be done correctly and right. Business and strategic planning is their gift. They are practical and well thought and express their thoughts very well. They're generally not seen as creative, but they're creative in their own ways, and they have a lot of discipline in how they think and how they communicate, which can come off as rigid, but they like things done the way that it's meant to be done, and they stick to their plan and follow and see it through. For those with a mercury placement in fire, these are the people that are going to think and communicate in a quick, impulsive, sometimes loud, demanding manner. Um, confident. They're going to be the ones that are going to be very much confident in what they say, even if it's not exactly accurate. But these are the um the folks that are going to be the leaders, the bosses, again, thinking and communicating. They're going to be blunt. In some cases, they may be demanding, but they are the independent thinkers, the independent speakers. They're they may be getting things in fast and brilliant flashes, but they can't back that up. Uh, it's like, I don't, I don't know where that comes from. So, in a way, there is an intuitive hit that may come for those with a mercury in fire, and they may not be able to say what they're where this came from. Um, similar to how mercury in water is intuitive, and they're just more so going with the flow, and something comes to them, and it may be more of a feeling versus mercury in fire is I'm getting this, it's like a just this flash of it comes and then it it goes, and it's like, well, I don't know where that came from. Okay, moving on to the next thing. Mercury and Aries, these are the leaders whose ideas must be heard. When they speak, they are enthusiastic, which can come off as demanding, but it's really just their enthusiasm and their energy that commands your attention. They are very aware of themselves and very aware of others. And no matter if no matter what, there is a very dominating, a very masculine approach to how this sign communicates. Their mind is a director, a salesperson. They're constantly trying to figure out how to lead and how to sell people on things. They can be athletic, they can be instinctive, they can be loud. Mercury in Leo. This person requires attention. They are both shy and also a show-off. They may excel in school because they needed attention, or perhaps theyos are shy and they are they are challenged with being asked to perform. And some Leos very much want to be in the spotlight and want to perform. Mercury in Leo is great with creativity and putting things together for parties, groups, families. They are the life of the party. They want to be in it, they want to be surrounded by it. They may be quick to judge and can be very opinionated. Again, this is uh thinking and speaking in a fire sign. So it's going to be very strong, it's going to be very, in some cases, hot if you are opposing their opinion. Um, they have so much love for their team, their family, their friends. There's just so much passion um and pride that comes with this sign. If you think of Leo the Lion, um, and pride and just that presence of roaring like a lion. They are meant to be seen, they're meant to be heard. Mercury in Sagittarius, they are the placement that are going to say it just like it is. Very blunt, very honest. It is something that they need to do. They also need to bring in humor into how they are communicating with others, how they may cope with things, and they like being known as the person that's going to be adding humor or the um some kind of lighthearted element, no matter what the subject matter is. They need to indulge in their dreams and they want to talk about them. Uh, Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, which is basically like the essence of Father Christmas and joy. Um, so they are Mercury and Sagittarius is into food and partying and social events. They have a great sense of humor. They're typically known as being very sarcastic and hysterical, and they love to acknowledge themselves when they are funny. They always see the big picture first. They may not be the ones that are planning out all the details, but they are the ones that are the visionaries and can see everything from the higher-up vantage point. They are great with traveling challenges and navigating and driving, public transportation, they've got it. They know where they're going and how to navigate all of those challenges. If you follow any kind of astrology media or astrology on the internet, you've probably heard of Mercury retrograde. A lot of times there is doom and gloom or some kind of negative connotation to Mercury retrograde. Retrograde, if you break down the word, it starts with re, the prefix re, like rewind or reset. Really, all that retrograde means is that Mercury, the planet of thinking, speaking, communicating, the mind, technology, all of those themes are going to be asked to reflect, reassess, rest, and recalibrate. So during a Mercury retrograde, you want to be intentional about how your thoughts and your communication are being conveyed. Your thoughts being conveyed with yourself, thinking and pausing about is this a valid thought right now? Is this my past programming talking? Um, oftentimes, too, during retrogrades, you will hear about an X coming back or something resurfacing from the past. And really, this is just a time to reflect and understand the past and how things can be let go, released, reassessed, and it's really an important time to journal and reflect. Some important things to keep in mind during a Mercury retrograde is to slow down your communication, both spoken and written communication. So be sure to proofread your emails, your text messages, your uh blog posts, whatever it is that you are putting out there, be sure to proofread everything carefully or ask for a set second set of eyes on something before sending it out. Because Mercury also rules technology and uh communication, we may see that there are techno technological glitches that can happen. So if you are traveling, be sure to just allot for delays as there may be technological issues. Um, really, all this means is it it is a weather forecast. It doesn't mean that things will fall apart, it just means that you can plan for the worst and hope for the best, and build in some extra time if you're traveling. Be sure to take extra extra cautionary steps when communicating. Um, oftentimes our communication can become clouded with others. So taking the time to ask clarifying questions or taking the time to really explain things if it's something that's complex, that will help to ease the default of things perhaps being a little bit more difficult. Please let me know what you thought about this episode. If you are interested in getting a birth chart reading with me, I'm happy to meet you where you are at, whether you are a beginner and just starting to learn some things, or more advanced and want to look at some transits to see how that may be impacting you in the future. So you can look for the link in the show notes on how to schedule a one-on-one reading with me. And I am looking forward to the next episode where we will be talking about the planet Venus and what that looks like in your chart. Until next time, thanks for listening to the Celestial Origins Podcast.