In my opinion, Mercury is one of the most important planets in astrology. You’ve probably heard of Mercury being in retrograde (or Gatorade, if you're in on the joke). We are warned about documents that delete themselves, texts from exes, and taking things the wrong way during times like this. But Mercury isn't just about communication; your Mercury placement, which you can find on your birth chart, also determines your voice.
Your voice is more than just the words that you say or write when you're communicating — it can be influenced by countless elements of your life. Emotions can be expressed through your voice; it can tremble, flirt, and stutter alongside your heart. Your voice can be also physical, creative, political, and even pleasurable. Looking back at times when you feel unheard growing up can help you find your voice today, so you can better understand your personal power. Plus, knowing how Mercury behaves in each sign might just help you better understand and harness your voice to its greatest abilities.
When you input your date, time, and location of birth into a birth chart generator, you're not only learning what your Big Three is. Your Mercury placement will also be listed right after your sun and moon signs and just before your Venus placement.
Thinking back on remembering the order of the planets back in elementary school, you'll remember Mercury is closer to the sun than Earth. In fact, it follows the sun around closer than any other planet. Astrologically speaking, Mercury is never more than one sign away from the Sun since it never travels more than 28 degrees from the Sun. For example, if you’re a Scorpio, your Mercury sign is most likely Sagittarius, Libra, or also Scorpio depending on when and where you were born.) Your Mercury placement, in other words, is a reflection of the sun.
Those with their Mercury placed in Aries don’t say anything they don’t mean, and they won’t refrain from saying anything they’re thinking about. An Aries Mercury will give you their honest, unfiltered feedback, which could take the form of a single cunning sentence or several striking pages. One thing an Aries Mercury doesn’t do, though, is hold back. Lying, for them, feels like pulling teeth. Because of this, you're probably the friend who gives the most honest advice.
When working, Aries Mercury tends to do so in spurts. They prefer being on their feet and seeing instant results for the effort they have put in. When they get an idea, they want to see that idea implemented almost instantaneously and, if that’s not possible, they demand to know why. They also like a bit of physical risk and are likely to enjoy doing things such as speeding along in their bikes on highways on a Sunday.
I’ve noticed Mercury in Taurus experiences a lot of frustration with expressing things in the moment. This is a Mercury that doesn’t try to say things in one conversation or do things that should take 10 years over the course of a day. A Mercury in Taurus doesn’t see the point in talking about trust; instead, they set out to prove their trustworthiness with you over the course of a lifetime. This is a Mercury that is more interested in doing instead of saying.
Taurus Mercuries can get tongue-tied in intense conversations. They get frazzled when they are assigned too many tasks at once. They’re not interested in multitasking and consider their commitments too carefully to put their feet in different shoes. Mercury in Taurus people build things over the course of long periods of time. They must do things in order to understand them. They are physical learners who put their whole body into their commitments and their decisions. When a Taurus Mercury commits, they commit. This is a Mercury placement that looks at your actions to judge your character, not your words.
Gemini Mercury is the honor student out of all the placements. They’re usually people who are the favorite child in the family or classroom, despite all of the mischief that they might cause. Often, those with their Mercury in Gemini are popular among their peers and authority figures alike. If you want to compare them to any fictional characters, Fred and George Weasley come to mind. The twins are smart, but they’re not Hermiones about it.
Something people might not see in Mercury in Gemini is just how much they actually work. Gemini Mercury goes hard, but they give the appearance of being able to do things effortlessly and flawlessly. Take their charisma, for instance — they make it seem so easy, breezy, and you’d never guess they worry over how they are perceived when they are not delivering their best lines.
Mercury retrogrades can throw a Gemini Mercury off, in particular, because their flow is interrupted by the planet’s time of rest. They’re used to naturally being good at things, and retrogrades can make it so they suddenly have to put in more work than usual since retrogrades tend to disrupt the expected behavior of a planet. They have to let go of things that they are used to being in their control and simply relax. When Mercury retrogrades, sleep in; pop a CBD gummy; dream a lot; forgive yourself. Relearn something that you once learned as a diligent student at your own pace. Chill out. That’s all Mercury retrograde truly wants from you.
Mercury in Cancer is one of the shyest placements. In fact, I believe it’s responsible for many of the stereotypes, being changeable or flexible, that we have about Gemini suns. Because Mercury is never more than a sign away from the sun, many Gemini suns have a Cancer Mercury. Cancer Mercury expresses itself not by being a student or through conversations with as many people as possible but through whispers between close friends, rumors carried through a community, and hushed pillow talks.
This is a Mercury that knows all the secrets — and tends to spill some if they know exactly when it’ll help a relationship. It’s a relatively absorbent Mercury that doesn’t dish out anything without a proper strategy. It’s a Mercury that understands the impact of its words. It’s also a fairly scattered Mercury and one that feels very different depending on the hour of the day. Cancer Mercuries can feel like different people in the morning and in the evening. They are sensitive and impressionable. They do not pride themselves on being diligent workers but on their adaptability. Cancer Mercury changes and refuses to apologize because they are aware their brilliance comes out of their ability to change their mind at whim and fancy.
Something about Leo Mercury makes it appear to be very young. They don’t use a lot of fancy words or try to talk about lofty or elitist things. When they do or say anything, all is done by and through themselves. Something pure, simple, and frank emanates from this Mercury. They’re not interested in putting on airs or making themselves into other people. They are interested in authenticity.
Those with Mercury in Leo can be very refreshing. What you see is what you get. For better or worse, they stand by their decisions. They take responsibility when their decisions lead them the wrong way. I've found they don’t hide things, but they also do not vent unnecessarily. When they work, they learn things with their hands like children do. This makes them supremely good at almost anything they try. Once they have learned something, they never forget it.
Don’t, for a second, think Leo Mercury is uncreative because their Mercury is expressed so simply. They tend to be creative writers and workers. It’s just that they do not care about being fashionable necessarily. Their creativity is earned and comes from the heart. You’ll never see them pick up trends just for the sake of it.
This is one of the most powerful and busiest Mercury placements. Virgo Mercuries tend to try to do everything at once and often find that, incredibly, they are capable of it. They’re able to juggle a phone call while writing a text message and planning out a shopping trip that evening. Spreadsheets are finished and meetings are powered through in half the time that it takes everyone else.
People with Mercury in Virgo are smart and make sure everyone knows it. They don’t have to prove their intelligence to anyone, though. It shows through their actions. They don’t speak on things that they don’t know about and, if they're talking a lot, you can be sure that they know their shit.
Virgo Mercuries can get caught off guard by Mercury’s retrogrades. They’re used to being able to save the world in the course of a day, so periods of unproductivity can shake their self-image and make them worry. They don’t have to worry so much — they’re more than capable of getting things done around the retrograde periods.
As the politician’s Mercury, Libra Mercury gives the appearance, almost, that they have no personal stake in whatever it is they are talking about and prefer to operate under the assumption of neutrality. Because Mercury rules Libra by triplicity rulership (a type of rulership that depends on the element), this is a placement that is able to work with almost anyone on almost anything. Libra Mercury is very good at making the intelligence of the group stand out. They’re good at asking the right questions to get the conversation and workflow to where the most genius things are likely to happen.
The thing that Mercury in Libra people can struggle with is self-exposure. The reason why Libra Mercury is so interested in objectivity is actually that they are hesitant about expressing their personal opinions. This often works in their favor because they are so good at making other people around them feel like geniuses, but they are often not credited with things that they have accomplished. They prefer to contribute to the group rather than accomplish things on their own.
One of the quietest Mercuries has a Scorpio placement. They are the type of Mercury that likes to sink their head into the pages of a manual and get things done. Nothing Mercury in Scorpio says or does is superfluous. They choose their friends and work with great intention. They don’t do anything they don’t care about and, when they care about something, they put their entire being into it.
Scorpio Mercury asks a lot of questions, but tends to keep the motive behind the questions hidden. When they do share, they try to strengthen a feeling of intimacy by making sure you know they're telling you something they don't usually tell others. But Scorpio Mercury’s charisma isn’t like the easiness of a Mercury in an air sign. Like a tidal wave, Scorpio Mercury’s charisma is abrupt, sometimes almost heavy-handed, and you know when this placement tries to pull you in one direction or another.
This is one of the goofiest Mercuries. Mercury in Sagittarius is Björk showing up at a bar and singing her own songs without announcing who she is. It’s Gordon Ramsay saying what he thinks in witty catchphrases. You’ll notice something about Sagittarius Mercury that can rub people the wrong way without shame — they’ll say problematic things and stand by their statements despite any outcry. On the flipside, they’re also masterminds who can take a concept and turn it inside out.
Mercury in Sagittarius is a very productive Mercury. However, because Mercury is uncomfortable in Sagittarius, it is not interested in getting to a destination swiftly. The journey itself is what drives them. It’s a detour-loving Mercury placement. Detours, after all, are where Sagittarius' brilliance lives. Although deadlines can stifle them, they create works of art if you let them exist untamed on the scenic route.
People with Capricorn as their Mercury placement are commonly described as straightforward, methodical, and strategic. I’ve found this to be far from the case. Instead, Capricorn Mercury is one of the more out there Mercuries. After all, a lot of people with Mercury in Capricorn have Sagittarius or Aquarius suns.
Capricorn is a sign dedicated to breaking open patterns. Mercury in Capricorn likes to startle. They like to do things that make them feel like they’re a bit of an outlaw. Aquarius Mercury works the same way, but Aquarius Mercury doesn’t do things to get a reaction as much as Capricorn Mercury. Capricorn Mercury will sell all of their belongings, rent a place by the river, and eagerly await your reaction.
They’re rulebreakers and want you to know it. They get most excited when people break rules together, separate from regular society to form a commune, and most of all, when they feel they are allowed to chase freedom.
Usually, Mercury in Aquarius is interdisciplinary. They may be accountants by day but tarot card readers by night, painters with a fascination with anatomy or physics, or even public speakers with a penchant for silent retreats. Mercury in Aquarius excels when they are allowed to bring two very different, almost contrasting fields of study together until a new idea is born.
They appear to be reflective, but they are fiercely creative. Mercury in Aquarius does not appear as naive. They appear as people who hold a lot of old knowledge and make that apparent to the people observing them. When those with this placement do things, they give the appearance of being well-practiced and sure of themselves.
This is a Mercury that doesn’t do what they are told, but Mercury in Aquarius doesn’t usually make a big deal out of rebellion. They usually steadily push things until everyone else is ready for what they want to do.
This is another sign where Mercury finds its detriment, so Pisces Mercury often relays information that it itself does not believe just to test the waters and see how other people might react. It’s a complex and almost cryptic Mercury where its own motives are often hidden from themselves until the goal they set out to do is reached.
Mercury in Pisces is very good at telling stories. The line between truth and fiction interests them most. In fact, a good majority of Pisces Mercuries have had experiences in childhood when they were unheard or emotionally suppressed. They might have had trouble fitting in and felt like they had to hide parts of themselves. They have beautiful, large, and fun closets — ones they have lived in for a long time.
As you may know already, Mercury retrogrades three to four times a year. Not all Mercury retrogrades will affect you, though. The only time they truly do is when you are profecting (or moving through, based on your age) the 3rd and 6th Houses, which are ruled by Mercury. When you’re born, you start from the 1st House and cycle through the 12 Houses with each birthday. From there, you can figure out which planet’s transits will impact you the most based on your current age. With this astrological technique in mind, Mercury is most likely to weigh on you when you're 2, 5, 14, 17, 26, 29, 28, 41, 50, 53, 62, 65, and so on.
Mercury's retrogrades also affect those with any planets in Gemini or Virgo more because Mercury is their ruling planet. However, those whose rising sign is Gemini or Virgo will feel the vibes of Mercury retrograde more than anyone, regardless of their age. They are most likely to experience huge transformative life experiences, like moving or falling out of love, while others will see minor inconveniences, such as a shattered phone screen, and not much more.
The best way to think about Mercury retrograde is as a cycle. Picture Mercury as a fast-moving object that runs circles around the sun. When it moves in front of the sun, it sets after it, making it visible in the sky as an evening star. When Mercury retrogrades, it lags behind the sun until it emerges in the sky before it as a morning star.
Despite its reputation, Mercury retrograding isn't chaotic at all — it only does so when it needs to recharge and is ready to rise new and bright before the sun in the early morning. You can think of Mercury retrograde as a necessary resting phase that Mercury goes through before it springs back to life.
Alice Sparkly Kat is an astrologer who looks to the planets and stars to rechart a history of the subconscious, redefine the body in the world, and reimagine history as collective memory. Their astrological work has inhabited MoMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and The Brooklyn Museum. They're also the author of Postcolonial Astrology.
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