Messenger Mercury: Well What Do You Think of That?

Many of us know our astrological Sun signs.  But have you ever wondered what makes one, say for example Leo, so completely different from another Leo that you think they’re totally opposite Sun signs?  Not all Leos are created alike.  For good reason:  each of us is a composite of every planet in the galaxy.  From the Sun all the way out to Pluto, each planet plays a role in our lives.

That’s right.  At the moment of our birth, every planet is located in a certain sign and house, one of 12 slices of heaven.  These elements form your natal birth chart, the blue print for your life.  So any two Leos born in the same year, between July 22-August 21, will have planets in different signs and houses.  Even twins born minutes apart are unique. Every single one of us is truly our own individual person.

While each planet makes a particular stamp on us by sign and house, one planet in particular, Mercury, either heightens our Sun sign or takes us in a marked turn from that sign.   Where the Sun rules our will, identity and self, Mercury is the Messenger.  It rules our mind, our thoughts, communication, how we think and speak.  For human beings, this is huge.  Language and the use of it distinguishes humanity from the animal kingdom.  Our ability to convey thoughts and ideas gives us immeasurable power over our lives, the lives of others and the earth itself.

By Universal design, humanity’s primary functions, our emotions and communication are ruled by spheres orbiting closest to our essential planets:  the Moon (governing our emotions) most closely orbits our native home of Earth while Mercury never strays far from the Sun, center of our galaxy and source of all light and life.

So that certain Leo that you know, her Mercury may also be in Leo, or it might be in Gemini, Cancer, Virgo or Leo.  You will never meet a Leo with say, Mercury in Capricorn.  Rather, wherever you find the Sun, Mercury will either be in the same sign, or one, at most two signs away from the Sun.  So if your Leo friend has her Mercury in Leo as well, her Sun sign qualities are amplified.  She thinks and speaks like a Leo:  generous, big hearted, festive, creative, romantic with a flair for the dramatic.

If, however, she happened to be born with Mercury in Virgo, her brand of Leo has a more cerebral bent:  analytical, precise, detailed, efficient, with a penchant for perfectionism.  She’s still a generous, festive soul but one whose mind and words delves into the particulars of people, problems and situations.

Therein lies one of the primary differences between these two Leos:  the mind.  How each absorbs, processes and shares information.   Your natal birth chart shows where your Mercury is located by sign and house.  It is calculated based on exact time, date and location of your birth.  It describes and fills in ALL of you, not simply your Sun sign, and your Mercury, but every single aspect of YOU…where you are going and how you are going to get there.  To schedule a natal chart reading with Hilary, visit www.hilaryharley.com or hilary@hilaryharley.com

To learn more about your Mercury placement, take a look at the outline below.  Your mind, thoughts and style of speech follow the key words listed under each sign:

Mercury in Aries:  enthusiastic, outspoken, restless, energetic, quick, impulsive, brazen/bossy, witty, entertaining, quick-tempered, prone to interrupt, loves short bullet-point material or conversation, promoting and self-promoting

Mercury in Taurus:   deliberate, practical, methodical, patient, persevering, stable, highly focused, common sensical, slow to conclusions, conservative

Mercury in Gemini:  adaptable, quick, active, alert, curious and versatile, clever, pointed comebacks, skim and scan situational surface, superb information gathering ability, mentally restless, convincing

Mercury in Cancer:  indelible memory, emotional imprints, subjective, intuitive, thoughts based on feelings, deeply sensitive listener, psychological mind, empathetic and sympathetically expressive

Mercury in Leo:  strong, firm opinions expressed passionately, excellent story teller and public speaker, hyperbolic tendency, persuasive, entertaining, warm, natural teacher, showman/showoff, loves/needs an audience

Mercury in Virgo:  analytical, critical, practical, pessimistic, detailed, perfectionist, grounded/realistic, logical, systematic, flexible, meticulous, efficient, prone to worry, whiny/complainer, stable, adaptable

Mercury in Libra:  diplomatic, superb negotiator, sees all sides of a situation/relationship, objective, vacillating, detached, persuasive, balanced mind, indecisive, comparative, artistic and environmentally sensitive

Mercury in Scorpio: intense focus, passionate, detecting/detective, psychic, intuitive, psychological, shrewd, sharp, oppositional, skeptical, cynical, stubborn, deeply penetrating, satirical, wry, instinctive

Mercury in Sagittarius:  grand scale and scope, visionary thinker, foresight, philosophical, spiritual, brashly outspoken, blunt, versatile, boundless, jumpy/uncontained mind, superb (self) promoter/ risk taker

Mercury in Capricorn:  rational, objective, fact-driven, clear thinker, disciplined, practical/pragmatic, conscientious, realistic, cynical/pessimistic, thorough, organized and strategic, serious, studious

Mercury in Aquarius:  unique and original thinker, rapid, resourceful, eccentric, unconventional, non-mainstream, outre, creatively intelligent, scientific, inventive, humanitarian-oriented, radical, bohemian, stubborn, revolutionary

Mercury in Pisces:  idealistic, impractical, visionary, imaginative, lazy, absent minded, musical, hyper-sensitive, completely immersive thinker, intuitive, psychic, empathetic/sympathetic, artistic, exceptional procrastinator, day- dreamy, compassionate