MERCURY IN ASTROLOGY EXPLAINED - Direct and Retrograde | What Mercury Represents in your Chart
Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System, yet it has a huge impact on how we communicate and think.
In the last few weeks, we’ve covered what your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs represent, and now I’m so excited to talk about what Mercury represents in your astrological birth chart! So, get yourself a cuppa, and let’s get started!
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Hey everyone! Welcome back, or if you’re here for the first time, nice to meet you! My name is Ebonie and this blog (and the YouTube channel) is here to help you manifest in the real world! If you’re interested in all things spirituality, astrology, self-development, and mindset, I hope you’ll enjoy today’s blog post (and/or watch the video), and consider subscribing to my YouTube channel linked above!
As I mentioned, Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System. It’s also the closest to the Sun. In Greek mythology, Mercury was the winged messenger god Hermes, and he was known as a trickster in Roman times. Similar to mythology, Mercury is known as the messenger of astrology.
You might have heard mention of Mercury retrogrades before, and how notorious they can be.
I’ll talk a little about what that means today too, especially in terms of your birth chart, but please let me know if you’d like to see a video/post dedicated to retrogrades. Also, let me know if you have any questions below too! If you’re curious to learn more, there will be a list of resources for you at the end of this page as well.
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How do you know your Mercury Placement?
As Mercury travels so close to the Sun, its placement on your Astrological birth chart will either be the same as your Sun sign or in the sign before or after on the zodiac.
To know where Mercury was at the time of your birth, you will need to do your chart, using your exact time and location of your birth to calculate your own personal map of the stars at the time you came into this world. If you haven’t already done yours, I recommend astro.com for the most accurate chart. I have an astrology resources video/blog post that can help you work it out too, I’ll link that in the resources and recommendations section below for you too.
As with everything on your chart, what sign Mercury was in when you were born influences who you are – as does what house it was in, and how all the other planets and aspects of your chart relate. We’ll get into all that in later posts!
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What does Mercury represent?
The placement of Mercury when you were born influences how you think and communicate. Mercury is in charge of what we know and how we know it.
Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo and stays in a sign from 15 to 60 days. As I mentioned earlier, this small yet mighty planet is always within 2 signs from whatever zodiac sign the Sun is currently in.
Knowing where Mercury is on your chart allows you to understand your communication style, sense of humor, thought patterns, how you reason, use logic, brainstorm ideas, and what sparks your curiosity. It informs the study methods that work best for you. It is where your mind excels, and how you socialize and interact with other people.
Knowing more about your Mercury sign is a great place to start learning about your communication style and mental nature.
If your Mercury sign is in the Air sign of Gemini for example, chances are high that you are very communicative, quite chatty, curious, and quick-witted.
This might mean that your type of communication doesn’t naturally work well with someone with Mercury in the Earth sign of Virgo, for example. While Mercury in Gemini is very communicative, Mercury in Virgo is very logical and analytical. So, Mercury in Gemini is likely to ask all the questions and want to know, and talk about, absolutely everything, while Mercury in Virgo is more likely to want to get to the point already – and do so in an orderly fashion!
You can see how knowing where Mercury is for you personally can impact your relationships with others so much. As the saying goes, communication is key!
Especially when Mercury is in retrograde, communication is perhaps even more vital than ever!
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What is Mercury Retrograde?
Unlike the Sun and Moon, planets can go retrograde, and given the impact that can have, I think it’s worth talking about what that means in today’s post on Mercury!
To help me explain what mercury retrograde is, I’ll refer to Madeline Gerwick’s book here – you can find it linked below if you’re curious about it!
“When planets are in direct motion, they appear from our vantage point on Earth to be moving forward along their orbits. Astrologically, during these times when planets are direct, their energies move smoothly and are clearly expressed. But when planets are in retrograde astrologically, their energies seem to be obscured or obstructed. During astrological retrogrades, planets seem to the human eye to be moving backward in their orbits. …planets don’t really move backward in their orbits—it is an optical illusion of human perception from Earth’s vantage point.
“Astrologically … this means planets’ energies will be reversed, reconsidered, or turned inward when retrograde. … Mercury retrograde, for example, rethinks things over and over to get communications or mental processes right, unlike direct Mercury’s quicksilver approach.
“Retrograde planets aren’t bad. Just as we humans need to retreat periodically to renew our energies, so do planets. And if you’re born with a personal retrograde, you will be reconsidering the functions associated with that particular planet. A personal retrograde means that a planet was retrograde at the time of your birth, and its energy affects only you. … Transiting retrogrades are related to what’s happening overhead at a given moment, and so they affect everybody. … When a planet is retrograde, it is closer to Earth than usual, and therefore, its energies are more intense.
“Transiting Mercury retrograde occurs three times every year for about three weeks each time, affecting everyone.” (Gerwick, Pg. 165 - 170)
Mercury Retrograde has become known for being this notorious, negative astrological hiccup, but in reality, it’s not good or bad – it’s simply a shift in Mercury’s energy. It serves a purpose, as it encourages us to finish or redo projects and to re-evaluate situations. Things you may have missed or errors you may have made in the past will often come to light during a Mercury retrograde, giving you the opportunity to change or fix them.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t be wary of Mercury Retrograde though! With Mercury in charge of communication and transportation, there can be a surge in delays, mishaps, and technical issues. You may feel tongue-tied and struggle to communicate as effectively as you normally can. It’s known as being a bad time to sign contracts or jump into anything new. Mercury is currently in Retrograde as I’m filming this, so unsurprisingly, it’s taking me a while to create today’s video!
It’s become such a thing for people to worry about Mercury Retrograde messing things up that there’s even a website called ‘Is Mercury in Retrograde’ which simply tells you if it currently is or not, and how much longer it will be in retrograde if it is!
It can be a time of closure as you gain a new understanding of a past event. During Mercury retrograde, energies have a habit of reappearing to give us a chance to understand something new. If you are feeling deja vu, ask yourself what new information is being presented by a repeating situation?
So, I hope that gives you an idea of what to expect from a Transiting Mercury Retrograde, during which we are all affected equally. But if Mercury was Retrograde when you were born, what does that mean exactly?
“Because a retrograde planet is out of step with its function in the present culture, personal Mercury retrograde indicates people who are learning to think for themselves, especially because their thoughts and ideas will be different from those of society.
“People born with Mercury retrograde are sorting through ideas, thoughts, and their own communications with greater intensity than people with Mercury direct. It takes time for them to get used to this and start understanding how to deal with it, but in the meantime, people with Mercury retrograde are sometimes likely to think too much … However, people born with Mercury retrograde also often have uncanny intelligence and awareness. During transiting Mercury retrogrades, they may experience an extra boost of enthusiasm, acquire greater insight, and accomplish more than people born with Mercury direct.” (Gerwick, Pg. 170)
So, it’s certainly not a negative thing if you were born with Mercury Retrograde. Regardless of whether Mercury was direct or retrograde when you were born, even just knowing the sign it was in will tell you so much about how you socialize, interact, communicate, learn and think.
There’s certainly so much more we could talk about when it comes to Mercury, but I hope that you enjoyed this short overview of what it represents, when direct and in retrograde, and how it can influence you as an individual.
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So, now I’d love to know – what sign is Mercury in on your chart? Do you feel like it helps explain how you communicate and think?
I hope you enjoyed this short overview of what Mercury represents! If you’d like to learn more, you’ll find everything I mentioned linked below, along with more info, resources, and recommendations — simply scroll to the bottom of this page!
As always, please let me know in the comments, if you have any questions or requests, or find me over on Instagram @eboniehyland, I’d love to see you there too!
I truly hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s blog post and video. Thank you so much for reading this blog and supporting my YouTube channel, it really means the absolute world to me!
I create spiritual and self-development videos and blog posts here, every Thursday. So, if you’re curious, please consider subscribing to the channel, and be sure to ring the little bell to turn on notifications, so you never miss a video!
I hope you’re having a wonderful day, wherever you are in the world, and I can’t wait to see you here again next week!
So much love,
Ebonie xx
Resources and Recommendations
Astrology Resources:
✧ 'Astrology: An Enlightening Primer for Starry-Eyed Beginners' by Madeline Gerwick — Available from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3fc59BP
✧ Websites & Apps I Recommend — https://www.eboniehyland.com/blog/astrologyresources
*Disclaimer: Please note that any recommended products from Amazon may be affiliate links. If any purchases are made through these links, I may receive a small commission - at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!