Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System and the closest to the Sun - that is called, in fact, “The Inside Track” planet. Picture a horse race or an Olympic track field, Mercury is in the very first lane – on the inside of a ringed track.
Its full orbit around the Sun takes only 87.97 Earth days. An orbital year for Mercury is only 88 days compared to Earth’s year span of 365 days.
In size, Mercury is smaller than the Earth’s Moon and ironically, just like Venus, the planet Mercury has no moons. It’s small size, and gravitational pulls do not allow it to host a moon. However, it has been hit with more meteorites than any other planet and has a rough, uneven surface – jagged edges, hallow holes, peaks and valleys.
Mercury is one of the planets we can see with our naked eye from the Earth, so it has been studied for a long time by our ancestors, the Mayans, Indigenous leaders, religious superiors, spiritual gurus and the scientific/astronomer world for lifetimes.
To understand the vast personality traits of Mercury, we must understand where and how it secured its name. Like most all planets, Mercury acquired its formal name from a blend of Roman and Greek mythology.
Naming is based on the energy those planets present within our solar system and how those planets affect our human race on Earth and our day-to-day way of being.
The name Mercury is from Roman Mythology taken directly from the God of Communication and Commerce. The Greek counterpart, Hermes, which is the Greek’s name of Mercury (the same Mythology character depicted by two separate and different genres), was the ruler of communication between the Gods and the dead.
The Roman mythology character was known as the God of Speed (adapted by Mercury’s quick jaunts around the sun compared to its outwardly cousin planets). The Greek contemporary, Hermes, was known as an “escort” or guide to the Underworld, which, the Mythological God often fell in love with the Divine Feminines that were sent to the underground.
This created somewhat of a personality that Mercury/Hermes was a narcissistic trickster with the Greek understanding of the character. In Indian Astrology, Mercury is called Budh – from the word Budhi – which is translated into conscience or understanding right from wrong about personal behavior.
The planet Mercury rules communication, travel, technology, language, transportation, commerce and the act of trade and barter. Mercury enters retrograde approximately four times a year, and because of its frequent retrograde stages (not revolving, appearing to go backwards)
We often site the retrogrades as the reason why our technology fails, computers, phones and appliances break, the airplane and travel schedules are frequently canceled or delayed, and that we must check contracts, texts and emails before we send incorrect data or sent to the wrong person.
Mercury in Retrograde has seen worldwide phenomena and businesses make valid business decisions around that date. The word Retrograde comes from the Latin word retrogrades, which literally means “backward step.”
As the name suggests, retrograde is when a planet appears to move backward in its orbit, as viewed from Earth. Astronomers refer to this as “apparent retrograde motion,” because it is an optical illusion.
It really is not moving backwards; our naked eye just visualizes it during that time. The speeds of the planet rotation rarely change, just the placement of the planet makes tricks of what we are seeing, changing the way we comprehend the planet’s movement.
Regardless of rotation, the energy that rains down onto our planet dramatically affects electrical currents, and our atmosphere, and causes confusion, disarray and electronic breakdowns and breakdowns in communication.
It lasts for about three weeks with what is known as “preshadow” for approximately four days prior, and “post-shadow” last the same after. The upcoming dates for Mercury in Retrograde for 2023 are as follows, not including pre and post shadow:
- April 21—May 14
- August 23—September 15
- December 13—January 1, 2024
There is controversy surrounding Mercury in Retrograde, as if its energy is truly penetrating our magnetic field, however, astrologers and those that live by the esoteric movement surely believe that mail, electronics, appliances, communication, written word gets jumbled, and augments, lost luggage, lost items, car troubles are noticeably increased during those time spans.
Mercury rules youth (sometimes we call it the planet of naivety because of its youth-based origins and energy of making us feel playful and daring, and sometimes silly at times.) It also presides over a wide variety of our body parts: our tongue, mouth, our bronchial tubes and ears.
It is a planet that overseas our main nervous system without getting medically technical, our nervous system is the main communicator to the brain on how and if our main organs are properly functioning; another reason why the planet of Mercury is the Great Communicator.
Personality Traits of the Planet Mercury
Where Mercury falls in your personal natal chart is individually calculated. However, the planet spins above all of us, and certainly when Mercury goes retrograde, our daily routines are affected dramatically – regardless of what signs you possess and where in your chart it lands.
Mercury is the ruler of two astrological signs – Gemini and Virgo. Mercury as the ruler of Gemini, the twin’s planet and the planet of opposition and duality – reminiscent of Mercury taking Gods from the Godlike world down into the underground; it rules the intellectual side of our brain and curiosity.
In Virgo, Mercury rules organization, methodical thinking, sometimes to the point of obsession with color coding, alphabetical sequence, and all inanimate objects facing in the same direction. Both the signs of Gemini and Virgo are master communicators, both in business and in persuasive conversations with close romantic partners, friends and family.
Mercury is the planet that initiates a a dire thirst for history. It is the planet of research and searching for clues and methodology that makes matters happen. It ensues a connection to times gone by, records and chronicles of books that are typically memoirs.
Mercury rules our need to be detail oriented, our methodical thought process, and the way we schedule our routines, our meetings, our calendars. It’s the planet that triggers our need to see where things are going and blueprinting how to get there.
In a sense, the planet Mercury is our Mission Statement if our personal lives were conducted as a business; everything we do should always lead back to our Mercury or the way we honor our formal platform – almost as if it governs our daily habits.
Mercury is fun-loving and gives us our wit. It is the planet that governs our sense of humor and our innate need to laugh and sees things from both sides (duality) which is what most jokes are made of.
It is the funny planet and give us the energy of being playful. It is the planet that gives us a storytelling attitude (beginning, middle, and end with a punch line.) This is one of the planets of jokes, practical jokes, witty humor, satire, and twisted endings to stories and movies. Mercury is the prankster planet, appealing to our inner need to look at our own behaviors and laugh.
Mainly, the planet of Mercury is all about all forms of Communication. It is how we present ourselves in the communication platform (written, oral) as well as how we communicate to ourselves and about ourselves on the inside. It’s our planet that oversees how our brain and our heart remain on different pages or somehow magically get on the same page.
It represents all forms of communication – and public speaking, and is connected to electronics, appliances such as computers, phones, tablets, etc. It is the planetary energy that we pull upon when we need confidence for public speaking.
The planet Mercury is associated with business and commerce, business deals (all start with communication and negotiation), and business transactions. It is the planet of business acumen – and governs online Crypto Currency, Banking, Trade and Negotiations.
In the world of careers, those with heavy Mercury in their chart, or those that connect down here with the planetary energy of Mercury can follow the career paths of marketing, public relations, communications, magazine/newspaper publishing, online writers, script writers, comedic writing in movies, jokes, monologues, public speaking, teaching, psychology, therapy, mediation, law and politics, business, retail, trade and commerce.
The planet Mercury is said to reign anxiety and panic disorders, overthinking, control and domination, and OCD – mostly because those connected with Mercury find themselves trapped in their mind going over details to absurdum.
Because Mercury rules the automatic nervous system which produces our flight or fight response towards danger, fear or stress, it is our natural defense mechanism that kicks in and simultaneously might also trigger some physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, stomach aches, shortness of breath, clenching of teeth and jaw, outward skin blotches and hives, etc.
Mercury’s color is green. Although the color green aligns itself with natural, soothing, a sense of belonging, and calmness (think green room before an actor goes on stage, it is the moment.
Zen before adrenaline kicks in) the color green to the planet of Mercury is more about being highly analytical, perfection, logical, quick response, overall concepts, explanations that make sense both logically and spiritually, correct answers on an exam, and understanding the who, what, where, when, why and how of every situation.
Mercury in Gemstones
Crystal gemstones that are associated with the planet Mercury include Emerald Green Tourmaline, Peridot Fluorite and Jade. These special gemstones connect mind with thought, and thought with communication.
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Jade, readily associated with wealth, money, power and stability is also a Mercuric personality.
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Fluorite is also associated with mercury and will help counteract anxiety and declutter our mind and organize our thoughts with its healing power. It is a gemstone that helps with clarity and declutters our thoughts. Its strength gives its wearer the ability to organize our feelings, and beliefs, and to calm breathing and focus on one thought at a time. This gem replaces order from disorder.
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The gemstone Peridot is imperative for peaceful sleep, calming anxiety while we sleep, and providing serenity in our daily wild ride. It also regulates blood pressure.
Mercury in Tarot
Mercury Rules the signs of Gemini which represents the Lovers Card in tarot, and the sign of Virgo which denotes The Hermit in tarot – both cards are major arcana, which is divine’s pathway in the tarot deck. The Lovers, once named The Choice in traditional tarot, is the perfect card of duality, Adam and Even in the garden of Eden.
Eve near the Tree of Life and the temptress snake and the apple that started it all, and Adam, near the Tree of Knowledge both naked with vulnerability and innocence. Coming down from the heavens is Archangel Rafael symbolizing healing especially from sins of fallen angels.
Lovers is often romantic, but it can speak about friendships, family ships, work relationships, and how we all need to be vulnerable to show our real selves before any relationship can materialize. A volcano stands between representing a phallic symbol of intimacy, and explosion and eruptions of procreation.
The Hermit, the novice who goes into Hermit mode, releasing itself from the day to day to go within and search for truth and answers. It is a card of withdrawal from both intimate relationships, career and life’s day-to-day to regroup.
The Hermit card does not represent being lazy or bored; it is a card of proactively seeing life through a different vantage point by taking yourself away from the rat race to regroup, think, and explore.
It is a card of spiritual awakening, a card of elevation and a card of expanding knowledge. It is also a card of furthering education and seeking knowledge once previously unknown. It is about learning a language.
It is deeply a spiritual card that allows the mind to expand (sometimes with the aid of iowaska, or other hallucinogens.) The Hermit mode can also be something as simple as laying on a grassy lawn and staring up the sky, creating animals and other objects from the sky as you allow your mind to drift into a land of minimal.
By Michele Tell
Spiritual Advisor to Karma and Luck
Licensed in the Psychic Arts
