Mercury- The Messenger Of God

Mercury is the planet of communication or the Messenger of God (as according to the Roman mythology). It is known as the winged messenger of God, one who appears and commands us to do what we must. Because of his retrograde nature, he is often portrayed as a trickster. Astrologically, the planet is known as the giver of wisdom and a controller of one's mind. Earlier, the planet known for its speed and elusiveness was said to influence the communication factor in a person's life. But today there are a lot many other aspects too that are attached with the planet's movements.

Position And Effects Of Mercury

Mercury is the closest to the sun and would be found either in the same sign as the sun or just before or after it on the Zodiac. It also rules the signs of intellect Gemini and Virgo.

The planet's positions have a direct impact on the mind, the sign and the house position of a person. It helps one determine his perception of the world and how he must formulate and share ideas that have been formed in his mind. The speech style, pattern, sense of humor, and the quickness of one's mind, all of these depend on the position of the planet.

Position Of Mercury In The Basic Elements:

• Mercury located in the air signs helps develop one's rational and practical attitude.
• In the fire signs, it guides a quick, inspirational and instinctive behavior.
• In the water signs, it proves to be an intuitive and an emotional filter, and
• In the earth signs, tends to make a person sensible and real.

Retrograde Positioning Of Mercury

A few times every year, the planet slows down on its orbit while traveling around the sun and thus creates a backward movement illusion. This optical illusion is called the Mercury retrograde. During the Mercury retrograde position, communication seems to misfire or slow down. At times, this position can even lead to missed calls and technological misunderstandings. This is the main reason why most astrologers warn against starting new projects or signing contracts during Mercury retrograde.

If there is an 'R' next to any planet in your birth chart, then it means that you were born during Mercury retrograde. Such people tend to have a reflective and introvert mind. They also often keep pondering over things and take a lot of time to make decisions.

Knowing One's Mercury Sign

If you know your Mercury sign, then you can find out ways and means to maximize your imaginative potential. Though you still may not be at the same wavelength as the other, your ideas and clues would often be quite unique.

The position that Mercury makes with other planets would help determine whether a person would be talkative, friendly, eloquent, defensive or emotional. Mercury is regarded as the ruler of the 3rd and the 6th houses and governs several aspects of one's life, such as:

• Schooling and education,
• The immediate environment of neighbors,
• Siblings and cousins,
• Transportation over short distances,
• Messages and forms of communication such as post, email and telephone; newspapers, journalism and writing,
• Information gathering skills and physical dexterity.

All in all, you could say that Mercury controls the day to day expressions and relationships of an individual. It is a very opportunistic planet and is quite unemotional and curious too.

Signs of the Zodiac - Basic Features As per Western Astrology
Aries	Taurus	Gemini	Cancer
Leo	Virgo	Libra	Scorpio
Sagittarius	Capricorn	Aquarius	Pisces

Significance Of Planets In Astrology
Mercury	Venus	Earth
Mars	Jupiter	Saturn
Uranus	Neptune	Pluto

Four Elements In Astrology
Air	Water	Earth	Fire