Mercury, also called Hermes by the Greeks, was the messenger of the Gods. The Archetype of Mercury influences the areas of our lives that not only deliver messages, it affects so much more! How we think or use tools is also Mercury. How we move between any two places or ideas or people is so much a part of Mercury that it is considered a hermaphrodite. Mercury is both male and female incorporating parts of both so it can blend the two ends of the road it travels. The metal Mercury, nicknamed quicksilver, shows us the speed and adaptability of this planet no which sign Mercury travels through. Let’s look at the two best and worst signs for Mercury to travel.
How we move between people, places or ideas is also something that is critical to the mutable Zodiac signs. Mutable signs are the glue that hold together the Zodiac where the Cardinal Signs push ever onwards and the Fixed Signs stubbornly maintain their positions. Mercury’s two best and two worst signs tell the tale of the 4 Mutable Signs. In Gemini’s Mutable Air and Virgo’s Mutable Earth Mercury excels but in Sagittarius’ Mutable Fire and Pisces’ Mutable Water, Mercury struggles.
The first sign ruled by Mercury is Gemini shows off the gifts of Mutable Air. Intellect, conversations and adaptability shine as the most changeable element, Air, and the most changeable modality, Mutable, come together. Here Gemini highlights the quick thinking, communication and sometimes tricky and changeable nature of this planet that gives its name to the word mercurial. While Mercury in Gemini embodies the trickster, Mercury in Virgo embodies the crafty trader. While Mercury in an Earth Sign is less flexible than when it is in Air, with the help of the Mutable nature of Virgo, Mercury is able to adapt, repurpose and cobble together whatever it needs to solve a practical issue. The character MacGyver embodies Mercury in Virgo, surprising everyone with his ability to make something value out of scraps and quick thinking. Business, accounting and wealth are aspects usually associated with Virgo, the second sign Mercury rules.
In both Virgo and Gemini, Mercury’s characteristics work well. While Mercury travels through the other two Elements problems may arise. Mercury struggles to handle the active Fire Signs and the emotional Water Signs. The biggest difficulties come when Mercury moves through Sagittarius, Mutable Fire and Pisces, Mutable Water. Mercury can’t use their best skills when faced with the Sag energy which prefers action to conversation and whose love of immersive travel clashes with Mercury’s ruling of short trips. Hard times also come when Mercury moves through dreamy Pisces. Smart and speedy Mercury struggles to keep their focus in slow and spiritual Pisces. The Mercurial snark and cleaver words fail to win over the sensitive feelings that dominate Pisces. Of course, every planet has their best and worst signs. The 4 Cardinal Signs and 4 Fixed Signs are neither the best or worst for Mercury. These other eight signs lay on a continuum between those two wonderful and two challenging placements.
Mercury goes Retrograde most often and for the shortest length of time because it is the closest planet to the Sun. Each retrograde period consists of three parts: an build up, a retrograde and a clean up or return to normal. Learn about those stages here. You can check out my YouTube video as well.