Mercury energy; Ruler of Virgo and Gemini “I analyze” “I think”

Mercury

Aspects:

Weekday: Wednesday

People: Educated persons, Students, Accountants, astrologers, Artisans

Birds: Parrot

Creatures: Cat

Foods: Mung Beans

Plants: Fruitless Trees, Green Leaves

Colours: Green

Cloth: Immaculate and clean

Metals: Brass

(Originally appearing in Crow’s Calling)

Mercury, much like the winged messenger of the gods, comes in on feather-light wings and commands us to speak. Communication, intellect and awareness are all within Mercury's domain, as are logic and reasoning, our manner of thinking, and how we create and express our thought processes.

A mercurial nature brings to mind restlessness and motion. Rat-a-tat-tat -- things happen fast here. Mercury is about a quick wit, quick thinking, possibilities, opinions, reasoning and the ability to rationalize things. Mercurial energy can be good or bad, but it will certainly be energizing! This planet also prompts us to move from one thing to the next and to get answers on both a physical and psychological level. Further, Mercury's energy is both dexterous and perceptive.

Mercury is about short trips: a visit to a neighbor or a friend across town, the workaday commute, a weekend getaway. Siblings and transportation in general, are also within Mercury's realm.

Speaking, writing, books, online communications and learning are all within Mercury's domain. This planet implores us to express ourselves often -- and well, when Mercury goes retrograde (it gives the appearance of traveling backward), however, our communications will be challenged.

Mercury is never more than 28 degrees from the Sun; it takes about 88 days to complete its orbit of the Sun. It is neither masculine nor feminine energy and assumes the gender of the sign it is in. It rules both Gemini and Virgo, and the Third and Sixth Houses.

Mercury, Mercury Symbol Glyph the messenger of the gods. Mercury is the messenger in Astrology as it is in Mythology. It is the planet of day-to-day expression and communication. Mercury’s action is to take things apart and put them back together again. It is an opportunistic planet, decidedly unemotional and curious. In modern times, we tend to “meet” people’s Mercury first. Many people make a connection for the first time through e-mails, for example. Mercury rules whether we are flowery in our speech and/or written words, concise in our choice of words or business-like even in our personal communications.

Mercury not only rules communication, it represents coordination. Thought processes, ideas, and sensory information from both conscious and unconscious sources all need to be coordinated and understood. Mercury analyzes, sorts, groups, and makes sense of things. How do we handle nervous energy? How do we express and convey our thoughts? How do we approach others and information in order to learn and exchange ideas? When we are “acting out” our Mercury, we are inquisitive, curious, communicative, and versatile. On the negative side, we can be high-strung or nervous, nit-picky, indecisive, and overly technical. On a personal level, look at Mercury in the birth chart, to reveal how individuals get their point across, how they study, and how they process information.

Mercury by sign shows an individual’s style of communication. By house, Mercury reveals where natives seek to have a voice as well as which areas of life they tend to intellectualize and give a lot of thought to. Mercury colors the planets it aspects with a desire for communication and exchange of information. Similarly, the planets Mercury aspects affect the way an individual communicates. Mercury prominent in a chart points to wit, liveliness, and curiosity.

Ritual

If you want to do Mercury Magic, to improve communication, mental clarity, memory or perception, or if you want to increase your magical and shamanic abilities, I suggest using the herbs and crystals ruled by the energies of Mercury. They help ground this mental energy into the world.

Minerals: Agate, Alexandrite, Aventurine, Green Aventurine, Orange Calcite, Carnelian, Chrysocolla, Howlite, Mottled Jasper, Kyanite, Merlinite, Mica, Snowflake Obsidian, Pumice, Variscite Herbs: Agaric, Alfalfa, Almond, Azaleas, Banana, Bayberry, Bittersweet, Buckwheat, Burdock Root, Caraway, Carrots, Cedar, Celery, Cherry, Cinnamon, Cinquefoil, Coffee, Dill, Echinacea, Elecampane, Fennel, Fern, Flax, Garlic, Gentian, Goat’s Rue, Hare’s Foot, Hazel, Nut, Honeysuckle, Honeywort, Horehound, Jacob’s Ladder, Lady’s Slipper, Lavender, Lemon Grass, Lemon Verbena, Liquorice, Lobelia, Lungwort, Mace, Mandrake, Meadowsweet, Morning Glory, Mountain Grape, Mulberry, Mushroom, Myrtle, Nightshade, Papyrus, Parsley, Parsnips, Pecan, Peppermint, Pistachio, Sage, Sandalwood, Sassafras, Savory, Scullcap, Slippery Elm, Uva-Ursa, Valerian (Be sure to consult a reputable medical herbal book or herbalist before using any herbs topically or internally. These are listed for their magical properties, not medicinal.)

If you would like to attune to the energies of Mercury, here is a simple ritual anyone can do. On a Wednesday, take some grain, seed, cornmeal, sugar or any other powdery substance, and draw a Mercury symbol, a circle on top of a cross, like the female symbol, but with a crescent moon on top of the circle, like horns or antenna. Throughout the day, observe your communications and thoughts. Keep a part of you “detached” and observing your thoughts, words and actions. At the end of the day, write in a journal about all your observations. All of this mental activity, along with self-introspection will align you with the powers of Mercury.

Meditation

Theater, mirror.

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, this Shakespeare's quote is the best characteristic of meditation for this day. Be attentive and aware with people you associate with – they reflects you. In the evening stay alone and try to analyze your communications, behavior patterns, separate positive from negative, make notes. Then start meditation. Imagine the Sunrise coming slowly up the horizon smile to the newborn sunbeams. They touch your body filling it with joy. See yourself in front of you, feed it with Sun energy, fill with sunlight. This is your Ideal image. When the image is completely filled with light direct this light to yourself, filling your aura and all the cells of your body. Merge with truly You. You are this light indeed. Stay in this state until you realize that all your bodies from physical to mental are filled and merged into single light structure.

Strength: Versatile, intellectual

Weakness: Perfectionist