How Mercurial are You?

Aug 25, 202116 min read

Updated: Aug 21, 2023

How Mercurial are You?

We are constantly communicating with one another. Even in a pandemic, we found a way to stay in touch online, and Zoom became a household word. Communication falls under the domain of Mercury and we are all Mercurial in some way. Describing Mercury in each of the twelve signs doesn’t give us the entire picture, but it’s a great start.

Mercury in our individual chart interacts with the other planets to give each of us our unique Mercurial personality. That is what true astrology is about, looking at the entire horoscope or birth chart, and synthesizing the pieces in a way that helps us develop ourselves and grow into better versions of ourselves.

Knowing about our individual Mercury zodiac sign is a great starting point for understanding how Mercurial we are. While it is true some of us may be way more Mercurial than others, none of us are Mercurial-less. This post is about the self-discovery of our Mercurial communication style.

Mercury: The Planet of Communication

Each planet in the sky has an energy quality that reflects information to us about our personal development. We focus a lot on the Sun because it is our personality, and the Moon because it is our security, emotional expression, and instincts. How these two lights express their energy signatures is through the communication style of Mercury. This messenger planet is essential for engaging with society, expressing our needs, and understanding others' needs.

Mercurial communication is both verbal and non-verbal. Our hand movements, eye rolls, and basically all body language, are in the realm of Mercury messaging.

Mercury in the Astrological Zodiac

Just like the Sun and Moon, when you were born, Mercury was traveling through one of the 12 zodiac signs. The sign that Mercury was traveling through when you were born is like a filter for your communication style. It will color all of your expressions, verbal and non-verbal.

In the astrology chart, Mercury never travels more than one sign before or after the Sun. So that narrows it down to 3 possible zodiac signs Mercury was expressing through when you were born.

What I mean by ‘expressing through’ is that Mercury has its own energy expression, and that is communication, your learning style, and all matters of the mind. Mercury expresses that energy through the zodiac sign it is traveling through. For example, if Mercury was traveling through Leo when you were born, he is communicating in a Leo way.

Now what is really interesting is that the sign before and the sign after any zodiac Sun sign is usually pretty different. If your Mercury zodiac sign is different than your Sun sign, you have a different expression quality than the zodiac sign of your Sun. So when people say ‘I’m nothing like my Sun sign’ it’s highly likely that their Mercury is in a different sign than the Sun.

All the planets have a dynamic expression style that will indicate the extent of similarity or incongruence of the different aspects of your personality. You could have Mercury expressing through the same zodiac Sun sign you were born under. Like in this Leo example, you could also be a Leo Sun. Then your communication style is very much in sync with your core self.

The Importance of Mercury

Learning more about your Mercurial communication style can help you understand better why you tend to be more outspoken or shy. Why you may be a daydreamer or detail-oriented.

Understanding your Mercury allows you to embrace the unique you. Think about peer pressure or family pressure, or any type of pressure to present yourself in a different way than feels comfortable to you. Astrology is a way to find understanding, logic, and acceptance of your unique communication style by learning about Mercury in your chart.

One of my top reasons why I started learning astrology and stayed with it, is because of how it helped me understand my unique qualities. It helped me stop comparing myself to how others are and allowing myself to be uniquely me.

While others think they have our best interests in mind. They often can’t understand others who operate differently than themselves, and consciously or unconsciously pressure others to behave in the same way they have achieved success or comfort level in their mode of communication.

By understanding yourself better, you build the confidence to communicate in your style, your way. Being honest, true, and authentic to yourself is the greatest gift you can give yourself in life.

Mercury’s physical relationship to the Sun is unique in that it always stays close to the Sun. Most planets do not have a relationship like this where we can narrow it down to them being in one of three signs. In Mercury’s case, we can. So below, I will describe the three different sign possibilities for Mercury by your Sun sign. I bet you can spot yourself right away if you don’t already know your Mercury sign.

Before we get into your sign, let’s take a look at some of the most well-known archetypal ways Mercury shows up in life. In addition to the domain of communication, Mercury is the planet we look to for commerce, how we make business deals, and our learning style.

Mercury Archetypes

Stepping beyond astrology for a moment, we can get a better understanding of this planet by looking at its mythology and archetypes. He goes by different names: Roman Mercury, Greek Hermes, and Egyptian Thoth.

Some of the most common Mercurial archetypes are the Chameleon, the Magician, the Jester, and the Messenger. With shadow archetypes of the Trickster, the Deceiver, the Disruptor, and the Thief.

He is the original wild card, can be passive or proactive, and is changeable at any time. Mercury takes on qualities based on the moment and who or what interactions are presented at the time.

Mercury in pure form is freedom-oriented and symbolizes our ability to change and get ourselves out of a rut. This is symbolized by the caduceus carried by Mercury. The two serpents or snakes on the caduceus represent the dual nature of this planet.

We live in a dual nature. We can’t have good without bad, night without day, up without down. As the two serpents slither around the staff, they change places and represent change, transformation, crossing boundaries, and that things do not stay static. These are Mercurial qualities.

The usage of coins or money is associated with Mercury or Hermes as well. The use of coins as a money exchange resulted in a huge societal shift. Any person or commoner could exchange a coin for something they wanted, moving away from the trade or gift exchange. Those coins opened up commerce to the world and the ability to break through territorial boundaries.

We see Mercury as the Messenger archetype with the ability to break through boundaries and cross over to other worlds. You can find many stories in the mythology of how Hermes can travel to the Underworld and to the Heavens, where no other mortal can travel.

Consider Mercury, the metal, and its ability to remain fluid at room temperature. The quality of fluidity is associated with Mercury like its corresponding metal. Metal is melted into currency, the coins that resulted in opening trade and commerce.

He takes on different roles and fluidly adapts to situations like a Chameleon. And through his clever wit, can organize, trick, convince, or use a sleight of hand like a Magician, Trickster, or Deceiver to transform any situation to his or her advantage.

Mercury in Your Personal Chart

There are three possible signs Mercury can be in when you were born. Below I describe the three possible Mercury zodiac signs based on your birthday Sun sign. If you already know yours, find your Sun sign and then read for the zodiac sign your Mercury is in.

If you don’t know your Mercury sign, go to your Sun sign below, which is based on your birthday. Then read for the three possible signs of Mercury and see which one fits you best.

If you want to look at your chart to find out, you can reach out to me. Or use a free online astrology chart generator like this one.

Aries Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Pisces, Aries, or Taurus in your personal horoscope.

In Pisces, Mercury will take on a dreamy daydreamer quality. In this expression, there is more sensitivity to others, almost on a psychic level. There can be less attention paid to the material world and more to fantasy.

In Aries, impulsive words are spoken as the mind processes them. Maybe even before. Hot-headed Aries may be the cliche ‘foot in mouth’ with Mercury in Aries. As if a Sun Aries isn’t impulsive enough, now the communication mode is also Aries-like.

With a double dose of Aries, you can be sure that what you say is what you mean. You don’t hold back on your opinion and can lead a crowd or get them going. You can be quick to anger, so watch out for saying how you feel, but later regretting how you said it.

In Taurus, a Sun Aries has some balance toning the drive for communicating as fast as possible. Taurus likes a steady pace and will mentally help Aries Sun to stop and think before reacting.

As an Aries Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Taurus Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Aries, Taurus, or Gemini in your personal horoscope.

In Aries, Taurus may be quick in response and have a sharper tongue than the typical steady and stable Taurus. You will enjoy a mental challenge and can be passionately creative.

Taurus with a Taurus Mercury will no doubt love your routines. Your mental approach is practical and you tend to go with facts rather than your instincts. There is a chance of becoming stubborn and fixed on your ideas and can be quite happy going through life following a structured routine and a stable pace.

You have a superb aesthetic sense and taste. You may or may not be aware of how refined your tastes are. It is likely you have created a cozy and comfortable home, no matter how large or small. Physical comfort is key to your mental health.

In Gemini, Taurus is more chatty and would make a great instructor for how to get things done. The adaptability of Gemini opens your mind and combines creativity with mental agility. You are one of the more talkative Taurus and would make a great educator.

As a Taurus Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Gemini Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Taurus, Gemini, or Cancer in your personal horoscope.

In Taurus, your communicative nature takes a more serious and practical tone. Your curious nature will be filtered through your communication style to be more pragmatic, cautious, and consistent. Aesthetics and your physical senses take a greater importance.

Mercury is home when traveling through the sign of Gemini giving your double-natured sign a boost in curiosity and chattiness. Good luck to anyone else trying to get a word in. Your mind will be quick leaving your mouth to catch up.

Sometimes you won’t be able to get all the words out that flood your brain. You have a lot to share, can be quite entertaining, and love a good joke, or two, or three. Watch both sides of your mouth, as they will be busy, and may not always say the same thing.

In Cancer, a Gemini Sun will be more sensitive to how your words affect others. Your communication expression will take on a gentle and kind approach. You are gifted with intuitive sensitivity and want to be careful how your words affect others.

As a Gemini Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Cancer Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Gemini, Cancer, or Leo in your personal horoscope.

In Gemini, your compassionate nature is easily expressed. You are less likely to retract into your shell with Mercury in one of its home signs. You have extra sparkly leadership gifts and clever communication responses with this placement.

Mercury in Cancer for a Cancer is a super compassionate soul who really plugs into other's feelings. You could be an empath, where you actually (physically) feel others' feelings. It’s important to learn to separate what is yours and what isn’t with this gift. You have gifts for working as a healer or in a service field.

Mercury in Leo is like having creative flair on top of your compassionate nature. You are unlikely to be shy like some other Sun Cancers. You will want to stand up for what’s right and take on leadership roles in a creative way where you are recognized for your work.

As a Cancer Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Leo Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Cancer, Leo, or Virgo in your personal horoscope.

In Cancer, you are sensitive to what others think about you and strive to please. You may be all about your children or creative projects. You have super intuition and just know the right thing to say. You know how to weave words together in a way that people want to listen to you.

In Leo, you shine bright and your expression is truly and uniquely your own. This is one of the most creative combinations in the zodiac. Your creative juices flow through you and you are able to express yourself with ease.

You will likely experience creative success and try to stick to the same plan ongoing. This may get you stuck in a creative mental rut every now and then needing a reminder to open your mind and zoom out.

Overall, you have a combination that exudes confidence, charm, and grace. You can be very generous and kind. But if you do not get your proper recognition, you can roar loud like the lion in the jungle.

In Virgo, you can be a creative expert with vision and execution skills. This placement shows off your creativity with adept analytical skills and ability to oversee large projects. Your creativity has a practical and adaptable outlet to coordinate anything your heart desires.

As a Leo Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Virgo Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Leo, Virgo, or Libra in your personal horoscope.

In Leo, you can give a creative voice to anything, no matter how exciting (or not) the subject matter is. Virgo’s tend to love working with details, and with Mercury Leo, you have a flair for communicating your work in a creative and interesting style.

In Virgo, you are the analyst extraordinaire. There is no project that you can’t handle and you won’t miss a single detail. Your personality and communication style are totally in sync. Virgo is one of Mercury’s favorite signs to travel through and will bless you with excellent mental endurance.

This bonus double placement will undoubtedly make you feel like you are smarter than everyone else. Best to keep that to yourself and let your work stand for yourself. Though you may find yourself working behind the scenes, or in a scientific field, you will likely get recognized for your invaluable work.

In Libra you tend to take on a desire to please others. You are considerate with how you say things and will want to be inclusive. Your communication expression will take on a diplomatic tone. The aesthetic environment is important to your senses. You will want to take care that your senses are pleased in order to do your best work.

As a Virgo Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Libra Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Virgo, Libra, or Scorpio in your personal horoscope.

In Virgo, your motivation for justice and appreciation of the arts is amplified by your quick mind and attention to detail. When you set your mind to something, you accomplish it with grace. You may find yourself in high demand for your skill in visioning AND getting things done.

In Libra, you have a double dose of diplomacy. Your mediation skills are top-notch. You may find yourself working in the justice system, including being a lawyer or judge. No other combination is as fair and diplomatic as this placement.

Even if you don’t work in the justice field, it’s likely your friends, family, community, and co-workers seek your counsel for your fair and non-judgmental point of view. Honesty is a virtue with you and you take this value very seriously. Watch for your tendency to put others’ needs ahead of your own.

In Scorpio, you want to get to the bottom of things and find the truth. Hidden truths are especially interesting to you. You like to learn a variety of things that are interesting to you, which leaves you with a large memory bank of miscellaneous knowledge that you draw from throughout your life.

As a Libra Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Scorpio Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Libra, Scorpio, or Sagittarius in your personal horoscope.

In Libra, you display a diplomatic approach in your verbal expression. Your intense Scorpioness is filtered through social Libra who tends to always think about how others will respond.

The social communicative nature may throw people off from how serious and deep of a person you really are. Scorpio can use that to your advantage to get people to listen to the important messages you have to share.

In Scorpio, you have a double dose of perception skill. Nothing gets by you. You will collect mounds of data in the vault of your mind, and draw upon information as needed to get your point across.

Your vast knowledge, profound thinking, and ability to synthesize information makes you top notch in your chosen field. You could actually be a detective, or find that your ability to research and fit together the pieces of a puzzle works to advance you in all life areas.

In Sagittarius we find the most lighthearted version of Scorpio Sun. Your style of communication takes on humor and opens your mind to others ideas making you more adaptable around differing points of views.

Having a Sag communication expression can be likened to a philosopher who loves to question everything and engage in deep conversation socially. You exude an air openness not seen in all Scorpios, who can sometimes tend toward stubbornness, but may need to practice more listening than talking at times.

As a Scorpio Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Sagittarius Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Capricorn in your personal horoscope.

In Scorpio, the usually happy-go-lucky Sag takes on a more intense communication style. Not one to waste words in idle talk, but prefer to talk about subjects that are profoundly interesting, philosophically deep, and important to you.

This placement can ground Sagittarius and give them an edge when it comes to digging deeper into subjects as needed. This can be especially useful in your career or volunteer projects.

In Sagittarius, well let the fun begin! Sag is known for having a great appetite and appreciation for experiencing life. Not one to be on the sidelines, but in the middle of the action. There is no shortage of woo-hoos in your communication style.

Sag can also get on a soapbox for a cause close to your heart. You can be an inspiring spokesperson, educator, or salesperson as long as you believe in what you are talking about. Others will believe you because you are so good at presenting your viewpoints.

In Capricorn is where Sag really gets serious about expressing your point of view. This placement adds a tone of determination in communication and expression. There is no mountain you cannot climb. You don’t turn away from a challenge, and you are driven to achieve.

As a Sagittarius Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Capricorn Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Sagittarius, Capricorn, or Aquarius in your personal horoscope.

In Sagittarius, your verbal style is laid back and easygoing, which can be misleading to others about your sincerity, you are very serious. It can also open up a large audience ready to listen to you because of your enthusiasm.

The Sag voice and the Capricorn determination together can make an inspirational leader. A force to be reckoned with, and an overachiever. You may not realize how many doors open up because of your Sagittarius style of communication.

Capricorn Sun expressing through Capricorn Mercury is one of the most serious combinations in the zodiac. With steely determination and a refusal to veer off course, you do as you say and say as you do. We can expect facts and no fluff from you.

Your determination will clearly come through in your communication style. This will help you weed out those who are not on the same page as you so you can get down to business. There is a time and place for fun and Capricorn knows this well.

In Aquarius, we can expect a determined innovator. Perhaps even someone who develops ideas and products ahead of their time. With devoted determination, this combination can greatly impact their environment. Whether it’s work, volunteering, family, or community.

As a Capricorn Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Aquarius Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces in your personal horoscope.

In Capricorn, you clearly express the vision you have for living life, your work, and your ideals. Though you are known to be eccentric and innovative, Mercury expressing through Capricorn will help you articulate your thoughts in a structured and practical manner.

A double dose of Aquarius makes you one of the most innovative, rebellious, and stubborn combinations. You can be stubborn in your ideals and rebellious for causes you believe in. Your communication style will certainly create curiosity among those listening.

This is a highly intelligent combination and it’s likely you excel at what you put your mind to. Remember that when you are communicating to speak in layman’s terms. This is the signature of the scientist, who is trying to explain a genius idea without jargon.

An Aquarian with Mercury expressing through Pisces has one foot in the mundane world, and one in the collective unconscious. You are likely to receive brilliant bolts of insight and spend a significant amount of time by yourself working through your ideas. You could be an inventor, by profession, or by hobby.

As an Aquarius Sun, which of the above three expressions do you relate to? If you already know your Mercury sign, think about how the sign helps express your sun sign.

Pisces Sun

Mercury is in one of these three signs: Aquarius, Pisces, or Aries in your personal horoscope.

In Aquarius, you are a visionary who can put dreamy visions into actionable ideas. You can certainly be a dreamer. It’s a beautiful quality to be able to dream without boundaries, and then run those dreams through a rational mind for communicating these visions.

In Pisces, we have the visionary without boundaries and limiting beliefs of what could be. What you can vision and express is beyond words sometimes and needs to be expressed through an artistic medium. You may communicate more through art, dance, or music than words.

The muses are living forces who indulge you in their divine inspiration daily. Your communication style may take on other nonverbal forms like your dress style or through the healing work that you do. There is an other-worldly spiritual quality that is noticeable about you.

In Aries, the Pisces Sun expresses with great passion. Aries likes to move fast, and when trying to communicate through this sign you may struggle with articulating the colorful and spiritual messages that words do not do justice.

You may try to convey yourself so quickly that you can’t get the words out, or they come out fast, cryptic, and mystical, and people don’t understand you. With your adaptable nature, you will develop unique ways of expressing yourself.