Mercury to Mercury: How I Say it and How You Hear it!

The placement of Mercury for you and another person will determine how you communicate with one another, enhancing both understanding and misunderstanding depending on the placements (sign and house) of Mercury. This article will look at Mercury to Mercury interactions in charts and discuss how they may present in real-life interactions: romantically, between friends, employers/employees, and family. 

Mercury to Mercury

Mercury is the point of communication in our birth chart.  It represents how we project our thoughts and interpret the thoughts of others, how we speak and how we listen.

Some placements make flow easy, others are combative, and some are frustrating. Knowing Mercury in your chart and the other person’s chart can help increase understanding and minimize misunderstanding.

Mercury: How you Say It, Think It, and Interpret It!

When I used to teach critical thinking classes in college, I would spend a lesson on interpretation. On the blackboard, then the whiteboard, then the projected computer screen, I would draw a stick figure.  Around this figure, I would draw a circle, which I labeled the “field of interpretation”.  Each of us has one.  When we speak, thoughts move from our minds, through our mouths, and out from our “field of interpretation”.

We think and say things with a certain intention, and we use words that range from precise to ambiguous.  People around us have their own “fields of interpretation” that may or may not be similar to ours.  Many can be radically different.  Astrology offers us a 12-category set of fields that allow us to define our “field of interpretation” through the influence of the signs.

An Aries “field of interpretation” (Mercury) will say it, think it, and interpret it very differently than a Taurus Mercury, but more in alignment with a Leo Mercury.  Why?  Aries is a fire sign and Taurus is an earth sign; these elements and energies are fundamentally different.  Leo happens to be a fire sign, like Aries, so elementally they are the same.  However, within the fire category, Aries Mercury and Leo Mercury are quite different.

If you have ever seen two people disagree, but do so in the same way or with the same communication style, there is a good chance they either have the same Mercury, but distinctly different placements of other key points (like the Sun or Moon or Ascendant) or they have Mercury in the same element but not the same sign.

How Mercury in the Signs Says It, Thinks It, and Interprets It

In order to find out where Mercury is in your design, you will need to get your chart cast for the day, time, and location where and when you were born. The chart will contain the following symbol somewhere around the wheel and it will be in a certain sign and house.

My Mercury is in Aries in the 6^th House at 10 degrees and 55 minutes (10d55m):

Mercury in Aries

Mercury in Aries says it “directly”, thinks it “independently”, and interprets it to “do something with it”.

Mercury in Taurus

Mercury in Taurus says it “cautiously”, thinks it “conservatively”, and interprets it in terms of “security and stability”.

Mercury in Gemini

Mercury in Gemini says it “cleverly”, thinks it “from every angle”, and interprets it “instantly”.

Mercury in Cancer

Mercury in Cancer says it “with feeling”, thinks it “emotionally”, and interprets it “through the heart”.

Mercury in Leo

Mercury in Leo says it “dramatically”, thinks it “heroically”, and interprets it “grandly”.

Mercury in Virgo

Mercury in Virgo says it “precisely”, thinks it “precisely”, and interprets it “precisely”.

Mercury in Libra

Mercury in Libra says it “judiciously”, thinks it “thoughtfully”, and interprets it “analytically”.

Mercury in Scorpio

Mercury in Scorpio says it “intensely”, thinks it “secretly”, and interprets its “hidden agenda”.

Mercury in Sagittarius

Mercury in Sagittarius says it “authoritatively”, thinks it “expertly”, and interprets it “judgmentally”.

Mercury in Capricorn

Mercury in Capricorn says it “practically”, thinks it “ambitiously”, and interprets its “chance of success or failure”.

Mercury in Aquarius

Mercury in Aquarius says it “idealistically”, thinks it “unusually”, and interprets it “definitively”.

Mercury in Pisces

Mercury in Pisces says it “mysteriously”, thinks it “globally”, and interprets it “spiritually”.

Aspects of Mercury

Each sign aspects itself and another sign in a particular way when two points are involved, with an individual’s chart or person to person.  These aspects determine how the points will interact energetically; the closer the points are by degree, the more intense the exchange and interaction.

Conjunction

The points are in the same sign (example: Mercury in Aries), so they merge (in this case: the same version of fire).

Semi-Sextile

The points are one sign apart (for example Mercury in Aries and in Taurus), so they subtly influence one another (in this case: fire and nearby earth).

Sextile

The points are two signs apart (for example Mercury in Aries and in Gemini), so they complement one another (in this case: fire and nearby air).

Square

The two points are three signs apart (for example Mercury in Aries and in Cancer), so they conflict with one another (in this case: fire and water).

Trine

The two points are four signs apart (for example Mercury in Aries and in Leo), so they are supporting one another (in this case: fire and fire).

Inconjunct/Quincunx

The two points are five signs apart (for example Mercury in Aries and in Virgo), so they are tweaking one another (in this case: fire and far away earth).

Opposition

The two points are six signs apart (for example Mercury in Aries and in Libra), so they are trying to balance one another (in this case: fire and far away air).

Some Specific Examples

Let’s now consider just a couple of concrete examples.

Mercury in Taurus to Mercury in Libra

In this case, the female client has Mercury in Libra at 24 degrees and the male client has Mercury in Taurus at 21 degrees.  There is an inconjunct/quincunx aspect between the two points by sign and degree (on 3 degrees of separation).  The woman prefers to communicate logically and by relating to the “other” (Libra).  The man prefers to communicate precisely, noting every detail and interpreting with a critical mind (Virgo).

This communication aspect requires constant or, at least, regular periodic review; otherwise, the communication will “just miss” and ultimately aggravate the two of them.  Unless they “stay on top” of their communication process, there will be ample opportunity for misunderstanding and “assumption” frustration.

Mercury in Aries to Mercury in Cancer

In this case, the female client has Mercury in Cancer at 7 degrees and the male client has Mercury at 25 degrees in Aries.  There is a square aspect by sign, but not by degree (they are 108 degrees apart, so between the exact 90 degrees of a square and the exact 120 degrees of a trine).  The woman prefers to communicate emotionally, and the man prefers to communicate directly.

Both these individuals have Mercury in cardinal signs, which means they can both be very forceful but in distinctly different ways.  This energy exchange can lead to out-and-out conflict or significant growth, depending on the level of maturity of the souls involved and the interaction of other points in the chart.

Conclusion

Knowing your Mercury and the people around you regularly, or most closely connected to you, can take you a long way in terms of improved and successful communication, as well as greater understanding as to why communication fails or is a struggle between the two of you.

Read also more about:

• Moon to Moon: Your Heart to My Heart
• Getting to Know Mercury in Astrology
• Mercury Ingress – Twice the Fun in One Month