57,909,175 kilometers (35,983,095 miles)
0.241 Earth years 87.97 Earth days)
Composition: Mercury is the second densest planet after Earth, with a large iron core having a radius of 1,800 to 1,900 kilometers (1,100 to 1,200 miles), about 75 percent of the planet’s radius. Mercury’s outer shell, comparable to Earth’s outer shell (called the mantle), is only 500 to 600 kilometers (300 to 400 miles) thick. Mercury’s magnetic field is thought to be a miniature version of Earth’s, but scientists are uncertain of the strength of the field as it speeds through space at nearly 50 km per second, faster than any other planet.
Zodiac Sign Rulership: Taurus, Libra
In the birth chart, Mercury represents the urge to communicate with and exchange information with others. In the mind, it represents our rational thought processes, or the ability to analyse and reach logical conclusions. In the body, it is the nervous system, which coordinates and unifies all the different bodily functions into an organised whole. Mercury can be said to represent electricity in the form of information. Mercury therefore rules all forms of communication and exchange of information, and the ability to organise facts into a consistent view of the world.
In mythology, Mercury is the messenger of the gods and is the closest planet to the Sun. Along with Venus it is one of the inferior planets, that is, its orbit lies within the earths orbit.
Mercury’s sign position and aspects to Mercury in the chart show how one thinks and communicates, that is, the way in which our thoughts are expressed, and the way in which we receive such information from the world around us.
Mercury represents your communication skills and how you think and receive information from others.
If you do not know your Mercury Sign find out with your Soul Profile
Your mind has to be active . .
you want thoughts and words to become deeds rather than be left merely in the realm of ideas so this terrier-like mentality of yours enables you to learn, communicate or teach quickly and effectively. It also confers a flair for selling and promotion. The shortcoming of such cerebral impetuosity though is that you can have a one-sided point of view and a tendency to make decisions before all the facts are considered. You worry at the heels of anyone you’re working with, talking or selling to. It’s not surprising then that there’s a lack of follow through on certain projects. Yet all these could be described as occupational hazards of a mind and tongue that just have to strike while the iron is hot – but a dash of diplomacy would make for smoother, steadier progress.
Your mind that likes . .
to chew things over and so you acquire depth of knowledge as a result of thoroughly enjoying the process of learning – rather as you would a good meal; you also have a taste for the traditional rather than the new fangled. Once something has been learned and assimilated, you will probably never forget it but, should any idea come along that challenges an established concept, you’re very reluctant to accept such an idea. All this confers upon you a practical bent. Either arts and crafts or construction skills come naturally to you or else your practical sense is expressed in handling money or property, or product managing. You’re a steady worker and give value for money. Dependable and reassuring as your conservative way of thinking is, if it’s carried to the extremes of resisting a change in attitude, then others might have to resort to more dramatic or emotional methods to make you bend a little.
Your mind is efficient . .
in that it’s quick and precise, but its quality is only as good as what you feed it with. You can be eloquent or just a gossip, clever or facile, fluent or flippant. It all depends on what you read and the people that you mix with. To avoid incipient nervousness and restlessness, (and possible mischief-making) it is equally important that you actually have something worthwhile to do. This should not be too difficult because you’re a fast learner and can lend your native wits and dexterity to any number of jobs – especially those that involve the use of your tongue or hands.
Your mind is like . .
a pair of feelers or antennae. You pick up all sorts of vibrations and implications sensitively. The problem is that you’ll probably take them personally and get upset – and then get in the bind of wanting to know at the same time as not wanting to know. You have a good memory, which can do things like recall conversations word for word, plus a sympathetic mentality and the way that you speak can have a ‘stroking’ quality that is very agreeable. With such a sensitive perception as yours, it would be well to cultivate a liking for the truth – even though it might hurt – because that’s what you are so capable of sensing. Otherwise, a failure to look at the truth is followed by a failure to identify it just when you need to.
Yours is a creative mind . .
a mind that likes to play and thereby come up with creative ideas. Consequently you can be known for your distinctive and humorous verbal style. You identify strongly with the way you think and take pride in doing so. The price that you pay for such a vital mentality is that of either over playing or under playing your hand; the reason being that you’re frightened of not making a big enough impression, or of looking ridiculous. In the end, you have to have the courage to put your money where your mouth is – and rely upon your undeniably bright mind to pick up the mental thread should you lose it.
Your mind is rather like . .
a precision instrument that can perform more or less any mental task that is set before you. This does, of course, depend on whether you (the owner of that mind) want to do that task. On the other hand though, just because your intellect is so very capable, you can be inclined to try and work out everything in your head – to the point where your mind is running you rather than the other way around. With such a mind as yours, it shouldn’t be too difficult to program your formidable mental machine to turn off occasionally so that you can enjoy the purely physical or emotional aspects of life; and not concentrate too much. Then, not only will it perform its mental tasks better, it won’t be bothering you with such things as insomnia, irritability or being overly critical of others.
The way that you think . .
is based largely on how you feel in relating to others. Consequently, you’re inclined to agree at the expense of failing to contact how you yourself actually feel about a given issue – until later, when you then have to ‘agree’ with someone else. All this results in the person to whom you relate most intimately becoming frustrated because they don’t know which side of the fence you’re on. What they don’t see is that you’re striving to keep the peace amongst a wide variety of people and opinions. However, the point that any close associate is trying to make is that you have to have a yardstick of your own; otherwise no-one will get your measure and they will consequently find you hard to take seriously. This would be a great shame, considering that your decision – when finally made – is the one most likely to be the fairest.
Yours is the mind . .
of the interrogator or spy. So any occupation that needs or uses this kind of delving mentality is bound for some measure of success. This particularly inclines towards psychological, research or police work. You don’t miss many tricks. Your failing, however, is that you can suspect malice of intent where there is none and this can lead to mental convolutions which are almost impossible to work out or work through. It’s likely that you create intrigue in order to keep your mind on its stealthy toes and this is probably okay – just as long as your own mental swordplay doesn’t foil you in the process. Essentially, you have a good, sharp mind, because there’s always something (or someone) that needs looking into so your mental muscle is constantly exercised.
Your mind is searching . .
for a meaning to life and it wants to be employed in a meaningful way. You perceive things with an eye for opportunity and have an enthusiastic way of expressing yourself verbally – although you can say a bit too much on occasions! You have a broad grasp of general life issues and cultural trends that can sometimes cause you to overlook details and mistake opinions for facts. Your vibrant mentality should avoid occupations that make you feel confined or restless and should instead pursue situations which involve travel and/or variety and that have some social significance.
Yours is basically a constructive mind . .
or one that is rather too matter of fact – depending on what you’re using it for, or directing it towards. This is because it’s a methodical mind that likes procedural ways of performing tasks and being in possession of solid facts – so you can make a good coordinator or successful business person. However, it should be noted that there’s an inclination for you to get stuck at one level of thinking, which could lead to intellectual constipation and professional stagnation. To avoid this, incorporate an element of risk, idealism, or the unusual into your normally pragmatic way of going about things. Your inventive, or even wild ideas, (or somebody else’s), are what gets something off the ground. Your innate practical way of thinking comes into its own sorting out snags, paperwork and keeping things on the rails. You have a wry wit and a sense of irony bordering on the wise.
Yours is a scientific and detached mentality . .
Naturally, any occupation that has to do with technology, or deals in clinical facts and figures, is something to which you are well suited. On a more personal level you’re able to stand back and subtract the emotional charge out of a given situation and thereby keep free of awkward feelings. The danger here is that you can become so good at side stepping the emotional significance of things as to attract problems with relationships, and situations in general, whose resolution defies a purely logical approach. By the same token though, you can also be very efficient at keeping a cool head where it’s needed to guide and maintain objectivity in occupations such as advocacy, psychotherapy or group leadership. You also have a quirky sense of comedy!
Yours is a sensitive mind . .
that absorbs information rather than consciously learning it. Ideas and solutions seem to ‘surface’ rather than actually being worked out and this process of ‘mental osmosis’ sometimes causes you to be unsure about whether it’s your own mind that’s doing the thinking. If you’re happy to let your mind be a kind of nozzle, which directs the stream of pictures and words that issues from your fertile imagination, then you’ll be happy with what you do and say. If, however, you have the notion that you must be in logical control of your thought processes, you become adept at poking at the blind-spots and irrational ideas of others – because they seem to threaten your own concept of mental order. But, sooner or later, your imagination will demand its due; that you express your dreams and confront your own doubts in a creative or honest way – otherwise you’ll be driven even further, possibly to suppressing them unhealthily with drugs or alcohol, or with an even fiercer rationality.
