Mercury from Leo to Virgo: the Devil is in the Details
Named after the Messenger of the Gods, Mercury in Astrology is the planet related to the rational mind, inductive learning, communication, thinking, and problem-solving. The patron of travelers and merchants, Mercury rules over short-term and short-distance travel, commerce, language, and exchanges of information.
Mercury’s journey and retrograde through the Yang, Fixed, Fire sign of Leo inspired us to refine our ability to think and communicate creatively and motivated us to share our ideas with the world rather than keeping them for ourselves. This transit offered us an invitation to discover new channels for self-expression and add more creativity to our everyday lives.
Mercury’s second ingress in Virgo, a Yin, Earth, and Mutable sign is an invitation to direct our attention toward ourselves, engage in self-analysis, and focus on self-observation. This transit reminds us that, as the saying goes, the devil’s in the details, and inspires us to strive for a more efficient and precise management of our daily routines and tasks. Mercury in Virgo supports our ability to solve problems, recognize dysfunctions, and improve functionality in all areas of our lives.
Mercury enters Virgo: Discernment, Critical Thinking, and Self-Analysis
The Messenger is at home in Virgo, the sign associated with the harvest season and the process of separating the wheat from the chaff. Virgo’s connection to harvest symbolizes this sign’s association with discernment and critical thinking and emphasizes the importance of developing and strengthening our ability to analyze, organize, and prioritize appropriately. Mercury in Virgo reminds us of the need to be selective about the thoughts we entertain, the information we consume, the conversations we participate in, what we listen to, and what we learn.
The Messengers’ journey through Virgo is an invitation to get really good at discerning what is true and what isn’t, what is valuable and what isn’t, what is useful and what isn’t, what serves us and what doesn’t. This sign’s association with harvesting is also a reminder of Virgo’s inherent connection to the Earth, the body, and the rhythms of Nature. While Mercury is a planet very connected to the intellect and rational mind, the fact that it has an Earth domicile is a reminder that true learning and understanding are embodied and not merely intellectual.
Mercury in Aspect to Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn
During its journey through Virgo, Mercury is going to align with several planets: Mars in Cancer, Jupiter in Gemini, Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, Uranus in Taurus, and Pluto in Capricorn.
Mercury forms a sextile to Mars on September 11. This aspect supports our ability to assert ourselves and our ideas in a clear, concise, decisive, yet kind and compassionate manner. On September 18, Mercury in Virgo opposes retrograde Saturn in Pisces. The Mercury-Saturn opposition can highlight communication and learning challenges and offer us opportunities to see how our doubts and fears create mental blocks and limiting thinking patterns.
Mercury squares Jupiter in Gemini on September 21. The Mercury-Jupiter square exacerbates the friction between practical, detail-oriented focus and big-picture thinking. This aspect can suggest a tendency to exaggerate, overlook important details, and jump to conclusions too fast and too confidently.
