Merrcury is the fastest moving planet in the solar system, but in the geocentric perspective used in astrology it never moves farther than 28° from the sun. Therefore, it still takes about a year to travel through the whole Zodiac.
     In the horoscope, Mercury represents the everyday intellect by which we communicate, make ourselves understood and understand others. Of course, language is a great part of it, but also conscious thought in general.
     There are two planets representing the mind: Mercury handles normal thought, and Uranus is involved in profound speculation. The former is what is at work in us daily, one could say superficially, and we are quite aware of it. The latter is a process that will make us mature toward insight, in due time.

Keywords
Here are the twelve Zodiac signs, and keywords for the character they give to Mercury, i.e. your conscious mind:
    Aries   impatient
    Taurus   slow
    Gemini   quick
    Cancer   moody
    Leo   pompous
    Virgo   critical
    Libra   logical
    Scorpio   cryptic
    Sagittarius   distanced
    Capricorn   categorical
    Aquarius   profound
    Pisces   uncertain


Mercury and its traits. Woodcut by Hans Sebald Beham, from the 1530's.

Ruler
Mercury rules over both Gemini and Virgo, which means that it tends to be the most obvious and enforced in those signs. It exalts in Libra and Pisces. It is a bit weakened and alienated in Taurus, and to a lesser extent in Cancer and Scorpio.

Mercury (Hermes), the messenger god. Statue by Giovanni da Bologna, 1580.

Planet age
Each of the heavenly bodies represents a period in your life of about seven years. In the case of Mercury it is the part of childhood when you learn language in speech and writing, so that you master the primary tool of communication. That's approximately when you're 7 to 14 years old. The position of Mercury in your horoscope reveals what that period of your life is like, generally speaking. This also means that the way you learn to communicate during those years of your childhood is pretty much how you will keep on communicating for the rest of your life.

© Stefan Stenudd, 2008