In episode 307 astrologer Jo Gleason joins the show to talk about the meaning of the planet Mercury in astrology, and what it signifies in a birth chart.
This is the third installment in our series where we do a deep dive into the significations of each of the planets and their meanings in astrology.
We anchored the discussion by reading through a series of excerpts about Mercury from different ancient and modern astrologers, including Vettius Valens, Abu Ma’shar, William Lilly, Reinhold Ebertin, Steven Forrest, and Richard Tarnas.
We then used these passages as jumping off points for an extended discussion about some of the deeper meanings of Mercury, and the role that it plays in chart interpretation, especially in combination with other planets.
For more information about Jo check out her website:
This episode is available in both audio and video versions below.
Significations of Mercury Excerpts
Here is the document we read through in this episode that contains excerpts from different astrologers on the significations of Mercury:
Significations of Mercury Excerpts
Timestamps
Here are some timestamps for topics covered at different points in the episode:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:30 Mercury dignities diagram
00:04:20 Vettius Valens significations
00:09:54 Mercury’s adaptability
00:10:54 Comparisons between Mercury and the Moon
00:13:00 Mercury Retrograde
00:14:00 Mercury as a go-between
00:17:00 Mercury’s primary function
00:20:00 Mercury never more than one sign away from the Sun
00:21:08 Eminem’s chart
00:21:28 Mercury and communication
00:24:16 Joe Biden chart
00:27:00 Mercury’s different communication styles
00:28:24 James Earl Jones chart
00:31:40 Maya Angelou chart
00:33:05 Jo’s chart
00:35:10 Mercury stations in secondary progression
00:38:10 T.S. Eliot chart
00:39:08 Mercury Mars
00:42:20 Virgo rising
00:44:18 Virgo placements
00:45:10 Gemini vs. Virgo
00:47:00 Steve Wozniak’s chart
00:48:20 Steve Jobs’ chart
00:50:30 Mercury getting stuck on details
00:55:22 Edward Snowden chart
00:56:20 Gemini placements
01:00:08 Anthony Bourdain’s chart
01:02:20 Divination
01:06:25 Numbers
01:07:06 Skilled with hands
01:08:02 Paradox
01:08:31 Humor, riddles, comedy
01:11:28 Abu Ma’shar significations
01:16:20 Mercury’s neutrality
01:18:15 Mercury and Uranus similarity
01:19:38 William Lilly significations
01:28:58 Reinhold Ebertin significations
01:31:24 Steven Forrest significations
01:33:23 Richard Tarnas significations
01:34:50 Rationalization qualities
01:43:08 Mercury Neptune
01:47:20 Mercury Uranus
01:56:10 Mercury Jupiter
01:58:40 Tem Tarriktar chart
02:01:40 Mercury in Virgo and Editing
02:02:26 Alois Treindl’s chart
02:03:00 Richard Tarnas’ chart
02:05:22 Jupiter stabilizing, Mercury destabilizing
02:09:09 Basic Nature of the Planets diagram
02:11:26 Jo’s website and social media
02:12:20 Closing remarks
Watch the Video Version of This Episode
Watch the video version of this episode on Mercury in astrology on YouTube:
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Transcript
A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 307 transcript
Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:14:20 — 123.3MB)
Hello Chris! This was such a great episode! I am not one to usually write comments but I wanted send Kudos! As a Virgo Ascendant, I really enjoyed this deep dive into the nature of my ascendant ruler. I especially enjoyed the part of the discussion, in which all compared Jupiter in Mercury and noted that these combined energies had the capacity to successfully integrate the marco and micro perspectives, as I also have a Sagittarius sun and often feel the contrast of leaning into my beliefs, and also worrying about the practical reality of it all, and sometimes find myself wondering what’s it all for! There was One thing that was missing from your in-depth discussion that I was hoping to get some insight on as it relates to Mercury. I admit that I am nitpicking here, given that you traced the history of Mercury’s signification since the times of Valence, but in true Virgo Ascendant fashion I just wanted to note this detail! in your analysis of the blended energies between Mercury and the outer planets, you all neglected to go into a pronounced examination of Pluto / Mercury significations. I was especially looking forward to this as i have a Mercury Conjuct Pluto in Scorpio in my natal chart. I was hoping to hear more on this dynamic, as Uranus and Neptune were each acknowledged in this manner. I’m not sure if sharing this will really make a difference or if you’ll see this message but I just want to send along this note in the hope that it will get back to you. I just enjoyed this conversation so thoroughly that I can’t help but shoot my shot and see if I could extract a bit more astrological knowledge from you! In any event, thank you for all of the work you do and the knowledge you share ! I just started listening to you this year and you are now a staple in my weekly podcast consumption! Kindest regards, Shavonda
Hello Chris,
This was an excellent episode focusing on the Virgo aspects of Mercury. Although I don’t like to complain, well, maybe a little as I am Gemini rising with Mars conjunct the ascendant coupled with the bluntness of a Sagittarius sun, I must say that the Gemini aspects of Mercury were woefully underrepresented in this episode. I too have a healthy respect for the organizational skills and attention to detail of our Virgoan friends as well as their many other admirable qualities, but do Geminis not have some redeemable qualities that deserve some attention? I am also Canadian so I’m going to apologize for this note, but I feel you should know. I wish to stress this was an excellent episode, which was very informative and quite useful. I will survive if the Geminis remain underrepresented, but I thought I should let you know on behalf of my fellow Gemini risers. Thank you for listening.
C