Cosmic Piñata #5—Mercurial Morsels

©6-16-2010 by Donna Cunningham, a.k.a. Mercury Morgan

 This is Mercury Week on Skywriter, a celebration of the all-too-brief dash of Mercury through its sign, Gemini. We get a mere 15 days of it this year, so let’s make the most of it.  It seems only fitting to revive Mercury Morgan, a pseudonym from back in the day when I wrote scads of articles each month in the 8-9 newsstand astrology magazines.  That was before your time.

 It’s also the  perfect occasion for another Cosmic Piñata, a shower of tidbits from the comment section, emails from my readers and students, and my columns.  This one is a miscellanea of  minutia about Mercury and the sign Gemini.

 Question: A student from China writes, “My Midheaven is in Gemini.  My question is, with such an MC what should I do? Are there any persons with similar MCs for me to study? So far, I am an M.S. student in electrical engineering in Canada. I have been wondering about my career for 2 years even though my graduate GPA is 4.5.  Actually I spend more time on the Internet reading people’s stories (and historical events) in Wikipedia and study their charts than study my major.”

My Answer: “I’ve observed hundreds of clients with a Gemini Midheaven, and find that they easily pick up skills and can easily transfer a set of skills acquired in one line of work to another line of work.  They tend to become bored after a year or two in a job, because they’ve learned everything they can and want the mental stimulation of something new.

“They typically transfer those skills into another career path altogether any number of times in a lifetime.  In past times, this might have been seen as a character flaw—it might have been called “flightiness” or what we call in English “jack of all trades, master of none”. In today’s fast-changing global economy with constant technological advances, however, it is a distinct asset to be able to diversify, to have more than one way of learning a living, and to pick up new skills and technologies easily.

“Another asset many Gemini Midheavens have is their communications skills (the information age), including the ability to talk to people in a way they can understand and relate to and, the ability to pick up languages.  Since they often wind up–after years of learning different fields–as a consultant or a self-employed person with several skill sets, the fact that they can also develop a gift for sales and public relations, and advertising is most useful.    

“As far as your schooling goes, a degree in engineering is a very good background, but look forward to the day that you can  diversify and learn as many skills and fields as interest you, as your lifetime career path is likely to be a winding but interesting one. Also do intensive language programs in English and perhaps in Japanese or Spanish, as the global economy is likely to require you to speak several languages.”

 Related Point: Saturn in Gemini as a vocational indicator tends not to have long-term career goals to stick with because every couple of years a new career interest or direction comes up, and so we accumulate a variety of skills. Over time, that can be an asset, because we can diversify in difficult times like these.

 Q: “Could my Mercury-Pluto square cause a problem with verbal expression?”

A: “Mercury square Pluto certainly could contribute to a problem in verbal expression. Here’s what I would see as the reason. Plutonians have a built-in BS detector, but they get into beaucoup trouble when they talk about what they see. As kids, they get their behinds tanned at home and are sent to the principal’s office at school. Soon, they learn to keep their mouths shut rather than speak out about what’s so glaringly obvious to them. So as adults, they become anxious about expressing things that they know make others uncomfortable and so come to hold back on communication.”

Q:  In an article on septiles, a reader shares, “I have a waning septile between Gemini 6th house moon and Leo 8th house Pluto. I feel that I can analyze emotional issues with some success, and have the ability to perceive and then easily move on following emotional upsets.

A: I would think it could be a helpful combination, as Gemini Moon can intellectualize feelings right out of existence, but Pluto would make you dig deeper. On the other hand, the Gemini Moon could use humor to get the Pluto part to lighten up.

Q: A reader comments: “Your description of your Mercury-Mars septile sounds a lot like the effect of my Leo Mars square Taurus Mercury.”

A: “Yes, all aspects between the same pair of planets (here Mars and Mercury) have certain major qualities in common. They mainly differ in the degree of comfort they have with the combination and in what they do to try to work out any inherent conflicts between the needs and urges of the two planets.”

Q: “I have Saturn conjunct Mercury and have never really considered myself a mercurial type but after reading your descriptions I guess that I am . . . just in a low key way. I’ve been an astrologer/counselor for 30 years and have always been studying something (Enneagram, ACIM, Spanish, etc). I just didn’t relate to the quickness and social lightness of Mercury.”

A: “Saturn-Mercury aspects are a different breed of Mercurial. I find myself rather in awe of them, for they are the true scholars. I’ve had several clients with this aspect over the years who were PhD candidates and yet were convinced they were stupid…an inferiority complex often related to a father or older brother who was brilliant.

‘One of them–a therapy client–was even a PhD candidate in physics and a teaching assistant in a major university, and when she tried to explain to me what her thesis was about, my eyes crossed.

“It’s also associated with classical piano and with mathematicians who play the piano.’

Q:  A reader observes, “I am completely out of patience with all the drama & trauma so many astrologers surround Mercury Rx.”

A: “Me, too!  Mercury Retrogrades–and retrograde periods of other planets as well–are such a part of the seasons and ebbs and flows of our lives.

If we just went pell mell ahead all the time and never took time to reflect on what we’re doing, we’d go deeper and deeper into foolish mistakes. As long as we’re making intelligent use of these periods (see my other posts on Mercury Retrograde), they’re an asset, not something to dread. I’ve had clients call me in complete hysteria because they heard Mercury was going retrograde. Enough already!!!”

Q: A reader observes, “What do you think about that whole theory about Uranus being the “higher vibration” of Mercury? I feel like my close Uranus/Virgo Sun square is often like having my finger in a light socket. Instead of frying my brain, it seems to make it fire, somewhat like an air popcorn popper. There’s a whole rock show going on in my mind at all times.

 A: “That point about Uranus being the higher octave (higher level) of Mercury comes from the Alice Bailey/Theosophy strain of astrology’s history, I believe. I think it’s true but not always the higher version in the highest sense–a strong Uranus can get so wired it’s like Mercury on Crack. There are products in the health food stores called cell salts, and the one that helps sort out that ‘wired’ feeling is Kali Phos. I live on it. ”

Q: “What do you recommend for writer’s block?”

A: “Much of the time, it’s not so much a writing block, it’s just different a way of using Mercury’s energy. Are you putting aside time and energy for writing vs. using up all the energy in gathering information, talking or in working in jobs that rely on communication. You tend not to want to write when you get home from something like that.

“If you want to get any writing done, you need to set aside some time when you turn off the phone, stay off email, ignore the texting, and not talk to people about what you’re GOING to write. My mentor, Rod Chase used to tell me that if I wanted to get somewhere in the field of writing, I had to learn to ‘dam up’ my Mercury energy and channel it into writing.”

Earlier Editions of the Cosmic Piñata Column:

• The Cosmic Piñata, Part 1 — Saturn Transits and Insights into the Houses
• The Cosmic Piñata #2: Treats from other Astrology Blogs
• Cosmic Piñata #3: A Plutonian Potpourri
• Cosmic Piñata #4: Astrological Oddities—or Not?

More Posts about Mercury and the 3^rd House on this Blog:

• How Strong is your Mercury? Here’s the Score!
• Four Kinds of Smart–Which One Are You?
• Things You May Not Know about the 3rd and 12th Houses
• Enough with the Mercury Retrograde Hysteria!
• Why Mercury Retrograde is a Good Thing–Its Helpful Uses
• Funny Quotes and Cartoons about Uranus, Venus, & Mercury
• English for Astrologers–No Astrobabble Please

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