Following up from the moon cards, we are now looking at Mercury in the Tarot and how this planet influences the cards it is associated with.

As “God’s Messenger”, Mercury is linked to communication, reason and self-awareness.

Other areas of influence are languages, travel, transport, logic and intellect.

In the Tarot, Mercury is linked directly to the Magician, and it may seem obvious why.

It is the Magician, who symbolises the power of communication, presenting ideas, arguing a cause, making a winning sales pitch and so on.

The Magician creates Magick with words, including spells, mantras and affirmations. He is influential but can also be manipulating.

Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo; therefore there is some indirect influence on The Lovers and The Hermit.

The pip cards Mercury is linked to are:

• Eight of Wands (Mercury in Sagittarius)
• Three of Cups (Mercury in Cancer)
• Five of Pentacles (Mercury in Taurus)
• Ten of Pentacles (Mercury in Virgo)
• Six of Swords (Mercury in Aquarius)

How is Mercury’s energy reflected in these cards?

Here are some suggestions:

Eight of Wands – movement, travel, quick thinking, living life in the fast lane, seizing an unexpected opportunity, taking a calculated risk, gaming, travel by air

Three of Cups – communication (social), travelling in a group, building friendships, bonding (also at work), witty conversations, social networking, internet dating

Five of Pentacles – Asking for help, trying to make sense of a negative situation, bad news, mental overwhelm / meltdown, travel delays, being stranded, lost for words, looking for inspiration, learning difficulties

Ten of Pentacles – good organisational skills, nurturing a network of friends/ family / support, being established as an influencer / speaker / advisor, clever with money and long-term investments

Six of Swords – Travel, a new direction will bring clarity, a decision to leave something behind is based on reason and knowledge, fickleness, travel by sea

If you are reading reversed cards, consider thinking “Mercury retrograde”, when these cards show up upside down.

And if a Mercury retrograde is actually taking place while these cards come up in a reading, you can also take that into account.

Here’s an interesting exercise you can do: 

Pick out all the Mercury cards from your deck. Which of the pip cards would you assign to which Major Arcana card?

You can look out for visual clues but also take similar meanings into account.

For example, I see the Six of Swords linked to The Hermit and the Three of Cups with The Lovers.

But it is perfectly fine, if you have different ideas. How do you see the Mercury cards connected with each other?

For this exercise I have created journaling sheets, which you can download from my Tarot Astrology online course page.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane