The word ‘mercurial’ is defined on dictionary.com as: “changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic.” In Vedic Astrology or Jyotish, Mercury is considered a dual planet; it wants to pursue two paths simultaneously. It enjoys having the best of both worlds.
After the Moon, Mercury is the fastest moving planet in the zodiac, staying in a sign less than a month. Its volatile nature keeps it constantly on the move. In Vedic astrology, each planet owns a sign(s), has a place of exaltation or strength, and a place of debilitation or weakness. This past Monday, Mercury moved into Pisces, its sign of debilitation.
Normally, this wouldn’t be any cause for concern, as it happens annually that Mercury is in Pisces. However, this particular transit brings with it an anomaly: the fact that Mercury will stay in Pisces until May 5. Mercury deals with communication (oral, written and technological) commerce, short trips, the intellect, education, and the nervous system in Vedic astrology. How this all plays out individually is contingent one’s person horoscope.
With Mercury in Pisces debilitated, it’s vital to be mindful of how our communication’s delivered and received. Was the intended message received? Was there miscommunication or misinterpretation? Did the desired audience receive your message? For instance, someone with a Virgo ascendant (Virgo is ruled by Mercury) just had one of their social networking sites send out a mass email to all their contacts rather than to the intended few. Think before you speak/write/ tweet/text. With Mercury also controlling the intellect, it may take longer than usual to get clarity on situations.
Mercury is the ruler of the sixth house of the zodiac, which deals with routines. It’s important to maintain healthy routines during this time, or else the nervous system can become quite overtaxed. It is essential to get proper rest, not overwork and spend time out in nature. This is especially important for a Virgo or Pisces ascendant. Since Pisces is the 12th sign of the zodiac, which signifies retreats and spiritual activities, this is great timing to go on a retreat, relax, and rejuvenate.
Mercury’s also the indicator for commerce. So this is not the ideal time to commence a new business or partnership if you’re in a Mercury planetary cycle in Vedic astrology. It can bring association with foreign partners.
There is some relief during this cycle, but it will be a mixed bag. Mercury goes retrograde on March 12, thus giving it some strength. Yet, it will be combust by being very proximate to the Sun from March 18 – 25. Combustion is another sign of planetary weakness; when a planet is too close to the Sun, it loses its own power in the Sun’s effulgence. Mercury ends its retrogression cycle on April 4 and goes direct, or resumes its forward motion, and then leaves Pisces a month later.