The speediest planet is on the move again. No, Mercury isn’t in retrograde... yet. But the planet of communication is about to enter a new sign. On August 29, Mercury will enter Virgo and stay there until September 14. Over the next three weeks, we can expect to see Virgo’s influence — organization, idealism, and healing — on Mercury, which rules communication, intelligence, and timing.
Mercury is Virgo's ruling planet, so it's right at home in this sign. “When Mercury enters Virgo, it works at its best, not only accelerating our thought process but bringing extreme precision to the many forms we communicate,” Narayana Montúfar, Senior Astrologer for Astrology.com and Horoscope.com, tells Refinery29. “As the natural ruler of Virgo, the planet that is tasked with all things related to communication helps us analyze the details so we can get rid of what proves to no longer be useful or practical. In other words, Mercury in Virgo is very studious and laser-focused on the task at hand.”
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Take advantage of this intellectual energy before it’s too late. “The next three weeks are ideal to work on projects that are methodical, fact-based, and that require organization. The one thing to keep in mind is a tendency to get lost in the details and lose perspective, as well as coming across as overly critical and dry,” Montúfar says.
This year, when Mercury enters Virgo, it'll join the moon (also entering Virgo on August 29), the sun, Venus, Mars, and the asteroid Juno. “What this combination of energies suggest is that a major focus in healing relationships has been happening — both romantically and professionally,” Montúfar says. “Here, Mercury’s role as cosmic messenger takes precedence as he shows up to deliver precise information and grounding in order for this healing to happen.”
Astrologer Lisa Stardust adds that this alignment of planets in Virgo “will add spice, sizzle, creativity, and sentimentality to our words.” However, Mercury in Virgo will form a “mutable T-square” with Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces. This means that "we can expect major communication meltdowns, as Jupiter and Neptune will cause cloudiness around how we express ourselves. Jupiter will make us ‘extra’ dramatic and Neptune will make us feel as if we are at a loss for words,” Stardust says. “We can expect frustrations to rise over declarations with no follow-through, and lies to be exposed.”
Astrologer and Ghost of A Podcast host Jessica Lanyadoo adds, "This transit is an excellent time for developing better discernment and for considering your boundaries. When you're able to key into the nuances of your situation, you're better equipped to articulate your needs, desires, and limits — and to know what is outside of them."
You only have a few days to prepare for Mercury in Virgo — so embrace that Virgo season energy and start planning.