Natal Mercury in Virgo

(Grant Lewi)
Sense impressions never reach you till they have been interpreted. What you see,
hear, smell, taste and feel is swiftly given significance before it arrives at the reacting
center of the brain. You never see just a chair; you see a beautiful chair, an old chair,
a charming chair, a chair that looks comfortable or uncomfortable. You never hear
just a noise; before you have heard it, it has been labelled pleasant or raucous or
sweet or whatever. Your senses take the impression, hold it for ransom, and say to
the brain, 'Name it and you can have it'. Thus you tend to card-index and catalogue
every sense experience that comes to you. This leads to boredom, because pretty
soon everything drops into its own niche and there is nothing new under the sun.
Your pleasure in the physical world thus tends to diminish as life wears on; and
through too much intellectualizing you can lose the zest for life. To get it back, try to
regard things for their own sake. Remember that 'a rose by any other name would
smell as sweet' and that you get more fun out of a kiss if you don't think of it as a
deception of nature to encourage reproduction. Exorcise the demon of words from
the temple of nature, and in the name of simple animal enjoyment throw away the
dictionary!
(Sydney Omarr)
In Virgo, Mercury tells of a native who can be sharp but brittle. He can be aware,
sensitive and alert, but subject to quick or mercurial changes and to an early
breaking point. He needs to be made 'softer'. The astrologer must teach him to
develop a greater attitude of acceptance. Perhaps the native analyzes too often, too
much - and by the time he finishes, the flavor, the joy of whatever activity he is
engaged in has gone. Because of self-criticism, he breaks down his own confidence,
yet is surprised when others express a lack of confidence. He pushes too hard; he
wants results, yet is sceptical when they finally materialize. He is cautious, prudent
and versatile, and has good intuition, but he has to be so sure before taking a step
that, in numerous instances, the step simply is not taken.
He can be methodical, so much so that subjects and persons take on a 'dry' flavor.
The astrologer must encourage a greater degree of relaxation and confidence.
The native is fond of work which enables him to digest facts thoroughly and come up
with conclusions. This is an excellent indication for an accountant, mathematician or
individual in charge of seeing that others receive the best for their money. He can
also be found teaching; and in photography, reporting, radio and television. This
native is sincere, but tends to find himself with too many irons in the fire - and not
enough fire. He is neat, careful about food, and often afraid to let himself go in
relations with members of the opposite sex.
(Skye Alexander)
Your mind works in an orderly and organized fashion. Each step of your thinking
process is carefully calibrated and predictable; your thoughts work together
systematically and logically like the gears of a machine. Though you may not be the
most creative of thinkers, you are certainly one of the most practical and efficient.
You are the person who operates behind the scenes, figuring out how to make
someone else's brainstorm work - the film editor who cuts and splices the director's
'masterpiece' until it makes sense, the tailor who takes the designer's sketches and
turns them into whold cloth. However, unless you have your Sun in Leo, you probably
don't get much credit for your contributions. Shy and timis, you often hold your
tongue when you should speak up for yourself, then later complain profusely to
friends and co-workers.
You have a good memory and can retain volumes of facts, figures and words. For
exanple, many actors and actresses who must memorize hundreds of lines of dialogue
have Mercury in Virgo. You learn best through repetition, and by applying what
you've learned in some practical way.
Like people who have Mercury in Gemini, you love language and the written word
and may have talent as a writer. You are more disciplined, organized and workoriented
than your Mercury-in-Gemini counterparts, however, and thus more capable
of completing long projects.
You probably were a dedicated and conscientious student. You enjoy learning, and
usually prefer to study subjects that can be applied in useful ways - especially ones
that will benefir you professionally - rather than art, music or philosophy. Your
interest in health may lead you to give medical advice to everyone you know; and you
invest much mental energy in thinking, talking and worrying about your health.
It's hard for you just to take something at face value - you immediately start
dissecting it to see what makes if function. In school, you probably loved
diagramming sentences and labelling the organs of a frog. As an adult, you might use
your keen analytical ability in such fields as accounting, computer programming,
medical research, auto repair or book editing. You enjoy trouble-shooting,
discovering errors and correcting them; and derive satisfaction from setting things
right. You have the patience to search column after column of numbers to find where
the books are off, or to examine hundreds of laboratory samples to determine which
bacteria are causing the problem.
A perfectionist, you can be a stickler for detail and exactitude. Your checkbook
always balances, you have your car tuned every six months, and the letters you write
to your mother never have any spelling errors. Since Mercury rules the hands, your
perfectionism may be expressed as great manual dexterity, control and precision.
Your perfectionism can also lead to negativism, pessimism and irritability, however,
since nothing can ever meet up to your expectations. You tend to be overly critical
and fault-finding with others and yourself.
Cautious and conservative in your ideas and opinions, you are a follower rather than
an intellectual leader, and rarely initiate any unique or progressive ideas of your own.
You are most comfortable with 'tried and true' concepts. Philosophy, metaphysicas
and theology probably don't interest you much - they're a bit too undefined and
disorderly. Unless you can 'prove' something, you don't believe it, adn you can be
something of a sceptic. Because you refuse to open yourself up to knowledge that
defies quantification in physical terms, you also are inclined to be self-limiting and
narrow-minded.
If you have Uranus aspecting your Mercury, you'll be more unconventional and
inventive in your thinking. If Neptune aspects Mercury in your chart, you'll be less
analytical and methodical and more idealistic and creative. Mars aspects will make
you more verbally aggressive and outspoken. Jupiter aspects will encourage you to be
more optimistic and expansive mentally.
(Frances Sakoian and Louis Acker)
Mercury in Virgo is in the sign of its rulership, a position indicating an analytical
mind with great practical reasoning ability. These natives insist on minute precision
and accuracy to a level that can appear trivial to other people. They require orderly
surroundings and efficien methods and procedures, especially in their area of work.
This is the best position of Mercury for detailed scientific work and research.
These people achieve professional and financial success by acquiring a good
education and specialized skills. Interest and ability in grammar can make them
eloquent in speech and writing and proficient in languages. As a rule, they will insist
on proper grammatical usage, spelling, and punctuation; and for this reason make
excellent secretaries and correspondents. Unlike Mercury in Gemini, which is
concerned with ideas for their own sake, Mercury in Virgo is interested primarily in
ideas having a practical applIcation for financial success and status. The person with
this position is work-oriented, and consequently may be shy and retiring, preferring
not to waste time in idle conversation.
Medicine, diet, hygiene, mathematics, and precise, detailed work of all types attract
the attention of these poeple. In contrast to Mercury in Leo, however, they can lose
sight of the main issues through overconcern with details that assume undue
importance.
(Julia and Derek Parker)