Mercury in Capricorn

Mercury represents communication in all its various forms: the written and spoken word, talking, teaching, writing, lecturing and reasoning. Mercury symbolizes how we learn, think, and communicate, and describes what we think about, and how we talk, and how quickly, or slowly, we respond to the written word, text messages, and telephone calls. Mercury also rules our of perception of life and how we make choices, decisions, and how we digest and process information.

Mercury in Capricorn describes a mind that perceives the reality of the world. Mercury has a preference for being an intellectual authority, and speculative thinking is highly mistrusted by this person. The mind has a practical bent, and is disciplined, thorough and capable of deep concentration. Before speaking they carefully examine their words, to make sure what is said is correct and sensible. This person excels at planning and organization, and has a good head for business. An efficient and organized brain makes this a great placement for administrative tasks, and for handling information responsibly.

The individual may be reluctant to express original ideas, if not supported by objective evidence, and proven facts. This person is inclined to look to the past for answers, rather than try anything new and untested. This Cautious and sceptical nature, often makes learning anything new extremely challenging, and time is needed to apply these ideas in practical, and working form. If the person does have an original mind, we look to Uranus in the 3rd house, and Mercury-Uranus in aspect. However, with Mercury in Capricorn, what is learned is usually retained for a long time, and the individual is more comfortable with facts and ideas that are traditional and conservative.

The mind can be serious, somber and pessimistic, but this person can be terribly hard on themselves, if silly mistakes are made. Mercury in Capricorn are born worriers, often imagining the worst possible outcome. The individual is persistent, structured and methodical, if not potentially rigid at times. Capricorn sticks to what has been tested and accepted. Mercury’s humour in this sign is dry and ironic, and realistic, it generally sees everything for what it is, and they are not easily deluded. Mercury in Capricorn doesn’t jump to conclusions, and may be wary of ideas that are nebulous and ungrounded.

The thoughts are sober and cautious, and every risk is calculated carefully. Above all, this person would hate to be thought of as stupid, and studies hard to gain respect in their chosen field of interest. You can picture the goat climbing the mountain; wanting to be sure it has solid footing each step of the way. In order to climb successfully, Mercury in Capricorn needs to acknowledge its fears; but not dwell on them.