Bad Speller? Gifted Gabber? Blame it on Mercury…

1425729_sI can’t spell! I was an average student in high school but I decided to work really hard in my last year  in order to get into University. I wouldn’t say that school was difficult for me -I was smart, but my spelling and grammar were my downfall. My father tried to correct this in my youth by assigning extra homework from an English textbook he called English First Aid; not even first aid could help. I coasted through high school and university with average marks but it wasn’t until my third year of university that I really felt the sting of my difficulties: I handed in what I thought was an awesome paper – I mean, I thought it was a stroke of brilliance! When the marked paper came back, it had a big -D written across it accompanied by the words “you need to go back to grade 7 – atrocious spelling and grammar.” Really? I thought. Did he even read my paper? THAT was an awesome paper.

Then I got my very first “real” job in one of Canada’s top three law firms. In law firms, spelling and grammar are everything. But I was hired as the human resources assistant so it didn’t matter. Or so I thought! The very first all-staff email I sent out had a spelling mistake – and almost every single Legal Assistant, 53 or so of them, sent me an email to let me know. They cared about their reputation. They didn’t like costly mistakes. And a spelling or grammatical mistake could do it. I quickly learned to check and double check everything I sent out to the company. After all, they were paying me.

During those days I had trained myself to write so perfectly that  after I left and went to work for the government, I ended up thoroughly impressing my new General Manager. General Managers can be pretty intimidating, so when he called me into his office to speak to me about the briefing note I wrote, I was nervous.

“Did you write this?” he asked, holding up the paper. He was a serious ass dude and  I contemplated denying it for a half second.

“Yes I did,” I said. My hands trembled slightly as he opened his mouth again.

“There are no mistakes… very well done!” Then he invited me to play with his top collection on his desk – I was in!

The next several years, I will call ‘the assistant years’ as I had assistance. I worked with people whose job was to make my work look good so I got lazy – I didn’t have to think about it. It was taken care of and, more importantly, no longer a part of my job description. And, you guessed it, my spelling and grammar quickly took a downturn.

But what makes me so bad at spelling and grammar?

In astrology, communication is represented by Mercury. Mercury rules education, learning, speaking, writing, and singing. Great writers or communicator usually have Mercury elevated in their chart though a nice aspect to Jupiter or Venus might help, too. Mercury in aspect to Jupiter can give the ‘gift of the gab’ and the license to say almost anything. Oprah has Mercury in a trine to Jupiter and Neptune. She is the queen of talks show and Neptune ensures that her topics have a spiritual nature or spiritual agenda.

Challenges to Mercury in the birth chart can show up as learning differences or difficulties, an interrupted education, stuttering, or other communication difficulties. If these show up in your life, you likely have Mercury in aspect to Saturn or Chiron.

Though they may experience pain in association with communication or education, someone who has Mercury in aspect to Chiron may have the potential to heal. Khalil Gibran was not formally educated in his youth, but had Mercury in aspect to Saturn, Pluto, Uranus, and Chiron. His book The Prophet is considered by many to be a spiritual and healing inspiration.

It could also be that one of these two is situated in the third house (which is ruled by Mercury) which reflects my story: I have Saturn in the third. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t intelligent – I’m pretty smart if I do say so myself! Mercury says nothing about your level of intelligence. It only speaks of challenges. And where there are challenges, there are lessons. Saturn in my third house also promised problems with my education which definitely happened. I was studying for a Master’s of Science and life events ran interference. Luckily I had enough credits to be awarded me a graduate diploma, which is post graduate education in its own right, though not what I had intended. Pluto was squaring my Mercury at the time!

Just because there are challenges does not mean that you cannot overcome. I did briefly overcome my spelling and grammar issues. Erin Brockovich has Mercury square Mars and opposite Saturn. Despite hardship, challenge, and struggle, she was able to win a big insurance claim without a law degree – now she holds three honorary degrees!

What is your experience with your Mercury? Do you feel gifted or a challenged? Check your birth chart to see what’s going on with your Mercury. Sign up for the threemoongoddess.com newsletter and you’ll get a free one.

 

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