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Mercury in tarot

Rules Gemini and Virgo · 5 decan cards

mind · speech · skill · trade

Mercury is the messenger, and its trump is The Magician: tools on the table, a hand raised to make thought real. It rules Gemini and Virgo, the airy and the earthy mind. Its decans include the Eight of Wands' swift news, the Three of Cups' good company and the Six of Swords' quiet passage. Where Mercury touches a card, words and skill decide things.

The cards Mercury rules

The MagicianMajor ArcanaThe Magicianwill, skill, manifestationFive of PentaclesMercury in TaurusFive of Pentacles20 Apr – 29 Aprhardship, exclusion, scarcityThree of CupsMercury in CancerThree of Cups1 Jul – 10 Julcelebration, friendship, communityTen of PentaclesMercury in VirgoTen of Pentacles12 Sep – 21 Seplegacy, lasting wealth, family inheritanceEight of WandsMercury in SagittariusEight of Wands22 Nov – 1 Decswift movement, news, momentumSix of SwordsMercury in AquariusSix of Swords30 Jan – 8 Febtransition, passage, moving on

In a reading

Mercurial cards favour learning, talking, writing and dealing. They also warn of cleverness running ahead of honesty.

Correspondences follow the Golden Dawn system the Rider–Waite–Smith deck was made within (tropical zodiac, dates approximate; they shift by a day in some years). Other traditions assign some cards differently. See the full table for all 78 cards.