The House in which Mercury resides in your birth chart shows what you will spend the most time thinking and communicating about, and where it is easiest for you to express your ideas.
Below are the interpretations of Mercury in the astrological Houses. Or see instead Mercury in the Signs. To read what Mercury represents in astrology, go to Lesson 5: The Planets.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th
Mercury in 1st House
If you have Mercury in the 1st House, you are adaptable, clever, inquisitive, eloquent, witty, and perhaps high-strung. You want to know something about a lot of things. Your speeches and writings reflect your own personal opinions. You may have jittery nerves which keep your body slim, but which could cause nervous disorders. You love talking about what interests you.
Mercury in 2nd House
If you have Mercury in the 2nd House, you may use your wit, knowledge, and versatility to make money. At the very least you like to talk about money – it is on your mind. You may earn money with an ability to communicate ideas to others through writing and speaking. You may have financial skill, but your money may come and go, regardless.
Mercury in 3rd House
If you have Mercury in the 3rd House, you are clever, alert, adaptable, versatile and studious. Mercury here stimulates the mind and the body. You can express your ideas fluently and you have the ability to bring your ideas to completion. You are apt to be a jack-of-all-trades. There may be many short journeys. This is a good position for teachers, for those concerned with detailed work, or for work with computers. Writing or speaking ability is present.
Mercury in 4th House
If you have Mercury in the 4th House, you tend to be studious, with literary interests. You like to study at home. Continual studying gives you a sense of inner security. You may be high-strung and need to learn to relax and take a break from all that book work. There can be many changes of residences due to your restlessness and your need to find a place for yourself. Wherever you end up, your home will no doubt contain a study area or a special spot where you can just talk to friends and acquaintances.
Mercury in 5th House
If you have Mercury in the 5th House, you have a need to prove your intelligence and to use that intelligence in creating things of a mental nature – mental children, as it were. You desire to pass on your knowledge to others and to learn from them as well. Teaching children or young adults may provide quite a lift for you. Games of strategy and skill challenge your intellect. You desire to communicate your thoughts in a clever, inspiring and dramatic manner. You may have acting, writing, or speaking ability. As a teacher, you enjoy stimulating the minds of others and encouraging your students to greater things. Romances probably need to involve someone with whom you can communicate intelligently and relate to mentally. For you, sexiness is in the brain.
Mercury in 6th House
If you have Mercury in the 6th House, you have analytical ability with a possible love of computers and electronics. If you become too concerned with details, your nerves may become frayed, thus causing health problems. Any ill health reflects wrong thinking and perhaps worry. You may be restless with a desire for frequent job changes. Service, possibly of a mental nature, appeals to you. Variety in your work or workplace is important. Issues of health and diet interest you.
Mercury in 7th House
If you have Mercury in the 7th House, your relationships tend to gravitate towards people who are intelligent, thought-provoking, witty and learned. You desire your spouse or business partner to be sharp, curious, clever and alert. You need to communicate and exchange ideas and information with your partner. Promotion of ideas to and from others appeals to you and you are always up for a good debate, discussion or argument.
You may spend much time thinking about your relationship or relationships in general. Marriage may be quite often on your mind. You desire a marriage or business partner that provides you with mental satisfaction and challenge. A partner who challenges you mentally and one who helps you function on more of an intellectual level is what you are looking for and need. Their value is enhanced if they help you better adapt and more effectively communicate with others. The person who gives you a lively flow of ideas, ideas that challenge and test your own mental processes, one who brings out your best mentally, stimulates you in a way that others may not understand. Yet that is what you seek in a partner. Your partner may be quick-witted, fluent, volatile, restless, high- strung as well as outspoken, argumentative, wordy and critical. Nervousness or mental imbalance may be present.
Your partner may possibly be connected with education, writing, traveling, sales, language interpretation or clerical, secretarial, typing or computer work.
In order to achieve the most positive results from any partnership you should learn to control your argumentativeness and your desire to criticize.
Mercury in 8th House
If you have Mercury in the 8th House, you have talent for analysis, research, insight, tax preparation, insurance and perhaps detective work. You want to get to the bottom of who, what, where and why. You are a born investigator. You may tend to worry over fluctuating finances. Watch a tendency to gossip about others. Your mind may be preoccupied with death, sex, healing, magic or psychic phenomena.
Mercury in 9th House
If you have Mercury in the 9th House, you are flexible, with an adaptable mind which has an interest in perhaps intellectual pursuits, law, religion or philosophy. You have many ideas and beliefs with the ability to express them well verbally. You probably enjoy travel and foreign culture and it is particularly educational for you. You have the ability to learn foreign languages or to be a translator. You may be a teacher or be involved in higher learning in some other way. Interest may exist in publishing or advertising.
Mercury in 10th House
If you have Mercury in the 10th House, perhaps you will write or speak as a career. The teaching profession may hold promise for you. You have the ability to communicate your ideas to others and to be recognized for them. Your manual dexterity and mental alertness may lead you to a field where this is a real necessity. You may have several jobs, as you have a variety of talents. There is a possibility of travel in your profession.
Mercury in 11th House
If you have Mercury in the 11th House, you have an original, comprehensive, adaptable and intellectual mind. Your goals are obtained through the use of your mind. You choose friends who stimulate your mind, perhaps younger friends. You find it stimulating to converse with those friends who share opposing views. You could be the spokesman or secretary for your favorite group or organization.
Mercury in 12th House
If you have Mercury in the 12th House, you have a perceptive, intuitive and subtle mind with an interest in the metaphysical world. You can absorb knowledge intuitively and you understand more than you wish to divulge. You are secretive and have the ability to understand the deeper meanings of tones of voice and hand gestures. Secret enemies may try to undo you or speak evil of you. You may lack confidence in yourself. You may find yourself limited or incapacitated if you allow your nerves to become too frayed. Be careful of your ears and your hearing, which may be weak.
Interpretations Credits: PHP Scripts for Astrology Websites (http://www.astrowin.org/php_scripts/index.html)