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Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun approximately once every 88 Earth days.
Mercury is similar in appearance to the Moon: it is heavily cratered with regions of smooth plains, has no natural satellites and no substantial atmosphere. However, unlike the Moon, it has a large iron core, which generates a magnetic field about 1% as strong as that of the Earth. It is an exceptionally dense planet due to the large relative size of its core. Surface temperatures range from about −183 °C to 427 °C.
Recorded observations of Mercury date back to at least the first millennium BC. Before the 4th century BC, Greek astronomers believed the planet to be two separate objects: one visible only at sunrise, which they called Apollo; the other visible only at sunset, which they called Hermes.
Astrologically he rules Gemini, the second of the three Air Signs.
Mercury is the planet which rules everything that relates to our mental skills, intelligence and communicative powers. The mythological Mercury was the Messenger of the Gods. He also ruled commercial enterprises and - an interesting connection - was the god of thieving. Most people would agree that advertisers and salesmen do not always behave honestly!
The sign position of Mercury in our natal chart will show how our thinking takes place, and what kind of things we are likely to think about. It affects how we make decisions, how we communicate thoughts, ideas and concepts to others. The sign in which Mercury is placed affects what we actually notice and process and value. Thoughts and ideas have to come before experience. Thoughts are powerful and we must therefore be careful about what we are thinking. If our experiences tend to be negative, perhaps that is because our beliefs and thoughts are too.
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