These are the global energies of a mercury in Virgo or in 6th House that must be nuanced according to your chart, see the article Mercury in signs; see also the article on the general meaning of the planet Mercury.
You will also have to take into account whether the Sun is in this sign, in Leo, or in Libra.
The planet mercury can also indicate the type of Projection of mental qualities in the colors of the occupied sign.
The powerful mind and nervousness of Virgo
The planet Mercury in Virgo is very strong. This sign is distinctive because it’s both Mercury’s nocturnal domicile and its exaltation (see Rulerships), and so the planet fully expresses all of its potency and all of its qualities harmoniously.
Mercury in Virgo makes people modest and devoted to using their intelligence in a way that is useful for society. These people like to be helpful and give advice, and they appreciate being recognized for their good judgment. Their work, and its usefulness to society, is truly one of the founding principles of their life and personality.
They have a very analytical, practical, and pragmatic mind, with great attention to detail, and are very perfectionistic people with good calculation and memorization skills which allow them to excel in settings where organization and logistics are important. For example, they make good managers, secretaries, or researchers, but anything that might require fastidiousness and use their brain could also be perfect for them (craftsmanship, intellectual occupations, etc).
They are truly, extremely capable when performing work that uses their brain, probably much more so than the norm. They apply rigor and are deeply determined to do well in carrying out their mission, so much so that they are often good employees who are highly sought-after on the job market. On the other hand, these people are not improvisers : they like to know in advance what they need to do and how they will do it, down to the smallest details.
Though they can see immediately relevant details with ease, they often have a harder time taking a step back and seeing things from a broader perspective, more inclusively.
Their style of creativity is constructive, empirical, and efficient, while being less “imaginative” or “abstract”. Staying “in control”, they keep their feet on the ground too much to be able to really open up and let themselves be fully receptive to their intuition, which to them is related exclusively to their emotions. “Letting go” requires a superhuman effort on their part.
They have a great potential to learn, and they love gaining new knowledge and constantly improving in subjects that they are already an expert in. They like to learn by example and from demonstrations. In other words, they like it when someone can show them how to construct and deconstruct a concept, and when they are able to understand the fundamental structure of an experiment or a lesson. Nonetheless, they often stay focused on the purely intellectual aspects (the numbers and letters) without truly trying to understand the bigger ideals or the more abstract things that may underpin their logic (again, barring contrary tendencies elsewhere in their birth chart).
They are very logical and rational, and so their intellect and communication style also take on these character traits. In this way, they can combat their stress and move forward in a way that feels psychologically safe. In the extreme, this can lead to “insensitivity”, a critical, acerbic mind, cutting and abrupt, even towards themselves.
In terms of relationships, they invest enormous amounts of nervous energy when they communicate, not because they are particularly extravagant —they are actually very simple (or even “austere”) people— but because they have underlying issues with anxiety which lead them to overinvest in interpersonal exchanges, and they may also often be impatient and quick to start tapping their feet. They try to maintain strict control over themselves and over the situation around them to reassure themselves. Planning allows them to feel like they are in control, which takes them out of their natural state of passiveness and anxiety.
But generally, their manner of speaking and thinking is “correct”, precise, finely chiseled, and refined, and hits the nail on the head. Their analyses are astute and clear; it’s just that they would do well to strengthen their self-confidence.
The mental abilities of these people are truly one of the most important parts of their personality. It’s probably their biggest strength, but also potentially their biggest weakness. Often, they are prone to various neurological issues and other somatizations (owing particularly to their anxious nature) such as hypochondria, obsessions, neurosis, and inexplicable pain.
Mercury retrograde in Virgo
Retrograde motion in this sign further intensifies the characteristics of Mercury in Virgo, leading to an increase internalization, analytical capabilities, meticulousness, self-criticism, work ethic, service, usefulness, and nervousness. It can also make people more shy or make communication more difficult for them, especially spoken communication.
Their mind may be slower to start up, more doubtful, and more independent, but also subsequently more exact and measured.
Mercury retrograde in Virgo can make people more able to think abstractly, imaginatively, and creatively than Mercury direct in Virgo, because in a way it increases one’s natural receptiveness, almost as though Mercury were tinted with the color of “Water” in this position and were thus more open to feelings. These people learn more intuitively, but also balance this quality with logic and rationality. They use their feelings more readily in combination with their intellect, and so memorizing something is a more emotional experience for them.
Celebrities with Mercury in Virgo
Abbot Pierre, Helena Blavatsky, Keanu Reeves, Louis XIV, Amy Winehouse, Freddie Mercury, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Alfred Hitchcock, Marcello Mastroianni, Jean-Michel Jarre, Karl Lagerfeld, Neil Armstrong, Sri Aurobindo, Elisabeth Báthory, H-P Lovecraft, Oliver Stone, Friedrich Hegel, Richelieu…