Communication difficulties - Mercury?

[holly]

In my chart, Mercury is in Capricorn. By keyword, Capricorn is 'structure', while Mercury is 'thinking.' By essential dignity, Mercury is in good shape (the best in my chart). The only aspect to Mercury is it's sextile to Venus.

If I was to interpret this placement, I would assume that communication would be very structured and effective. 'Structure' modifying 'thinking' would make thoughts clear and so communication would be easy.

Why is this not the case with me? I am not a good communicator. I have a very messy way of wording my sentences so that they are hard to understand. I leave out important details, repeat myself, give information in the wrong order, and sometimes if I'm nervous I will stutter. I'm generally difficult to understand.

I find this happens with anyone, in any place, so is not limited to people I feel intimidated by, or anything like that. The only time I can say I communicate well, is in school essays. I excelled in English at school.

By looking at Mercury's placement in my chart, I can't figure out why I have communication difficulties. Can anyone help me?

[Miss Saturn]

Hi Holly,

As far as your writing, is concerned it is very structered, nice layout of post very understandable, nice use of punctuation. As you said you excelled at english. There only seems to a block with verbalising yourself.

I don't know your Mercurys placement in the chart, so it is hard to judge. What is in your third house and what aspects does it make. If you have any placements there.

What sign is on the 3rd, and where is it's ruler placed, and what aspects does that planet make, this might help you find the answer.

Miss S

[holly]

Hi Miss Saturn, thanks for replying!

I looked at the third house as you suggested. Firstly, there are no planets there. Secondly, is it funny that Virgo is on the house cusp? hehe Mercury rules Virgo, and Mercury is in the seventh house. The only aspect Mercury makes is that sextile to Venus I mentioned earlier.

Also, Mercury rules Gemini too and I have Gemini on the 12th house cusp, but it doesn't contain any planets.

I don't know what to make of this, seeing as Mercury is in such a good position.

Hmm. What does the elemet of air have to do with thoughts and communicating? I only have one planet in air in my chart (the Sun). Could that have something to do with it?

I was reluctant to post my chart, as I didn't want to come across as someone who wants others to do the work for me. But if you think it would help I will post it.

Thanks!

[archergirl]

It depends on where Mercury is in the chart, and as Miss Saturn says it also depends on your 3rd house cusp and any planets in the 3rd.

I also have Mercury in Capricorn, in the 12th (so I'm a deep thinker.. ). However, structured *thinking* is not the same as structured *speaking*. I am NOT a quick-thinking person but very deliberate; I can't 'think on my feet' very well, and I'm terrible at those witty 'comebacks' some people excel at when someone is slagging them off. I *will* think of a good comeback, but only hours after the conversation is finished, and I've stewed over it for awhile. Although I have gotten more verbally eloquent as I've aged, I still *hate* talking on the telephone to anyone but the closest of my friends, and don't feel myself to be a very good public speaker.

I have Aries on the 3rd cusp, with the Moon in Aries conjuncting Saturn in Taurus in the 3rd house. Aries on the cusp *should* make me an impulsive, and emotional thinker/speaker (a hothead, in other words); the Moon there says I *need* to talk about my feelings (and I do), but Saturn conjuncting the moon slows everything waaay down. When I was younger, I was unable to express emotions very well at all; it took me until, oh, about 30 to be good at it . In fact, to this day, I am much, MUCH better at *writing* than I am at *speaking*, and this is certainly shown by Capricorn Mercury (e.g. structure) AND a Saturnian influence in the 3rd house, both of which give communications a more disciplined feel.

[archergirl]

Ah, and having posted our threads at the same time! Yes, having Virgo on the 3rd cusp won't necessarily make you a 'great communicator', but it will lend itself to being nervous and a little 'high strung' when communicating (which would explain the 'messiness' of your verbal communications). As Miss Saturn notes, however, you have said you excelled in essay writing, and this is Capricorn Mercury at work.

Which house is Venus in, then, if it sextiles Mercury in the 7th? It would have to be 5th or 9th, depending on orbs and house cusps...

[holly]

"Ah, and having posted our threads at the same time!"
hehe I did find that amusing.

Archergirl, everything you described in the first paragraph is what I experience! I wish I was good at those 'comebacks' and don't even try to get me to talk on the telephone. That is a nightmare for me. Sometimes I write out what I will say, like a 'script.'

"However, structured *thinking* is not the same as structured *speaking*"
That's true. It's not so much a problem of what to say, but how to express it.

"Virgo....will lend itself to being nervous and a little 'high strung' when communicating"

That's it! That's exactly what my problem is! I get so nervous when communicating that I make a mess of it. Thank you for teaching me something new about my chart! I don't know much about Virgo energy, not having any planets there, so I should read about that.

Venus is in the 8th (Placidus) or 9th (Koch) house. Venus is in Pisces, conjunct Mars.

[CalicoDreams]

I also have Mercury in Capricorn, and I too find it hard to communicate sometimes ...but I have to blame that on my hearing, which might come from something else. But sometimes, I'll say things, that make total sense and no one's on track with me, and I have to try and word it a different way ..and when they still don't get it, I give up.

[archergirl]

Well, Virgo, being 'mercurial' in nature, is a sensitive, intelligent sign, fastidious, sometimes detail-oriented. I always find Virgo-influenced people to have a lot of nervous energy; being an earth sign, however, they are less spacey than their Gemini-Mercury counterparts and tend to 'do' rather than 'talk'.

It may be, and this is just a guess, that you get tangled up in the details of what to say, or omit details, because you are trying to fill the sentence with *too many ideas at once*; the Virgo energy would be trying to get as many details as possible; the Mercury in Capricorn would be trying to put structure to it all, but being that Virgo is 'quick' and Capricorn is 'deliberate', you have two conflicting energies at work between your brain and your tongue!

I no longer try to tell stories to my friends, because I get so bogged down in trying to get *every detail right*, it becomes a long, rambling, incoherent tale and somewhere in the middle of it I forget what my initial point was. Writing is much easier; at least you can go back and rewrite it!

And actually, a sextile with Venus/Mars in Pisces would also lend a hand to the 'vagueness'. Venus is exalted in Pisces, which is good; Mars is not, but a sextile to Mercury would facilitate the *energy* of your communications, just not the sharpness, as Pisces is -not- a 'sharp' sign! Creative? Definitely! Being in the 8th OR 9th would lend itself to deeper or higher thinking, rather than the mere 'nuts 'n' bolts' kind of stuff.

[Cassie Priam]

Where is your Chiron? And nodes?

Your intellect is good, as reflected in your written communication skills.
The problem is with verbal expression.

Your placements are karmic. Merc in cap in H7. Vir on H3 cusp, Gem on H12 cusp. Merc aspected to Venus.

12H Gem means that you are working on communication karma. H7 Merc is relationship/communication karma. It is a debt from a past life you are working on. It is possible that in the past you were in a relationship (Merc H7 and Venus aspects) in which you or your partner was rigid, scolding or a gossip, critical (Cap and Virgo). Or overly intellectual (air deficit in this life.) You could have been the victim or perpetrator in past lives on these issues. In this life you are working to over come these issues, and if you do a good job, this issue can be done.

I do not know if this fits or not, but this is what your chart is saying.

[wilsontc]

Holly,

You said:

By keyword, Capricorn is 'structure', while Mercury is 'thinking.'...The only aspect to Mercury is it's sextile to Venus. If I was to interpret this placement, I would assume that communication would be very structured and effective...Why is this not the case with me? I am not a good communicator. I have a very messy way of wording my sentences so that they are hard to understand...The only time I can say I communicate well, is in school essays...

Great use of "keywords" (for more about keywords see Step 5 in link below)! One thing to consider is that, since Mercury only has one aspect to another planet, it barely "connects in" to the chart. So you may OVERthink in an attempt to communicate. Also, since your thinking/writing energy barely connects in to you (i.e., your chart), you may not be aware of your thinking/writing abilities. For example, you say you are "not a good communicator" and "have a very messy way of wording sentences"...and yet I (and others) found your message very clear and very easy to understand. As you yourself say, you "communicate well...in school essays".

So it is possible that you ARE communicating well, both in writing and to others, except that you do not "connect in" with your communication. As a result, unless you can see it formally written out on the page (structured), you are uncertain as to whether your message is getting across. So you OVERthink/talk, with the result of too MANY ideas coming out at once (this causes stuttering). Instead, accept that most likely your ideas ARE getting across and don't need to be explained over and over again. Think carefully (structure) about what you are going to say in advance, and then say it, trusting that what you said was appropriate to what you wanted to say.

Since you have Mercury (thinking, also talking/daily work) focused in the 7th house (relationships), you use your talking as a way to relate to others. This need for relationship-talking is reinforced by the sextile (energy goes easily with) Venus (relationships). So use your talking as a way to relate and remember that talking has two sides...talking AND listening. Don't forget about the other person because you are so very focused on your OWN talking. If the other person is confused, they will ask you to clear up your point. If they don't, your point was made just fine!

Thinking and talking,

Tim

[holly]

"But sometimes, I'll say things, that make total sense and no one's on track with me"

CalicoDreams, that is a problem, but in my case I usually confuse myself! I don't know if I confuse others, I just assume I do because I'm confused!
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"It may be, and this is just a guess, that you get tangled up in the details of what to say, or omit details, because you are trying to fill the sentence with *too many ideas at once*;"

Archergirl, that makes a lot of sense, and now that you have brought that possibility to my attention, it does seem to fit. I sometimes feel like there's a build up of energy inside me when I want to talk, and it all rushes out at once. In the rush, my words get jumbled up, I stutter, and basically make a mess of it. It seems I try to get everything (all the details) across as quick as I can. When writing, I don't feel that same pressure.

Thanks for all the information, it helps me get a clearer idea of what energies are at work, and what they mean.
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Cassie Priam, I am very interested in this karmic view point. It's strange that you mention that I have all this 'communication' karma to deal with because one of my biggest frustrations (basically the only frustration) I have in my relationship with my fiance, is that we just don't communicate the way I would like. It's like we're not on the same wavelength at all.

Chiron is in Gemini (at 3 degrees) and my North Node is in Taurus (at 25 degrees). They are both in the 11th house. Does that mean anything?
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Thank you Tim, I have been using your website to try and get a handle on the use of keywords.

"since Mercury only has one aspect to another planet, it barely "connects in" to the chart."

That's an interesting point. I've never heard of that before so reading your whole reply gave me another perspective (it was very informative, so thank you!). Actually, I have never had anyone call me a bad communicator. No one has ever said that I am hard to understand, or that I confuse them. It's really just MY perception. So you may be right, I could be a good communicator and just not realise it!
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Thanks everyone for helping me with this. It really is fun to learn something new!

[Miss Saturn]

I was wondering what Tim meant when he was talking about Mercury barely connecting to hollys chart so not connecting to the energies you may feel unable to connect to the planet.

I was just reading a book on how to read a birth chart. Here is what it says.

"In addition to what you see pay attention to what you don't see. Factors that are missing or underemphasized are also important, for it can be difficult for the Native to use those energies naturally"

You learn something new everyday.

Miss S

[Cassie Priam]

The Chiron and NN placements are indicating the same thing.
A great deal of communication karma in your personal
relationships.

Your Chiron in Gem indicates that your wound is in the
area of communication. The SN in the 5th and in Scorpio
indicates that you have had much painful trauma in your
romantic relationships in past lives, abuse and manipulation.
There may have been some physical damage to you as well.

Your Taurus NN in the 11th indicates that you must work
thru your problems interacting with others, you must work
to be fair to others, you must change things in this life. You
may also want to think about ways to bring fairness and
equality to your community or groups.

In this life you need to make yourself heard, speak your
truth, but in a fair and polite way if you can. You must
avoiding painful and wounding worlds to to others.

Also in this life you are to realize that security comes from
within. Not in possessions or material goods. You inner
soul and your spirituality will take care of you. That will
bring you the most security. If you feel the security deep within,
you will be more apt to have healthier communications with others,
and they with you.

[holly]

That's very interesting, thank you.