How many of us take time to think before we speak? Very few of us, I'll bet. Most of us say the first thing that comes to mind. And, mostly, that's okay. But sometimes, if we are upset, angry, annoyed, frustrated, or hurt, we can say things with the deliberate intention of either proving we are right, or in order to hurt, and this can change the course of our lives. Just as kind words bring kindness back, harsh words push people away.

Words are far more powerful than we give them credit for. Once words are written or spoken they are there forever. Yet silence, too, can hurt. That's why what we say and the way we say it is so important.

Where your Mercury is, by sign and house, shows how you communicate. Each sign has its failings, so there are pitfalls galore that we have to learn to negotiate. Read Secrets of Mercury and at least you'll get a head start!

Words and communication are pivotal to our lives; even more so now we are in the digital age. Let's face it: it isn't so long ago that most ordinary people couldn't even read and write, but look at us now! We text, email, and use some form of social media. Go into any bookstore and look at all the books. Thousands of us are now writing books. Many more are writing television scripts, movie scripts, news articles, magazine features; you name it, there is someone who wants to put pen to paper (figuratively) and express themselves or their passion/interest using words.

It makes you wonder what people did before we could read and write! Of course, we could speak, and we certainly did. People with strong views would travel from town to town and preach, politicians have always loved the sound of their own voices(!) and we routinely passed information, advice, and wisdom via word of mouth from generation to generation. But it was through the written word that we finally found our feet. Now we can communicate across the globe at the touch of a button, making what we say and how we say it even more relevant and important.

This means that Mercury, the planet that rules how we think and communicate, is extremely important, more so than any other planet. Yes, even more important than the sun.

But surely it can't be more important than the sun? Surely no planet is?

Take a moment to think about it. Nothing happens without that first thought. It is that which becomes an idea, a motive, a plan, or an action. Out of our thought we speak, then we act (or not). We cannot even activate our sun sign without first thinking what action we want to take and why.

That makes Mercury the number one motivating force in our lives. Yet, how many of us even notice it in our birth chart? We check out our sun, moon, and rising sign. We see what sort of partner we will look for and maybe ask advice about a job. We do everything but notice Mercury, the planet that starts it all off!

So how do you think? Let's start with the element Mercury is in. Each astrological sign has an element: fire, earth, air, or water. This basic information is crucial to understanding your Mercury.

Fire Mercurys are verbally impulsive, reckless, and driven. They speak without thinking, which gives rise to them being the most aggressive speakers. These are the people who shout, fall out with others and generally cause all sorts of issues until they learn to control their more spontaneous outbursts. The earth signs are almost the complete opposite. They think long and hard before voicing their ideas, sometimes so long others may have fallen asleep or lost interest in the subject. And they always have security, finances, and keeping the status-quo in their sights. The air signs love words and ideas but have trouble sifting them, so present every idea as a great idea until they learn to differentiate the wheat from the chaff, and the water signs communicate with their hearts, through their feelings, making them illogical and sometimes overwhelming for people to talk to. We don't always want someone watching us to see if we are okay, and we don't always want to discuss our emotions.

See what I've done there? I've presented the downsides to every element. That's because there is a downside and it is that which causes us the most grief in life. If we speak without thought, take too long to decide, change our minds too often, or get overly emotional when we speak, we create problems.

But even silence has drawbacks. We often hear the phrase that if we can't say something nice we shouldn't say anything at all—which sounds so good, yet is untrue. How many of us have used silence as a weapon? Or gone quiet because we cannot think of the right way to say something difficult? Silence is incredibly cruel, leaving people wondering for perhaps years what they did, or said. The negative karma that arises from silence is just as bad as that of randomly speaking your mind. It is important to find a kind way to express what you need to say, even if it is hard. Don't leave people hanging.

It's important to think carefully about everything we say and write. We've all heard of people who unthinkingly (or even deliberately!) have written something unkind on one of their social media sites. Sometimes it's been years before their words are picked up and thrown back at them, but it's a sure thing that what we give out we get back—and any unkind remark always, always has a comeback. As humans we change and grow, and what we said ten years ago may be not how we think now, yet our words are there forever, and at some stage we may have to justify them, or at the least apologise for them. It changes the way people think about us, too.

We all have critical and unkind thoughts. It's part of being human. But as intelligent beings we also need to learn to filter those thoughts so that when we speak or write we do so with kindness and compassion.

I recall getting a letter (years ago, in pre-internet days) from a friend I'd stayed with. At the time I hadn't felt there was anything amiss, but her letter was full of criticism and complaint. Most of it was extremely petty, and had she used humour or mentioned these things at the time in a kindly way we could still have been friends now. Yet I haven't seen her since. Her letter effectively cut all contact. And I still remember it fifty years later. Once something has been written or said, it cannot be unsaid.

You see now why it's important to know and understand your Mercury position? It's so that you can activate the higher parts of the sign it is in, while avoiding the pitfalls each sign is prone to and thus avoiding creating negative karma.

If you've read Secrets of Saturn, you'll now know your spiritual purpose, and your Mercury is deliberately placed to enable you to use your thoughts and words in order to achieve your cosmic (and possibly karmic) purpose. Every position of every planet is for a reason: to help you fulfil your purpose here on earth. You've just read about the negatives of each sign, but find out about the positives and consciously use your Mercury to not only to enhance your own life, but the lives of those around you: your family, partners, friends, and work colleagues.

Think before you speak and make sure your words count. Although you must be true to the element and motivation of the astrological sign in which it is placed, use the higher vibration of Mercury; in other words, pause and think before you speak or write, and when you do open your mouth or put pen to paper make sure your words are positive, kind, compassionate, and helpful. That way we all benefit because it's a win-win situation. Those we praise or help are kind in return and that is the only way to build a kinder, gentler, and more compassionate world.

And it all starts with a thought.