Mercury in the 2nd House: Meaning by Rising Sign
The short answer
With whole-sign houses, Mercury is in your 2nd house when it is in the sign 1 sign on from your rising sign: Mercury in Taurus for Aries rising, Mercury in Scorpio for Libra rising, and so on for all twelve rising signs.
What Mercury in the 2nd house means
Mercury describes how you think, talk and make arrangements. In the 2nd house of income and what you value, that plays out through the money you earn, what you own, and what you think you are worth.
The 2nd is a succedent house, the part of the chart concerned with what you build up, keep and rely on. Its natural sign is Taurus, so Mercury here takes on some of Taurus's concerns whatever sign it is actually in.
With whole-sign houses, Mercury sits in your 2nd house when it is in the sign 1 sign on from your rising sign: for Aries rising that means Mercury in Taurus. A transit of Mercury through one house lasts about 36 days, because that is how long Mercury usually stays in one sign.
Which sign puts Mercury in your 2nd house
Find your rising sign in the left column. If your Mercury is in the sign beside it, your Mercury is in the 2nd house.
| Your rising sign | Mercury in the 2nd house |
|---|---|
| Aries rising | Mercury in Taurus |
| Taurus rising | Mercury in Gemini |
| Gemini rising | Mercury in Cancer |
| Cancer rising | Mercury in Leo |
| Leo rising | Mercury in Virgo |
| Virgo rising | Mercury in Libra |
| Libra rising | Mercury in Scorpio |
| Scorpio rising | Mercury in Sagittarius |
| Sagittarius rising | Mercury in Capricorn |
| Capricorn rising | Mercury in Aquarius |
| Aquarius rising | Mercury in Pisces |
| Pisces rising | Mercury in Aries |
How long a Mercury transit of the 2nd house lasts
Mercury stays in one sign for about 36 days on average, so a transit of Mercury through your 2nd house lasts about that long: as little as about 14 days and as much as about 2 months across the charted years.
About the 2nd house
The 2nd house of income and what you value: the money you earn, what you own, and what you think you are worth. Its natural sign is Taurus.
How the houses are counted
Houses here use whole-sign counting: your rising sign is the whole 1st house, the next sign the 2nd, and so on around the zodiac. Many astrologers use Placidus or another quadrant system instead, which can move a planet close to a sign boundary into the neighbouring house. Either way you need an accurate birth time, because the rising sign changes about every two hours.
Mercury in the other houses
Mercury in the 1st house · Mercury in the 3rd house · Mercury in the 4th house · Mercury in the 5th house · Mercury in the 6th house · Mercury in the 7th house · Mercury in the 8th house · Mercury in the 9th house · Mercury in the 10th house · Mercury in the 11th house · Mercury in the 12th house
Other planets in the 2nd house: Sun · Moon · Venus · Mars · Jupiter · Saturn · Uranus · Neptune · Pluto
Is your Mercury in the 2nd house? Vera reads it with the rest of your chart.
House placements need a birth time. Vera casts your chart from your birth details and reads your Mercury in its real house, sign and aspects.