Mercury Transit in Uttara Phalguni

Aryaman, the Aditya of contracts, hospitality and marriage, is the deity of Uttara Phalguni, and the Sun is its lord. Its symbol is the back legs of a cot, the support that holds. The first pada lies in Leo and the other three in Virgo, Mercury's own sign and its sign of exaltation, so Mercury meets a friendly lord and then enters its strongest ground.

About eight days is the usual stay, and a retrograde can hold Mercury here for over a month. Speech becomes reliable. Muhurta Chintamani counts the nakshatra dhruva, fixed, so agreements made now hold, and marriage contracts, partnerships, long-term employment and the settling of a debt between friends all belong to Aryaman.

In the Virgo padas Mercury's intellect is at its clearest. Analysis, editing, accounts, diagnosis and fine work of the hands all go well. A mind this exact can forget the person on the other side of the table, and Aryaman's hospitality corrects that.

For the Leo pada, Cancer, Taurus, Pisces, Capricorn, Scorpio and Libra Moons hold Mercury in Phaladeepika's favourable houses. For the Virgo padas the gaining Moons are Leo, Gemini, Aries, Aquarius, Sagittarius and Scorpio. Virgo, Cancer, Taurus, Pisces, Capricorn and Libra Moons have the harder houses in the Virgo padas, and should not let precision turn into fault-finding. Read the lagna the same way.

The transit shows whether a person's word can be relied on. An exalted Mercury favours plain dealing, and the week is a chance to show it.

For remedy, keep every promise made in the week, including the small ones. Recite Om Budhaya Namah, worship Vishnu, and give green cloth or moong on Wednesday. Water to the rising Sun honours the nakshatra lord.