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The 8^th house of the ascendant house primarily governs longevity, so Mercury being a benefic planet will boost the lifespan of the native unless He is afflicted. Additionally, since Mercury, if placed in the 8^th house will also cast His 7^th Drishti or 7^th aspect on the 2^nd house (which governs self-earned income, family relations and communication between the family members, and speech), the native will also likely earn good wealth as a result of Mercurian activities such as business, trade, and commerce.

Furthermore, because the 8^th house also governs accidents, illicit sexual affairs, occult arts and mysticism, and death, a well-placed Mercury can help avoid those, although the native may attract or may be attracted to younger members of the opposite gender.

Some considerations to note here are:

Mercury in exaltation (Virgo) – this is applicable to Aquarius ascendants; Mercury in exaltation in the 8^th house will definitely give a long life to the native. However, the individual will struggle with their expenditure because from the 8^th house, Mercury would be aspecting or casting His Drishti on the 2^nd house which will be Pisces where Mercury suffers debilitation. So, aside from a long life, Mercury does not appear to give much here.

Mercury in His own sign (Gemini) – this is applicable to Scorpio ascendants; Mercury in His own sign in Gemini in the 8^th house will be even better than Mercury in exaltation because here, Mercury will be able to give both a long lifespan to the native as well as help them financially or by increasing their finances and income since Mercury would be casting His 7^th aspect or Drishti on the 2^nd house which governs self-earned income and financial assets and the 2^nd house would be Sagittarius which is a Jupiter-owned sign and therefore it will be better for the native. Overall, this is the best placement for Gemini in the 8^th house.

Mercury in debilitation (Pisces) – this is applicable to Leo ascendants; the primary issue here is that Mercury will suffer considerably in terms of longevity and the individual will likely not have a long life because of Mercury’s debilitation. Furthermore, the individual would also suffer losses of wealth. As usual, any benefic conjunction here will greatly reduce the ill-effects of the placements. For example, a Mercury Jupiter conjunction in Pisces will overpower Mercury’s negative effects and grant the native a long life due to Jupiter’s placement being in His own sign, but there still may be hidden expenses regardless.

Mercury Rahu conjunction – this combination in the 8^th house works only if the zodiac sign of the 8^th house is friendly or favorable for Rahu, or else Rahu begins displaying Maraka Grah (killer planet) qualities and may severely reduce the lifespan of the individual. Mercury Rahu conjunction in Gemini in the 8^th house is the single best placement possible for the 8^th house given how Rahu and Mercury will both provide longevity to the individual and because Rahu performs excellently in Gemini, this is even better for the native. Furthermore, the Rahu Mercury conjunction in Gemini will also make the individual quite interested in occult matters.

Mercury Ketu conjunction – Mercury Ketu conjunction in the 8^th house will make the individual be more focused on the occult arts and mystical fields of knowledge. However, if Ketu is poorly placed or if Mercury is in an enemy sign, the longevity of the native will be affected. Ketu in the 8^th house will also aspect the 2^nd house through His 7^th aspect or Drishti, which can cause unplanned expenditure or losses to one’s finances since Ketu will cause detachment in this placement.

Mercury Venus conjunction – Mercury Venus conjunction in the 8^th house will give longevity to the individual and also drive him/her towards occult arts and mystical fields of knowledge. However, if Venus is placed in an enemy sign, such as that of Sun or Mars, then the person will continue to have short-term relationships that will be formed and also break abruptly, thereby causing major emotional and financial distress to the person. Mercury in this situation will take the qualities and attributes of Venus and also function in a similar fashion. If Mercury Venus conjunction occurs in Virgo, then a Neech Bhang Raj Yog is created where Venus is debilitated in Virgo while Mercury is exalted, thereby the individual will enjoy benefits of Mercury and Venus.

In any other situation, Mercury with benefic conjunctions will give longevity to the individual while those with any malefic aspects or conjunctions will directly increase the chances of the individual losing their life a bit sooner than expected.

Additionally, the placement of the lord of the 8^th house is also important. If the lord of the 8^th house, or that is to say, the ruling planet of the 8^th house is placed in His own sign or in exaltation, then the native will still enjoy a long life and he/she will be protected against many of the ill-effects of the said house. Consider an example for a Virgo ascendant; the lord of the 8^th house would be Mars, since the zodiac sign of the 8^th house is Aries (a sign ruled by Mars), but if Mars is exalted in the 5^th house, which is Capricorn, then the 4^th aspect or Drishti of Mars will be cast upon the 8^th house so He will be watching over His own sign, thereby supporting the longevity of the individual. At the same time, because He is exalted in the 5^th house, He will not cause problems unless He is under any malefic influence or conjunction whatsoever.