Begin this Mercury mantra on a Wednesday (the day ruled by Mercury), during a waxing phase of the Moon. The ideal time of day to chant a planetary mantra is in the early morning, when all is quiet.
Mantras can be started at any time, however it is best not to start within three days on either side of the dark Moon (New Moon). If possible, start when the Moon is bright and waxing. Some prefer to start mantras on the day ruled by the planet. This is not critical, but for those who want, you may start the Mercury mantra on a Wednesday.
How to Chant the Mercury Mantra
Chant the Mercury (Buddha) mantra 4,000 times. It need not be all in one sitting. See the Planetary Mantras page for how prayer beads help with counting, and for more tips.
Pronunciation
Preeyangava guleekash yam roopeyna prateemahm budam, sowmyam sowmya goono-peytam tam boodam prana-mahm mya-ham.
I bow down to Buddha, god of the planet Mercury, whose face is like a fragrant globe of the priyangu herb and whose beauty matches that of a lotus flower. He is most gentle, possessing all attractive qualities.
English translation
Why it Works
The Mercury mantra can be seen as a type of prayer that invokes the grace of a planetary energy to lessen its negative effects as revealed in the horoscope.
There are many kinds of astrological mantras, some are devotional, some are Vedic, and some are Tantric. The mantras given here are mainly devotional. Therefore, while one should be careful to try and pronounce the mantras as accurately as possible, they will still work with individual pronunciations.
For more on how planetary mantras work, see the Planetary Mantras page.