MERCURY

Element: Air

Day of the Week: Wednesday

Astrological sign: Virgo, Gemini

Exaltation: Virgo

Detriment: Sagittarius, Pisces

Fall: Pisces

Tarot card: The magician

Archetype: The messenger, The trickster

God: Hermes trismegistus

Metal: Quicksilver

Medical Astrology: Brain, Central Nervous system, thyroid gland, respiratory, digestion (virgo) gut brain connection

Energetics: cold drying, tense

Ayurvedic Constitution: vata

TCM: Yin & Yang

Humoral: Melancholic

Chakra: Throat chakra (Visuddha)

Plants: Lavender, Osha, Calamus, Bacopa, Gingko, Mullein, Peppermint

Evolutionary teaching: Development of mind & intellect, high functioning cognition, Eloquence, authentic and effective communication, learning to utilize the mind as an instrument. Becoming the magician and creating the reality you truly desire, Seeing all of life as composed of intelligence and communication. Development of intuitive communication. Ability to learn, absorb, & evolve from processing information from environment.

This section is dedicated to the Gods and Planets. Here you will find a description of each planetary archetype and corresponding deity

All the planets, gods, goddesses, & astrological signs represent an archetypal self. They are all seen as energetic aspects of the psyche. These archetypes play out in many different ways in our lives and represent our strengths & weaknesses. These symbols offer us wisdom, advice, and suggestions to integrate these archetypes into our psyche by developing healthy relationships with these celestial forces. The gods communicate with us through dreams, ritual work, meditation, our emotions, sensations, & symbolic imagery. The teachings of these archetypes take us on an inner dimensional journey by guiding us back to wholeness. The quest of the explorer into the esoteric and alchemical realms of symbolism is to do so from a holistic perspective as opposed to the current model of a scientific worldview that isolates and views our reality as purely intellectually understood through what we can see with our own eyes. These realms are understood through the development of our intuition, psychic capabilities, and trust in an underlying order. The goal of understanding the archetypes is to develop, transform, & refine each of these celestial energies within ourselves and embody their highest virtues.

Mercury is the planet closest to the sun and the fastest moving planet in our solar system. The nature of Mercury is threefold denoting his relationship and association with Hermes Trismegistus thrice times great. Hermes was considered to be the messenger of the gods or the mediator. He is the weaver between the above and below and is the only god that could travel between heaven, earth, and the underworld. He was also seen as a guide to mortal beings.

The archetype of Mercury is viewed as the active rational intelligence ruling the occupations of communication, education, writing, trade, and commerce. Mercury gathers, delivers, and disseminates information. In astrology, alchemy, & archetypically Mercury is considered to be associated with the intellect, the mind, & the rational mind. With its association to the mind, we see its connection to the element of air. The air element is associated with the mental body and is manifested typically in people that contain a thinner frame and etheric nature. These people also contain a higher degree of sensing their environment.

People with excess air are susceptible to respiratory issues and excess dryness. Without enough moisture and too much air, this may result in dryness. Psychologically speaking, people who have too much of an active rational mind can also lack moisture in the sense of lacking water (feeling) causing them to come off as cold or dry. Which may ultimately manifest on a physical level of coldness and dryness if happening internally. Mercury is also seen as ruling all forms of communication and listening such as thinking, talking, our capacity to hear, and all forms related to technology. It is how we successfully express ourselves to the world around us. The gift of this archetype teaches us how to communicate ourselves authentically and efficiently correlating it to the throat chakra. Mercury is concerned with communication, information gathering, and sharing. The attributes of Mercury are light, subtle, mobile, mutable, flexible, agile, precise, adaptive, ambiguous, inventive, nervous temperament, restless, clever, & balanced. On a physical level, Mercury rules the nervous system, our impulses, and electricity in our bodies. The energy of Mercury is extremely mutable and changeable. These archetypes are constantly moving and contain a very Vata-type constitutional dynamic. These types of people tend to be very nervous, restless, tense, quick, very scattered, and dispersed when in imbalance.

The emblem of Mercury is described as the only planetary sign that which combines both sun and moon above the cross of the four elements, viewing it with a dualistic nature that expresses both female and male qualities. It is also said that it is where the mind gives form to its creations. In the Qabala, the zone of Mercury is considered “The Absolute or Perfect Intelligence”. If one was initiated into this sphere it promoted the ability to see beyond appearances and to recognize the invisible subtle forms. The mind is also seen as ambivalent and not entirely trustworthy, this is where we see the association from the tales of Hermes being said to have been a thief and master of trickery. With an imbalanced Mercurial dynamic our thoughts may often jump from one thought to another with the desire to scurry from one undertaking to another. We will also often see this dynamic in people who have the tendency to talk a lot without always telling the truth, representing the nature of the archetype of mercury. The “monkey mind” is also associated with Mercurial dynamics. Astrologer Dane Rudhyar has denoted that the “mind makes an excellent servant, but a terrible master” It was also believed that the mind is “the slayer of the real and the true seeker must slay the slayer” In that, it is said that “we must use the mind to go beyond the mind”. Similar to the tales of Hermes, the mind can deceive us and deter us from our intuitive spark that paves the way to an authentic connection with our true essence. There are many cultures and spiritual religions that have striven to go beyond the limitations of the mind, believing that our mind is indeed our karma. It is also how we view and judge our perceptions.

The metal quicksilver corresponds to Mercury and is considered liquid Mercury. Quicksilver has a tremendous capacity for transformation and was seen as one aspect of the Materia Prima, a term alchemists refer to as the primordial source of all things. Quicksilver is seen as a primal cosmic substance that is capable of taking on all possible forms and states. The essential nature of Mercury is to unite and is believed that it is the agent of all possibilities, having the ability and desire to unite, dissolve, and transform. Mercury also absorbs and dissolves gold, copper, silver, tin, & lead. In India, the usage of Mercury was highly regarded. They believed that Mercury was of “original stuff or ultimate substance out of which the whole universe had been formed” It was seen as a symbol for the vital breath that unites the individual’s body and soul with the cosmic sea of life. In Hindu culture, it is also seen as “a substance open to rhythmic interplay of forces from both the earth and cosmos radiating its essence”. 

When we have developed a harmonious and well-integrated relationship with Mercury we see this within someone who has anchored their mind into their heart. They are able to communicate clearly, effectively, and in a grounded manner, operating from their mind being anchored into their intuition. These people have a well-developed intellect, a strong ability to learn and grow, and their minds function in their most optimal state. They are able to receive information, have an amazing ability to listen, process, and distribute information. These people can translate their inner reality by efficiently aligning their words with their true thoughts and feelings. These people also have the ability to honor and recognize the intelligence of their emotions and can come up with logical solutions based on the balance of both the rational mind and the intuitive heart. Other balanced Mercurial dynamics are people who have the ability to observe the situation at hand and have the capacity to adapt to the change occurring in the moment. These people are well balanced and are able to maintain appropriate mediation. Balanced Mercurial people are grounded and have very clear sharp minds. It is people who have developed positive psychology and healthy communicative skills with oneself and others. The evolutionary functions of Mercury are to maintain a positive mindset with oneself and to observe how we think about ourselves and others. It is when we have developed positive self-talk and have cultivated a healthy mental orientation. A well-integrated Mercury is someone who has cultivated a positive outlook on life and how they perceive others and the world around them.

An undeveloped Mercurial aspect may look like the opposite with someone who is extremely judgemental, critical, reductionistic, only operates on science and hard facts, lacks intuition, operates only through the rational mind, lacks trusts in the divine and greater forces of life, they are primarily stuck in their minds with a disconnect from their feelings, inability to communicate, lack inspiration, feel misunderstood often, These people with a challenging relationship with this archetype in deficiency of Mercurial energy may lack vitality, contain stagnation, have poor concentration, & have poor memory. In excess, we see these types of people move too quickly, they’re scattered, dispersed, anxious, contain physical tension, stress, & have an overactive nervous system. Our modern culture worships the intellect and often ignores the intuitive (the receptive feminine). When we ignore our innate instincts we weaken our ability to come up with creative solutions through our intuition and become very narrow-minded by relying on others to provide us with the answers to all of our problems. In this way, we have given up our intuitive power and the development of the ability to discern what’s best for ourselves by simply operating on the purely rational mind that seeks answers strictly through proven facts and data. Often when we limit ourselves to this kind of thinking we seek validation through fear rather than trust. Intelligence is not entirely from the rational mind, it is both the balanced rational and intuitive heart operating in cohesion.

Hermes Trismegistus

God of language (both spoken and written word) skill, diligence, artisans, and merchants. He was very charming and said to be a master thief, however even though he stole and was able to convince with his trickery he did not possess attachment. He was considered friendly and ready to help and serve everyone. He had A very diplomatic character and said to be the guide of souls. The staff of Hermes is seen as the wand of the magician representing the caduceus of Hermes. It is depicted that his staff had two serpents that coiled around it and with it mercury wielded his great power and was able to transform as he willed. Occultists believed that his staff was also created as a conduit device to generate electricity. They would wrap two wires of opposing metals around the wand and utilize it as a caduceus coil. The integration of the two provided a polarity similar to the energies of Mercury.