TALKING HERMES

The planet Mercury is closely associated with the sign Gemini. We met Mercury once before in association with the sign of Virgo. When Mercury is ruling Virgo, his more practical qualities are emphasised. When Mercury is ruling Gemini, he energies work more on the plane of pure ideas and more effort is needed to bring that thought down to the practical world of everyday living. Both Virgo and Gemini share in common the need to put their minds to work, to invent new ways of tackling old tasks, but in Virgo it is easier to see in what way the idea can be applied, whilst Gemini may remain in the realm of theory, plans and discussion only.

Mercury is a very important planet, one whose qualities indicate how we perceive and intellectually respond to the world around us. Mercury also rules our nerve energy and so influences the way we move and communicate. In Ancient Egypt the god Thoth represented these qualities. Thoth is the god of writing and recording and of spell making.

Thoth Ancient Egyptian god of writing and communication. [Budge]

By the time of the Greeks and Romans the role of Thoth was taken over by the Greek god Hermes.

Hermes/Mercury [Larousse]

In Egypt, Thoth as master of writing transcribed the word of the gods so that humans could understand what was being communicated to them. The gods being represented by the other planets and acting as symbols for the different human traits such as loving [Venus] giving [Jupiter] conserving [Saturn] feeling [Moon] nobility [Sun].

In Greece, as a descendent of Thoth, Hermes too communicated between the gods and humans; he wears wings on his heels for speedy transport between the two worlds, that of man and that of gods. This hints at another Egyptian god, that of Anubis who also commutes between the two worlds and is known as a psychopomp or one who leads and guides the dead or the soul, into the world of the spirit or gods.

Reading mythology is a good introduction to the gods/goddesses but you have to look beyond the surface recording to see and feel what drives that myth. Try Robert Graves, ‘Greek Myths’. The Greek Myths: Complete Edition