HISTORY ONLINE

Mercury is the smallest planet in our system and the closest to the sun. It can never be more than 28 degrees longitude away from the Sun so the only astrological aspect they can form is a conjunction. Mercury takes 88 days to complete its revolution, which is the speediest of the planets.

Things that change quickly and often are referred to as being mercurial. Mercury is the planet of the rational mind and spiritual direction. Because Mercury represents the rational intellect and the moon represents instinctual memory, when these planets conjunct, superior intellect occurs, because the person has superior ability to remember everything he or she learns.

The mythology of Mercury begins back in Babylonian times where Mercury was known as Nebo (Nebu). Nebu was the son of Marduk, the kind of the gods. Marduk became the king by slaying the sea monster Tiamat, thus establishing order in the universe. Nebo became the scribe of the gods. It was his job to write down the laws and edicts of Marduk and to communicate them to men. Marduk later became the Greek Zeus and then the Roman Jupiter. Nebo became the Greek Hermes and then the Roman Mercury.

The most significant observance of the Babylonian calendar was the Babylonian New Year festival, which recreated the battle of Marduk against Chaos. During this festival, the image of Nebo was ceremonially removed from its shrine in Borsippa and carried to the temple of Marduk in Babylon. Through this act of Nebo being symbolically joined with his father, it was established that Mercury (Nebo) served Jupiter (Marduk). This ceremonial enactment represents the link of an individual's mind with his sense of purpose.

Hermes was the Greek god of communication and also the god of thieves. Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, a nymph. Hermes was born in a cave at the top of Mt. Cyllene in Arcadia and as an infant he was well-established as a thief. The first thing he saw was a tortoise. He promptly took the shell of this creature and created a lyre. He is credited with creating the first musical instrument. He then stole some cattle from Apollo and when found out he was taken up to Zeus for judgment. Both Zeus and Apollo were impressed with the infant's extreme intelligence. Hermes returned the cattle and as a gift of reconciliation he gave Apollo the lyre. Later, the lyre became the symbol of Apollo, as the god of music. Apollo gave Hermes the job of transporting souls from this world to the next, a divine function that had previously been performed by the sun god.

Interestingly ... the Egyptians called Hermes Thoth and his role there was as the transporter of souls. Because the human intellect is by itself, amoral, and its function is rational thought, not necessarily connected to an ethical code, the same mental process that leads a person to write a great classic may lead another to lay the plans and carry out a flawless robbery.

Mercury is also the patron of merchants. Herein lies another important connection between Mercury and Jupiter: the mind only becomes a strong force for good when directed by a higher sense of awareness. An afflicted Mercury is always found in the birth chart of a career thief. Mercury is always associated with youthfulness. His activities began on the day of his birth. He was well-established by reputation in his youth. The Peter Pan complex is associated with an afflicted Mercury in the third house. Third house Gemini/Mercury can indicate a highly creative person or a completely underdeveloped native...and sometimes BOTH. They can move through life with the charm of a child and without noticeable purpose...always making plans, but never being able to bring them to fulfillment.

As the escort of souls, the archetype of Mercury has always involved movement and travel. Mercury is, after all, mercurial and speed was his as the messenger (carrier of communications) of the gods. Mercury also possessed the caduceus, the healing rod that is featured as the symbol of the medical profession. Until modern times, the mind and body were treated as a unity. Holistic medicine is the only medical art/science that causes healing to occur by treating the cause of the symptom. Holistic medicine works by refocusing the mind and body through thought and action rather than treating the symptom only, as the current allopathic medical practice does. Mercury possessed the caduceus because without the mind's involvement in the healing process, healing cannot take place. True healing only occurs when the mind and body are in alignment.

As the planet of spiritual direction, Mercury is often ignored. Mercury was the conductor of spirits from this world to the next and was the only being that could travel freely between the two worlds. Mercury's placement can indicate the path on which spiritual direction will move. Mercury also endows people to be able to use the power of the mind to travel anywhere ...the limits of which are entirely of one's own making.

Mercury is also a very hostile planet compared to Earth. During the day temperatures reach 700 deg F. During the night it will dip to a chilly 300 deg F. Mercury is made up of iron, which could come in handy if we can find a way to mine it. Mercury is also pockmarked much like the moon and scientists think Mercury is shrinking slightly every year. The average day lasts 56 Earth days and it takes 88 days to complete a year (go around the Sun). The only spacecraft to explore Mercury close-up was Mariner 10 which executed three flybys of Mercury in 1974 and 1975, surveying approximately 45 percent of its surface.

Mercury was the son of Jupiter, the king of the gods, and Maia, a minor goddess. Mercury was the messenger of the gods and the god of roads and travel in Roman mythology. The Romans considered Mercury rather crafty and deceptive, and even a trickster or thief. Criminals regarded him as their protector. Mercury resembled the god Hermes in Greek mythology. Mercury delivered his messages with miraculous speed because he wore winged sandals. He also wore a broad-brimmed hat and carried a winged staff. Mercury's staff had snakes curled around it to protect him in his travels. In ancient times, most messengers wore a hat similar to Mercury's. Messengers also carried a staff to identify themselves so they could travel freely. Mercury later became associated with magic and science, and his staff has come to symbolize medicine. Mercury is a zodiac planet playing important role in european and chinese astrologies.