MERCURY
MERCURY 2020
Psychopomp & Messenger God
MYTHOLOGY OF MERCURY
Mercury (Roman)
aka
Hermes (Greek)
Thoth (Egyptian)
Turms (Etruscan)
Gud (Sumerian)
Nabu (Babylonian)
is a god of communication (written & spoken), divination, cunning, travel, merchants, thieves, and tricksters. He is also a magician, an alchemist, a boundary god, a psychopomp (meaning he can freely travel between worlds), and a messenger.
ASTROLOGY OF MERCURY
While all of the mythological aspects mentioned above are part of the archetype of the planet, Mercury, it is his role as messenger that most interests us right now.
Mercury Retrograde
When Mercury turns retrograde we can consider it a time when everyday rational thinking needs to be released allowing the irrational, the arcane, and the magical into our lives. It can also be a time when we need to reassess and reevaluate in a particular area of our life. Of course, this can cause problems (chaos even) if we are resistant. However, if we are open and learn to work with this energy, it can be very informative and transformative.
On February 16 at 4:54pm, Mercury stationed retrograde, which means he paused briefly and then changed direction (from our geocentric point of view). This change in direction marks the point at which Mercury began his underworld descent. When Mercury changes direction, things feel unstable (communication issues, mistakes, shipping and travel complications, misunderstandings, etc…) but by noon on February 19 things smoothed out, as Mercury passed over the threshold and officially entered the Underworld.
Once over this threshold, Mercury travels with ease in the Underworld – if we let him. All the negative energy and press surrounding Mercury retrograde stems from a resistance to the irrational, and a fear of the dark. All planetary energies turn introspective when the planets go retrograde. However, with Mercury, this introspection also draws us into the Underworld, which is dark and unknown. If we are open and adjust to the shift during the station retrograde period (i.e. if we let go of left-brain functions and logic, and prepare ourselves for creative, right-brain mystical experiences), we will likely find this Underworld journey information and transformative. If we are resistant to the change, or carry fear into the Underworld, this Mercury retrograde phase will likely be a negative and chaotic experience. The same is true of the return. When Mercury stations direct (pauses and changes back to forward motion) – which happens on March 9 at 8:49pm – we need to adjust back to mundane, left-brain functionality… though the messages and experiences gathered during the Underworld journey stay with us.
On February 25 at 5:45pm Mercury comes into perfect alignment between the Sun (Spirit) and the Earth (Self). This is the first of the three annual alignments that activate Mercury’s role as psychopomp and divine messenger, bringing communication from the higher self (Spirit) to your everyday life (You).
Collectively, we will all experience the overarching energies of this current alignment in Neith (first face of Pisces – see my post on NEITH )
However, individually we each journey along a different path through the Underworld. The individual journey is represented by the Chamber(s) in your natal chart where the Mercury/Sun alignment happens. This is the area of your life where the messages apply, the area that has the potential for deeper information and transformation – your path through the Mercurial Underworld.
So get out your favourite divination tool and see what information Mercury has for you. Assess, evaluate, and listen to the message.