Astrologer OPA ’ s Quarterly Magazine V24-02 JUNE SOLSTICE 2015 page 32
Mercury and Harry Potter At Platform
9 ¾
Written by Thanasis Matsotas Translated by Evangelia Tsavdari
The following passage is a study on the planet Mercury and its true essence , by Thanasis Matsotas . It belongs to a series of articles that link astrology and esoterism , and aim at clarifying and correcting terms and views that have been distorting both astrology and esoterism for a number of years .
In traditional astrology , Mercury identifies with mercury , communication , information , the nervous system , speech and mental ability . In mythology , it is the winged God : cunning , inventive , able but unreliable at the same time . It is the deity who – in embodying it – illustrates best the contrast between the human and divine element . It is the patron of thieves , but also mankind ’ s first teacher in Knowledge and magic . It is often represented as the hermaphrodite messenger of the Gods , while its statues at crossroads proclaim it ‘ road-pointer ’ to the right but also the wrong course . All these sketch Mercury ’ s astrological meaning .
However , in our opinion , identifying Mercury with mental ability is not entirely accurate . Its position in a natal chart mainly describes ( according to traditional methods of interpretation ) the way that a person expresses himself . A person ’ s thinking faculty and his perception in general are traced throughout the chart , with an emphasis on the 3 rd -9 th house ( Gemini – Sagittarius ) axis . For example , Mercury in Gemini could indeed speak of a hyperkinetic and inventive person ; nevertheless , the issue of intelligence would not end there . Intelligence also depends upon the position of the Sun and the Moon , as well as the element that colours them ( water , air , earth , fire ). Moreover , a man could polarize his thinking through another dominant planet in the horoscope , such as Mars or Venus .
Next , it appears that the majority of horoscopes present a ‘ restrictive ’ element pertaining to perception . For example a 9 th house Mercury trine Jupiter and Saturn , which is considered ‘ strong ’, could be in an aquatic sign that would mentally restrict it but enhance its intuition . Even if we find Mercury perfect in aspect and position , we will often come across other restrictions , such as Saturn squaring the ruler of the 3 rd house . These restrictions always hold a decisive meaning because they function as the horoscope ’ s regulators , potentially withholding certain abilities in exchange for a more expansive mental constitution . This is why we often meet smart and quick-witted people that lack depth of thought , or the opposite .
However , only the esoteric meaning of this planet will reveal his true stature hidden behind the usual astrological interpretations . To begin with , Mercury is it who neutrally transmits all information . It is indifferent to everything and mechanistically adaptive . Aleister Crowley writes : “ It must here be remarked that because of his complete indifference to anything whatever ( and that thought is -- when you get far enough -- only a primary point of wisdom ) he is entirely unreliable . One of the most unfathomably dreadful dangers of the Path is that you must trust Mercury , and yet that if you trust him you are certain to be deceived . I can only explain this , if at all , by pointing out that , since all truth is relative , all truth is falsehood . In one sense Mercury is the great enemy ; Mercury is mind , and it is the mind that we have set out to conquer .”
Here exists the antithesis it holds as a planet , and the shades that colour it during its course along the zodiac . This antithesis is adequately explained if one realises its actual and higher function , although it is very difficult to approach due to the planet ’ s fine and fragile nature .
Essentially , this planet represents the energy in between conditions . If Mars is a centrifugal force , the beginning of the pathway to individualisation , and Venus is the centripetal force of Love on man ’ s way to the Sun – as a symbol of consciousness , then Mercury is the condition that intervenes between Mars and Venus . He is the energy between Empedocles ’ “ love and strife ”. Plato mentions in his Symposium that the philosopher stands between God and man , searches for knowledge he knows he lacks . Namely , philosophy is tension , an intermediate state between knowledge and ignorance . It is also ‘ love ’, and from this point view , Mercury – philosophical mercury – expresses ‘ love ’ s ’ energy as the “ Third force ” of the religious and philosophical triadic system .
In Dervish orders , the Master is called ‘ Dervish ’, a word that derives from ‘ Hermes ’ and means intermediate – mediator . It actually refers to the “ Observer within ”, and the state of “ observing one ’ s self ” – the fragile and tender energy – state of Consciousness that meditation practitioners often arrive at . Namely , the sacred state of “ Attention ” followed by “ Next Attention ”, in Gurdjieff ’ s words . It is the point when the dove or Divine Grace descends !
Let ’ s not forget that Yoga means union . Thus , Mercury is Yoga itself , as well as its
The Career
Astrologer OPA ’ s Quarterly Magazine V24-02 JUNE SOLSTICE 2015 page 32