Hermes Looks Back and Waves Goodbye

Our friend, Hermes as he is known in Greek Mythology and Mercury to the Romans, is often blamed for many things, especially when he goes retrograde; which happens three to four times each year.

What actually is taking place is the slowing down of the planet Mercury’s orbit of the sun, which eventually stops its motion in relation to the earth.
This creates an illusion of moving backwards, similar to what happens when you are sitting in your car at a light, and the car next to you moves forward, giving you the sense that you are moving.  The earth would be the moving car and Mercury is the car that is now stopped at the light (sun).

Another analogy I like to use is what happens when you are moving forward in a boat and you stick an oar in the water; the movement of the water as it swishes around the oar which is now moving with the boat and creating its own vortex is what happens energetically with the Mercury Retrograde.  I like to use the analogy of water for many things, but especially to help people visualize and understand the movement and force of energy that is not always so visible to the naked eye.  If we understand the universe as a living Sea of Life, the movement of the planets and the energy they impart into that sea, may be better understood.

Returning to the oar analogy; think about that movement in the water, swishing and circling ‘around’ the oar.  We see the returning of energy.  This is what happens with Mercury.  All the energy and information/lessons attached to by degree, sign, house and aspect are refocused in our lens and we are given another view/experience to literally, ‘review’ and perhaps make different choices, or become culpable for our previous actions and this includes karmic lessons back as a blast from the past.

If we take that a few layers back and ‘review’ what Mercury or Hermes actually rules over, we find these:  Communications, travel, pens, writing, siblings, language, crossroads, cue: “Went Down to the Crossroads” here is a link to Cream with lead Eric Clapton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-6OWBciRas but the story made most famous is one by Robert Johnson and his trek to the ‘Crossroads’ where he met the devil and ‘traded’ his soul to become a blues guitarist legend.

Commerce is also something that Mercury rules over, trade that all through history creates the infrastructure and roads necessary to transport goods from their point of origin to place of sale or market.  Although ‘Pluto/Hades’ rules over treasures, it is Mercury who is given free passage to and from the underworld of Hades, and of course, Hades loves music and Hermes invented the lyre using the shell of a tortoise. 

He was given a caduceus or staff from his father Zeus, which in some stories originally were two white ribbons that entwined the herald’s staff and later changed into two serpents.

Zeus also awarded Hermes, a cap with two small wings and a pair of winged sandals when he appointed him as the Divine Herald.  This gave Hermes the ability to travel over both land and sea.  Zeus also ordered everyone give their utmost respect to Hermes.

Hermes also rules: astronomy, astrology, cleverness, cunning wiles and wit, hospitality, heralds, diplomacy, thievery, persuasion, athletic contests (Olympics), gymnasiums and is given credit as the originator of the sacrifice to the God’s. He is the personal messenger and herald to his father Zeus, the king of the gods.

It is said that he punishes anyone who does not help those asking for directions.

Other Major attributes:
•              hodios patron of travelers and wayfarer

•              oneiropompus, conductor of dreams.

•              poimandres, shepherd of men

•              psychopompos, conveyor or conductor of souls and psychogogue, conductor or leader of souls in (or through) the underworld

•              the factor of travelling or motion with or without others with respect to the physical landscape, or the landscape of the soul , is the core attribute of the god as messenger and guide

 

OK, now that we have a bit of a backdrop upon which to draw, let’s go ‘back’ to Mercury Retrograde.

Mercury stations retrograde on June 26^th at 23* of Cancer until he goes direct again on July 20^th at 13*.

This is the second of three retrogrades this year and they are all in water signs, the next one being from  October 21 to November 10 in Scorpio.

He will almost manage to form an exact square to Uranus in Aries and opposition to Pluto in Capricorn.

 

We can expect the usual, computer malfunctioning, dropping pens, paper and pencils, electricity whirligigs, car trouble and miscommunications and misunderstandings.

I could tell you to try and be very clear before signing any agreements, if one were to be so bold at this time, but during a water retrograde, it is just asking for trouble to even try.

Now, if it is something with an ‘RE’ before the task, then by all means go ahead!  Re-pairing, Re-wiring, Re-painting, Re-negotiating, etc.

 

This is also when we get those blasts from the past, like seeing people we haven’t in years or meeting up with people we just seem to already know, they are usually someone from a past life.

In this water retrograde, expect and even look for people from the past to visit your dreams, and perhaps tell you something they didn’t or couldn’t get the chance to tell you in person; they may have already passed over too.  The message could be one you have been asking for answers to, so PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DREAMS!

Now, think of how an object appears different when you look at it through water, the light refracts and skews the dimensions and the location of the object in the water.  This is a good analogy to comprehend what happens in communications.  Things are just not what they seem.  The message may become garbled or muffled, either way we are just not hearing what we thought we heard, so best not to come to any conclusions.  Yes, this also pertains to those messages in the dream state, but I would write them down to come back to later, they will have something that will help us put the pieces of the puzzle together and usually these will be more of the returning variety, the view we didn’t or couldn’t see before and that is what we are looking to benefit from during the Mercury retrograde period.

Secrets will have a much shorter life or half-life during this retrograde, since we already have had that long Saturn retrograde in Scorpio while in mutual reception to Pluto/Hades in Capricorn, all that was shuffled under the table will find its way to the surface like a leak that you just can’t fix.

Water will seek its own level and bring up from the depths of that Neptunian/Poseidon Sea (who is also retrograde) the deeper spiritual truths, the kind that were nipping around the periphery of your consciousness and almost within grasp and then popped like a bubble before we could integrate them.  The closer Mercury gets to that Uranus square, the closer those insights (ruled by Uranus) will come into our awareness.

Squares can be challenging of course, but they are also what we use to build upon, so after it all comes out in the wash, expect to become much clearer about what and where we want to build our dreams.

 

Since the retrograde is in Cancer (The moon/home/family) Cancers can expect to be affected the most, followed by all the Cardinal signs: Libra, Capricorn, and Aries as well as where those signs are by house in your own chart, including planets that are aspected too.

With Jupiter having just entered the sign of Cancer too, we can expect a lot of expansion in the water sign and all things Cancer, so it is a good time for family and nurturing ourselves with mother energy.
There could be some slowing of construction and housing during this retrograde period, or the flow of money into the housing market could feel strained, as if the river of loans is drying up.

This is a good time to clean and wash away the past, repair old friendships if our review brings the light of a new perspective or understanding but it may also mean the letting go of those friendships and relationships that are just too hard to hold onto, with all that water pulling those people who have served their purpose away and onto a different river in life.  I don’t say that lightly, since I don’t let go of people very easily myself, I take people very deeply into my heart, and it takes an awful lot of hurtful behavior for me not to overlook the transgressions, so even writing that does not come so easy.

 

Now, since Mercury is in Cancer, expect emotional confusion most of all, but also emotional healing.

I know that may sound contradictory, but that is how this works, the energy gives and takes away.

(I am also writing this during a Mercury Retrograde, so that means I will come back and rewrite this in the future AND it may not be as clear as I would like it to be, she said as she laughed to herself).

 

Let’s go back to the statue of Mercury looking back:  This is what we do best during this time, he wants us to RE-member who we are, the road we have travelled, our hurts and our accomplishments after we successfully negotiated the difficult times, the people we have met along the way and how we treated them, the kindness and the love that we have been blessed with and especially, our ability to laugh, to take things less seriously and find a witty sense of humor about it all.

But we made it through those times, just barely though it may seem, but we made it through.

So, it is compassion we can find now, and soothe our beings with the balm of that love, letting go of the need to do more and to worry about the future.

Kindness goes a long way.  Here is where I find POWER in our amazing ability to look back, to remember the times we have had with loved ones we may not be able to see in the physical world anymore, to glean a lesson from the lens of history and turn that into a better fuel and heraldry to turn around and implore the God’s when Mercury goes direct.

It is not the time to march forward; it is the time to bask in the afterglow of the road less travelled.

Happy Trails.

The secret is...I told you I would be adding more to this post ( I always do, so it is best to come back and reread the post's to get all the secret pearls I will cast out along the way).

Unless that is, you are ready to go deeper into the meaning?  Would you like to go down to the ‘Crossroads’and meet our friend Hermes?  Then knock and the door shall be opened unto you.

The heart is the doorway, the bridal chamber with (4) chambers into the divine abode of Venus or Aphrodite, where one learns true beauty that rises up from the Sea.  The Way of the Heart is THE WAY to the TRUTH and the LIGHT that comes from the singular eye.  To divine, is to use discernment and trample the Lion (Ego) and the Serpent (consumerism/consumption/lower earthly drives/lust/greed that keep one crawling on the belly for more things that will only turn to dust) and to enter the Bridal Chamber where the male becomes female and the female becomes male.  Balance and Harmony reign in the forces of the Divine Charioteer. 
This opens into the Thymus.  (The mystical colours of the Thymus are purple and deep teal).
Heart Thymus...HearThyMus...Hear…Thy...MUSE...Hearthearthearth…earthearthearth..earth.
Hearth Y Mus...Gather around ye hEARTH and entertain your muses...your teachers stand at the gate of the crossroads...where Hermes stands as the messenger to help you across the river. (Hermes is the ruler over the throat, arms, hands chakra).  He is Mercury in Roman symbolism.

“I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees”
  © Gloria O'Neil-Savage 'Sangreal' 2013

I went down to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
Asked the lord above "Have mercy now
save poor Bob if you please"
Yeeooo, standin at the crossroad
tried to flag a ride
ooo ooo eee
I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me babe
everybody pass me by
Standin at the crossroad babe
risin sun goin down
Standin at the crossroad babe
eee eee eee, risin sun goin down
I believe to my soul now,
Poor Bob is sinkin down
You can run, you can run
tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run
tell my friend Willie Brown
(th)'at I got the crossroad blues this mornin Lord
babe, I'm sinkin down
And I went to the crossroad momma
I looked east and west
I went to the crossroad baby
I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman
ooh-well babe, in my distress