Mercury - The Light of the Soul

Wisdom Teachings
The Centres of the Solar System
Book: Mercury -The Alchemist

To disclose the deeper aspects of esoteric astrology the scientists of astrology have developed a terminology and symbolism of their own. In that way they teach the science of correspondence as well as the combination of the faculties in man and his transformation. An astrologer speaks in terms of planets. Instead of mind he uses the term “Moon”, for the intellect and the higher mind he uses “Mercury”, for wisdom “Jupiter”, for the push aspect “Mars”, for the joy aspect “Venus”. He identifies Saturn with the habit-forming nature or with behaviour and the Sun with the “I Am”. Neptune stands for aesthetic feeling and Uranus for vision.

However, the celestial principles and their work can never be understood totally. Explanations always only get a part, and according to time, place and circumstances we get a different understanding and a different presentation of the same theme. Wisdom can be invoked and experienced. When we contemplate this way upon a celestial principle, each time we receive some different parts of what IS.

Symbolically speaking the Sun is the “I Am”-consciousness, a reflection of THAT. THAT refers to the Most High; in man it is related to Jupiter. So Jupiter is even above the Sun and resides in us above the head centre. The Sun is in the Ajna or the forehead centre, Mercury in the throat and Venus in the heart centre. Moon is localised in the solar plexus, Mars in the sacral centre and Saturn in the base centre, the Muladhara.

The Sun stands for our consciousness. He is the soul that we are. The light of the soul is Mercury. In the solar system Mercury is the planet most proximate to the Sun. Therefore it says that he is a good friend of the Sun who can discriminate and give advice. He is also the mind of the soul, the higher mind or Buddhi, whereas the Moon represents the lower, earth-bound mind.

Mercury is the principle mediating between matter and spirit; he can interconnect the higher and the lower worlds. Therefore he is also called the messenger between the Gods and the humans. Mercury is a kind of a neutral, reflecting principle which can work on the most different planes and always transmits the energies of the planets in his proximity.

If Mercury is connected to the lower centres or to “bad” planets, the individual can in a dangerous way be clever, intelligent and manipulative. He does jugglery of words to impress others and gain profit. He doesn’t mean what he is saying, but makes others believe his words.

In Vedic symbolism Mercury is humorously presented as a rat, whereas the deity ruling over it is the elephant-headed Ganesha, the supra-cosmic Jupiter. The rat is an excellent thief and knows how to appropriate something. Intelligent people who are not guided by higher motives are dangerous. Today nearly the entire business life is profit-oriented and even education teaches maximisation of profits, this thus bringing great harm to humanity.

Jupiter is love, wisdom and good will. Good will needs skill to express itself correctly, otherwise it remains impractical. Therefore Ganesha is said to be riding on a rat. Wisdom united with intelligence can bring itself to a good expression. Thus the impressions transmitted by Jupiter are received by Mercury and passed on. If Mercury isn’t connected to Jupiter, he lacks in determination and in continuity of focusing on a noble purpose. Through regular activities of good will the higher aspect of Mercury becomes active, the buddhic plane is stimulated and revelations of wisdom happen without our working for them.

Jupiter and Mercury together bring the light. Jupiter gives generosity and releases; he helps to liberate ourselves from the constriction of dense matter. Jupiter stands for the Master, the Guru; the disciple is Mercury when he rises to the light of the buddhic plane. The mind is transformed into Buddhi when it is freed from the astral and etheric influences. He who has realised the higher aspect of Mercury will be above motives. He has a fine organising ability and learns to transmit the wisdom of the higher planes to his fellow-men through books, talks or group-training. Mercury thus inspires through speech and elevates people to the awareness of the soul.

Speech can create harmony and equipoise. Therefore we should always speak pleasantly and express truth in a pleasant way. A poorly aspected Mercury leads to disputes, misconceptions and conflicts.

Mercury presides over thought, and thought is the communication of the Soul’s expression into the outer. If Mercury in the natal chart of an individual is badly afflicted, he lacks a good self-expression. If a person has Mercury in a good position, he can conduct excellent communication and thus lift up people. As far as we can communicate, there is an energy flow between people. Without communication the energies are blocked. Communication enables cooperation and gives the experience of communion. As planet of communication Mercury is therefore very important for group work.

In the east Mercury is also called Narada, the son born on the mental plane of Brahma, the creator, and Saraswathi, the Divine Word of wisdom. He always carries a Veena in his hand, a seven-stringed instrument symbolising the seven planes of creation which the sound penetrates. Narada passes the Word from the higher circles to the lower ones. Narada is also called the bringer of conflict, for on the lower planes he causes controversies and problems. On the higher ones he confers discrimination and an impersonal way of handling opposites and thus approaching unity in diversity.

In another aspect the Sanskrit name for Mercury is “Budha”. The one who is capable of receiving the energies from higher circles and transmitting them to the lower planes is a Buddha. Gautama Buddha has assumed the work relating to Mercury; he stays upon the planet to uplift people. The posture in which Buddha is depicted spreads silence. When we look at a statue of Buddha or meditate on it, we involuntarily become quiet. He spreads silence, and from out of silence we can experience better right speech.

The transmission of the word happens through the throat centre ruled by Mercury, which is related to the alchemy of transformation. The entire spiritual path is a work with the throat centre where the energies of the three lower centres are uplifted through right thought and speech to the three higher ones. In alchemy quicksilver, the metal of Mercury, is the chief implement of transformation. The principle of Sun we find in sulphur and the principle of earth, of the physical manifestation, in salt. When the mercury of our mind is stabilised through the use of sacred sounds and with the filter of discrimination by the elimination of unnecessary words, our speech transforms into gold. Gold is the metal of the buddhic plane. Through the purified throat centre a magnetic radiance develops which encourages, heals and spreads blessing.

Sources: K.P. Kumar: Jupiter / notes from seminars / E. Krishnamacharya: Spiritual Astrology / Alchemy in the Aquarian Age. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India.