At the time of writing, the Sun has just transited into Virgo. It has made me think about Mercury and all of the gods associated with it.
Virgo, much like Mercury, is a underappreciated workhorse energy in this matrix of our level of creation. So many can wax lyrical about Hades, Pluto, Neptune- gods of oceanic darkness. I know I can.
But what about the *magician* energy that is within us all? What about St Expedite that can get all kinds of things done for you *fast* should you feed him pound cake- what about the magic that forms the tight and intricate connexions that form a computer system or communications network? For it is within us all. Beneath the skin, beneath the beatings of the conscious mind, lies a network of astonishing and infinite complexity that we one day we discover we have the reins of.
We each have a brain, and the ability to do wonders with it. We each have language, however it expresses itself- and the ability to work magic with it. Even any language has more words than we can count, we still manage to use it- without really thinking… If we were to think about it very, very hard- would we express ourselves well?
Mercury moves faster than any other heavenly body in the zodiac, other than the Moon, which represents the unknown and untouchable world of the unconscious. If you were to grab this metal, it would slip through your hands as quick as you can grasp it. The way of the magician is not to hold on tightly to what we seek to connect, the way of the magician is to move with the heartbeat of time, and to endure.
For Mercury is a shaman, an alchemist. Odin and Hermes have both been linked to shamanism, Virgo represents a trial of purification and Gemini a trial of separation. Odin hung upside down on the world tree for nine days and nights until he discovered the Runes. Hermes was moved to explore the sufferings of the dead and to endure catastrophic travelings as he worked as a messenger of the Gods. He gives his name to Hermeticism, and to an ancient magician who is said to have brought the secret of magic and alchemy from the stars to Egypt in times before time.
The story of these guys is the story of all of us once we learn how to know our own mind. Our human thoughts lead us into trials of suffering, as what we are is scorched by the flames of our own ego (the Sun). We lead our lives going through the alchemical crucible, the process by which we draw the impurities out of metal in order to end up with something workable, something we can combine with other elements in order to make something that suits our purpose.
When we pick up the runes at the end of our days and nights of suffering, when we return from a shamanic journey, we have entered into something a little deeper in our relationship with the Divine. Slowly, but surely, through hells of mental uncontrollability- we learn how to be co-creator with the Divine. We learn how to work with our thoughts, our nervous system, our words- how not to let these things rule us, but how to channel that energy through.
With Mercury, we accept both our humanity and our suffering- and through doing so, we learn how to be divine within it. This is an experiential journey that varies from person to person, a matter of gnosis. But sooner or later, we will all become in touch with our own personal magician within.
Green Lady Astrology 