Mercury
Mercury rules the sign of Gemini and describes your patterns and expression of thought and speech. Mercury was the brother of Apollo, the Sun. As an infant he became bored in his crib so he transformed himself into smoke and puffed through the keyhole of his door and went into the world to explore its possiblities.
His first exploit was murder. I know that sounds harsh, but he killed a sacred tortoise and made a muscial instrument out of the shell, a lyre. Then he took Apollo's cattle and hid them in a valley, holding them hostage until Apollo gave him a reward for finding them. So now he was a scammer, and only 3 days old.
Mercury/Hermes was the only Olympian that could go to all the worlds with impunity. His winged feet and hat allowed him to travel faster than anyone else. He was called psychopomp, which is a shaman that escorts souls to the next world. He could even bring the children of the Gods back from the underworld. No one else could do this, not even Zeus/Jupiter.
He has been called the Messenger of the Gods, but a more correct description would be the escort of the Gods. He was an accompanist, bringing the message, which is an entity itself, along for the ride.
The masculine, Logos, can go everywhere in the psyche and in physical reality. Logos is the fuel of life and when in balance with the feminine imago it is powerful and constructive. Like baby Mercury, when he is allowed to rule on his own, he creates havoc and misunderstanding, very much like the Coyote energy of Native American lore. In other words, the mind is a trickster, and as such, Mercury was the patron of thieves and merchants.
Mercury/Hermes represents the male logos. He is the Thought that permeates and enlivens form. He is the breath of Spirit, the Word that has true meaning. His ideas fertilize all Matter, encouraging creation through the force of non-physical action. His action is of the mind. Mind over Matter. Mind influences Matter. Mind into Matter.
Mercury is associated with The Magician because through his action he brings the intention of Spirit into form, manifestation. He uses the tools on his table, the Elementals to allow the sweetness above to become known in physical form, repeated as the sweet red flowers of life. His white gown is purity and the red cloak is life. Thus he becomes the pure vessel for Spirit to connect with Matter.
Caduceus
Meaning "House"
The Planet Mercury is Magician
