Getting Crafty
On the Mercury cazmi and his first day on Earth
“The thief who creates value is Hermes; his acts of theft are also acts of creation”
-Norman O Brown
When Hermes came into this world, his first act was a quizzical one. It sets the precedent for his mischievous ways, but more importantly, how it tangles up all of our morality and ethics into a confusing bundle of feelings. His first act was to take the life of a peaceful tortoise.
Now, I know that some say the reptile willingly gave his life and is a symbol of the world (turtles all the way down kind thing) and others may say, “No, his first act was stealing his brother’s cattle.” And to that I say, “…we are talking about myth here; linearality is blurry and subjective. The tortoise and cattle happen the same morning and I’m inclined to think tortoise before cow. Anyways, the point, is that curiosity with a dash of ingenuity turned a tortoise into a lyre that fateful morning, thus bringing both beauty to our ears and also reconciliation as well in the most retrograde of ways.
Currently, Mercury (Hermes) is traveling at roughly 100,000 mph on the other side of the Sun. He also just moved into Libra today. It’s always a surprise when the second cazmi sneaks up in the cycle. The retrograde feels like it was just yesterday, yet here we are. He moves fast. Just like our thoughts; no different than how quickly we change our minds. With that said, it’s crucial to remember that this cycle began in Leo back in August (see this). It’s those themes that are carried forward throughout each phase of the cycle. In this one, the Idea that may have claimed us is being tested. In Hermes’ origin story, we can get a clue as to how this plays out in the wyrdest of ways.
After the tortoise had been gutted and the skin stretched over the shell and the strings fastened from its organs, Hermes created the first lyre. Mastering it swiftly on his first morning stroll is when his second act begins to stir which is the desire to steal that gorgeous herd of cattle he comes across. Whether he knew they belonged to Apollo or not, it’s never good practice to steal someone’s gold or bitcoin. But he did, and he was indeed found out. After the trial at Dad’s house among the rest of the pantheon, where he had talked his way out of the situation, it was walking back home with his brother (Apollo) when he made amends with him by playing a beautiful song on the newly minted instrument. Moved to tears by the composition, baby Hermes decides to gift the instrument to his emotional brother as a kind of drachenfutter for what he had done. This is Libra, in one of its most gracious forms. Where can it be applied in our own lives? How do we create the balance again? Is there a cure for TDS?
Mercury is also trine to Pluto today. The transit that everyone is paying attention to is having a profoundly deep moment with the little messenger, so the question is: What is the message?
With Pluto’s final visit into Capricorn in our lifetime, there is something he is helping us get clear on. It’s a darkness in this area that has been under severe surveillance over the past few years. In us, we can find it in our our charts, but we also need to be honest about how it’s manifesting in our lives; and in the outside world, it’s so obvious to some, but seemingly impossible for others to see. It has to do with power. This final visit will tie up the ‘dark night’ of the story which has been told from 2008 till present.
Whatever the message is coming in from the other side of the Sun, from this seeming palaver with Pluto, it’s information that can assist us in wiggling the last bit of snakeskin from our bodies. It’s an uncomfortable truth that if integrated couragely might sprout a couple of wings from our backs. As we know, Hermes is the only one who can travel to all the worlds and dimensions, and so it is he who carries the heart-sinking news from our unconscious, assisting us in transforming that story into something extraordinary and new.
Ignore Mercury cycles and we will miss the most exciting news. If we are paying attention, we are being led by a hilarious god with the most profound strain of wisdom—Trickster Wisdom!
Make amends. Don’t wait for the other to make the move.
Key Dates:
Sep 26: Mercury into Libra; trine Pluto
Sep 30th: cazimi @ 8º Libra
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Whether it was the tortoise or the cattle, it was all premeditated, no? It seems he had all of it planned before taking his first steps, knowing well how to secure his throne among the Olympians, make friends with his brother, and delight the rest of the family. I've even heard a telling that he made an offering of the meat from the cattle to all the Gods before endeavoring on the creation of the first ever lyre. The magician knows well before we could ever begin to think we understand...
Great post and reflections as always brother, thank you!
Do you know the work of Iain McGilchrist? He refers to the lyre in relation to the brain hemispheres (tension of the opposites) and the subsequent need to attend to the world through use of both left and right, seeking to ensure that the left is not dominating the right. He suggests that the trouble we’re in has its roots in left brain dominance. Reductive and focused and full of hubris. I always think of his work in relation to Mercury as bridge-builder, making connections. The corpus callosum is the bundle of neurons that form the bridge between hemispheres, allowing for the Mercury function of holding tension and bring together opposites in a kind of harmony. Thanks Adam 🙏🏼