Mythic astrology: Mercury the trickster

Don't you think there's some kind of sick sense of humor in the fact that the ancient Roman god of luck was also the god of trickery and thieves? That's right. Congrats on winning the lottery! Prepare to have it all stolen. And this is exactly why Mercury is so fickle and slick. At times, we see Mercury come alive in a beautifully crafted sentence, a conflict resolved, or a trip that's successful. We also see it rear it's devious head in misunderstandings and hotels with bedbugs.

Astrology uses Roman names for planets (such as Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn), but also for some asteroids (Ceres, Juno, and Vesta come to mind). And while not all planets in astrology have their Roman god attribute (Jupiter, for example, is the planet of luck, not Mercury) they can still maintain some. Mercury is the planet of communication and messages, and retains this in myth. This is why some astrology relates to myth, and some myth relates to astrology.

So how is Mercury a trickster in modern astrology? Well, let's take a look back to the very beginning. In Hellenistic astrology, each planet has a sect that they favor. Mercury is the only one who can swing between the two. Perhaps we can better understand this switch through myth itself. Mercury is the god that can easily travel the heavens, earth, and underworld. In fact, Mercury was responsible for guiding souls to the underworld. So Mercury's ease between the two sects can be easily explained through myth.