Mercury (Alchemy)

In the ancient art of alchemy, such as in Hermeticism, Mercury, sulfur, and salt were the Earth's three principle substances that represent the trinity in creation. As sulphur is the symbol for the active principle, mercury is the symbol of the passive principle.The symbol of Mercury is the cosmic womb being incubated by the cross of the four elements of creation - earth, air, fire and water. Rising up out of the Cosmic womb of the Creatrix Field, is a partial form whose features are not yet determined as the raw substances undergo purification under each Law of Alchemy to reach the final Magnum Opus.The light-energy of the Solar Force is the source all life and thus in alchemy considered the Universal Mercury. Also, on the earth in the physical plane, Mercury is described as a water element. When the raw material of the Earth unites with the Cosmic Womb of Mother, the divine fire water or Azoth is manifested. In the natural laws, all forms of energy are transferable from one source to another.

Each civilization had its own legends about Mercury (Alchemy), and it was used as everything from a medicine to a talisman. Mercury's chemical symbol, Hg, comes from the Greek "hydrargyrum" meaning liquid silver. Mercury is also known as "quicksilver," a reference to its mobility and used as the physical symbol to represent the Azoth or fire-water in ancient alchemy. Speed and mobility were characteristics of the Greek-Roman god, Mercury (Hermes), who served as a messenger of knowledge to all the other gods and shares his name with the planet nearest the sun.

Alchemical Quicksilver
This glyph derives from an ancient Greek drawing representing the winged sandal or the caduceus wand of the messenger God Mercury (Hermes). The symbol predates the god, having previously in use as an emblem of the Punic Goddess Tanit. The glyph represents the planet Mercury in astrology, Mercury as alchemical quicksilver, and as the magical element mercurius.Alchemically, Mercury is analogous to the human spirit, and one of the three major alchemical principals, with sulfur and salt.

Mercury in Astrology
Mercury has rulership of two mutable signs: Gemini and Virgo, Air and Earth respectively. As ruler of Gemini, Mercury is exalted (matured) in Virgo because knowledge is matured in being put to use. Acquired knowledge, remains in its "childhood" if it is not projected or expressed for the ongoing evolution during the Soul incarnation. Only through knowledge can service be fulfilled and divine purpose be manifested with material affairs improved. Anything that is rightly known, such as in experiencing Gnosis, can be rightly used. Perpetuating darkness is the result of ignorance and is the path to wrongly use knowledge and corrupt service. Mercury is the messenger in Astrology as it is in Mythology, see Mercury (Hermes). It is the planet of day-to-day expression and communication. Mercury's action is to take things apart and put them back together again. It is an opportunistic planet, decidedly unemotional and curious. Mercury not only rules communication, it represents coordination. Thought processes, ideas, and sensory information from both unconscious and unconscious sources all need to be coordinated and understood. Mercury is the link (messenger) between the gods (higher principles) and humankind. It is through Mercury that we learn, first, the objective nature and quality of things, and then the awareness of principles opens our consciousness to the subjective reality; on both octaves we are learning but on the first we integrate through identification; on the second level we know through direct experience which yields gnosis.

The planet Mercury rules the Planetary Sphere of Hod which is the eighth sphere in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life (Ten Spheres) or Sephiroth.

Hermeticism
Parts of the Hermetica appeared in the 4th-century Gnostic library found in Nag Hammadi.— another famous tract is the Emerald Tablet of Thoth, which teaches the doctrine "as above, so below". The Hermetica are Egyptian-Greek wisdom texts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, which are mostly presented as dialogues in which a teacher, generally identified as Hermes Trismegistus ("thrice-greatest Hermes"), enlightens a disciple. The texts form the basis of Hermeticism. They discuss the divine, the cosmos, mind, and nature. Some touch upon alchemy, astrology, and related concepts. Orders -Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn - Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor -Hermetic Brotherhood of Light -Ordo Templi Orientis (Aleister Crowley)

See Also:
In the HGS Manual, Pages 75, 81, 114