Mercury Rx and the Case of the Missing Cattle
Meandering between backward paths, visibility, a myth about Hermes and its mischief and reflections inspired by it to guide us through the hair-pulling Mercury Rx season + Extra resources!
I can't tell you how many times I have already heard about miscommunication, tech failing, missing objects and victims of mischief among my astronerd community and myself (I'm not exempt here) just in these past few days, as Mercury stations to a halt in Sagittarius and go retrograde. The frustration of the unreliability of these “connectors” can be nerve-wrecking to say the least.
But is this just a period of celestial annoyance? Two days ago, my mind was visited by the case of Hermes’ theft of the cattle from Apollo and was amused by the parallels I could draw from it and the lessons inspired by it!
Here I'll share with you a short version of some interesting bits of this myth, some astrological connections between it and Mercury's cycle, as well as messages we can take home with us.
If you stay with me long enough through this lengthy post, you will be rewarded with some great posts suggestions, astrological and not, that I see fit for this retrograde season! Hang tight!
Important Dates before the Journey:
Mercury stations retrograde: Nov 26, 2:42am at 22°40’ Sagittarius
Mercury conjoins the Sun (a.k.a Mercury cazimi): Dec 6, 2:17am at 14°27’ Sagittarius
Mercury stations direct: Dec 15, 8:56pm at 6°23’ Sagittarius
The Case of the Missing Cattle – Part 1
Hermes was a quick learner. So quick that he was born in the morning in a cave and by midday already crafted a lyre from a tortoise shell (this lyre will be a crucial part of the story). By the end of the same day, he was plotting mischief, something that must be done in the dark of the night (Apollo of course was not seeing it) to fulfill his desire for some meat.
His plan was to steal cattle from Apollo. He was so ingenious in thinking of turning the hoof-prints in the opposite direction, while they walked backwards to mislead whoever was going to catch him later.
An old man saw him as he was leading the cattle backwards. Hermes threatened the old man to not mention a word to anyone.
This backward movement was what drew me into this rabbit hole. It is hard to not connect this part of the myth to Mercury stationing retrograde: the mischief being sown, the attempts to crossing the wires. Things run in ways contrary to our common experience/perception and expectation during Mercury retrograde (especially so around its stationing). We can't tell by looking at footprints if the direction of the steps was forward or backward.
Traditionally, the Sun rules our perceptive organs. This describes well the mix-ups, the missing/stolen objects and bits of our communication left forgotten that occur out of our mind's sight (awareness of which we only have because someone else points them out to us). This leads to another bit of the Mercury cycle…
A Note on Mercury Retrograde and Visibility
Mercury stations retrograde occurs at around 15 degrees ahead of the Sun in zodiacal order (this can vary, but not by much), very close to the point where Mercury is said to go under the Sun's beams, becoming less and less visible as an evening star (heliacal setting), before it fades out of the visibility. (Remember that it was in the evening that cheeky Hermes set his plan in motion!) This double downs the concealed nature of Mercurial parts of our lives during its retrograde season: hidden communication, unclear intentions, lost in translation, you name it!
The Case of the Missing Cattle – Part 2
The night darkens and Hermes, before preparing the animals, invented fire-sticks and fire. As the fire burns, he dragged two of the cows to the fire, prepared the sacrificial meat and divided them into twelve portions. He couldn't eat it, although longed for it, so left it on top of a cowshed as trophy.
As dawn arrived, after packing up, he went back home (the cave) and stayed in the cradle, as innocent as a new born baby (pun intended!).
Apollo found out about the theft through the old man. After confronting him (and of course failing at getting a confession), he took Hermes with him to pay Zeus, their father, a visit and seek justice.
Note here how a hidden Mercury can still bring ingenuity. I am not sure if Hermes was aware that these will become crucial tools for human survival in the dark. What I can see being hinted here is: solutions we come up with during Mercury retrograde ending up as essentials in our toolbox, possibly benefiting humanity and future generations.
The preparation of the sacrificial meat and the careful allotment into twelves parts makes me wonder: there is something sacred happening as things happen out of our control, when they screw up our expectations. Note how in the end the prepared meat was sacrificial. If things are getting out of hand, we may lean into trust that that is the way sacred to us, no matter how infuriating the acts end up being. What we have lost are sacrificed to the gods (and soon we will see what we get in return).
Halfway Reflections
There is never just one side to a story and we may just as well be the Hermes in our version of this myth. Are we open enough to admit that actually we are the cheeky, mischievous one, if that is the case?
The prepared meat did not end up in Hermes's stomach. Instead, they were used as sacrifice (I imagine to the twelve gods as it was portioned into twelve lots). Can we respect the confusion, miscommunication, losses and trickery we experience during Mercury retrograde, seeing them as necessary sacred steps of the way?
The Case of the Missing Cattle – Part 3
Zeus listened carefully to Apollo's appeal and then to Hermes's defense. Arguing logically, Hermes crafted every word to defend that he is speaking the truth (not that he is innocent).
Seeing through what logical contraption Hermes was setting up, the only way Zeus could solve the mystery was to confront Hermes: to show him where the stolen cattle was.
During Mercury retrograde season, a very popular experience is the attempt of getting away with words during an argument. Hermes knew well the bendiness of language itself and used it in his favor.
Asking factual questions, facing the facts, is the only way to understand what is really going on. “Show me the action! Give me the proof!” Again, of course, this goes both ways during a discussion. A third way is with(in) ourselves: instead of trying to extract explanations and the reasons why, why not pin down the facts? Remember, speaking something true does not mean that we are admitting to anything. Such are the illusive nature of words and elusive tendencies of human!
The Case of the Missing Cattle – A Happy Ending
The stolen cattle was found. Apollo was surprised by the strength and genius of the young, one-day-old Hermes. Fallen in love with Hermes's lyre, Apollo got it in exchange to the cattle. Hermes made a promise to never steal again from Apollo again.
Hermes also gave pipes that he owned to Apollo, asking (of course) in exchange the power to prophesy. Apollo insisted that he was the only one who can read into the mind of Zeus and referred Hermes to other teachers of divination: three gifted virgins with wings who shared truthful omens when fed with honey, but told lies if deprived of it.
In the end, Zeus recognized the divine privileges of Hermes and crowned him as “lord over all birds of omen and grim-eyed lions, and boars with gleaming tusks, and over dogs and all flocks that the wide earth nourishes, and over all sheep” and, what he is most known for, “the appointed messenger to Hades”.
Hermes and Apollo reached a deal, finally! This to me so clearly speaks to Mercury cazimi (a planet cazimi refers to its conjunction with the Sun). Not only did Hermes end up keeping the cattle and learn about divination, he got himself a divine purpose and favor amongst the famed undying gods. This recognition, the specialness that comes with it, has parallels with the association of cazimi to “sitting on the lap of the king”.
This is not a one-way “upgrade”: Apollo gave ears to Hermes playing with the lyre and received this in return. The Sun in a cazimi takes up the qualities of the planet during their conjunction. This is a win-win situation.
Final Reflections
The confusion and chaos generated during Mercury retrograde will have resolution.
Note how Apollo ended up losing his cattle, but earned a new set of musical instruments! The final resolution to our problems can look (unexpectedly) different from what we imagined: we may lose something, but may gain something as well.
How much more Mercurial can this resolution get: an exchange, a swap, a business deal!
We may gain a set of tools that we have never imagined during Mercury retrograde season.
End Note, Resources and Extra Resources
If you have made it this far, congratulations on surviving my endless rabbit hole! I couldn't pack everything I thought of here, but this is the large and long brushstrokes (apt for Sagittarius being the sign where this current Mercury cazimi happens).
Here is the version of the myth I based this post on:
HERMES' THEFT OF APOLLO'S CATTLE (HOMERIC HYMN) - Homeric Hymn 4 to Hermes (trans. Evelyn-White)
[I am very open to suggestion for other translations of this myth! Leave in the comments below and I will be forever grateful for you!]
As promised, this is a list of suggested reading, astrology-related and non-astrology-related through the Mercury retrograde season:
Krystin Mathis' Translation of the Orphic Hymn to Hermes/Mercury: this is another rabbit hole I suggest going into to connect with Hermes.
Krystin Mathis on the Orphic Hymn of Chthonic Hermes, Fugitive Trickster of the 5th dimension: she points out here a part of the hymn that connects to the ribbon-shaped path that Mercury makes in the sky during its retrograde, and so so much more.
Nathaniel Drew on How to have more interesting conversations
Hope I haven't missed anything (Mercury retrograde alert)!
With love and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it,
Raimundo
So, so good!