ILLUMINATI SECTION
Degree 11
Astral Harmonization No. 4
©2012, Supreme Grand Lodge of the Ancient & Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis.
Published by the Grand Lodge of the English Language Jurisdiction, AMORC, Inc.
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Astral Harmonization No. 4
CONCURRENCE
As this lesson concerns Mercury (Hermes) and the influence he exercised
over humans, we feel that the information provided about this god in the
following excerpt will be useful.
A deity undoubtedly chthonian in origin—in other words, a deity
of Earth and of the underground kingdom where he guides souls,
Hermes is also preeminently the god of commerce, as the god of roads
and crossroads, or even as the heavenly messenger. The posterity of
this god, in this dual aspect of the path one travels and of the voyage
accomplished by the soul, was established after its encounter, and then
assimilation, of the ibis-headed Egyptian deity Thoth, the master of
wisdom. Hermes became the guide of spiritual seeking and the guide
of alchemy where, through the work of the elements and initially that
of the Prima Materia—in other words, of black earth which one has to
convert into gold—the adept sought to save the world and nature, as
well as to bring about the birth of the Puer, the Filius philosophorum—
that is, the Child illumined by inner wisdom.
The Hermetic teachings were first compiled during the
Alexandrian era in the Corpus Hermeticum (“the body of Hermes”
or “the Hermetic Corpus”) and, more particularly for alchemy, in
the famous Emerald Tablet (Tabula smaragdina), which we see Isaac
Newton still working on in the seventeenth century. Hermes, called
“the thrice greatest” (Hermes Trismegistus), symbolizes the world
spirit; whereas his Latin equivalent, Mercury, is identified meanwhile
as the planet of mobility and ceaseless transformations, but also as
Mercurius, through the principle of metamorphosis of metals, together
with Sulphur and Sal (salt). A “Hermetic” theory is thus not at all an
obscure theory, as is believed today, but based on a hidden principle of
wisdom that is man’s duty to discover through spiritual initiation. As
for hermeneutics, it is the science of the unveiling and interpretation
of the intrinsic meaning—concealed at first sight—of the symbols,
words, and archetypes engraved in the soul.
—ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SYMBOLS
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Dear Fratres and Sorores,
The time has now come to continue the study what we have termed
“astral harmonization.” Today, we propose that your consciousness travel
towards Mercury.
THE PLANET MERCURY: Mercury is the second smallest planet of our
solar system and closest to the Sun, circling the latter approximately every
ninety days. When the sky is very clear, the planet can be seen on the horizon,
just before sunrise in the early morning, or just after sunset in the evening. It
appears as a tiny luminous point in the faint light of dawn or dusk. For a long
time, the peoples of ancient times believed that it was two different heavenly
bodies—Set and Horus among the Egyptians, Buddha and Rauhineya
among the Hindus, Apollo and Hermes among the Greeks. Eventually the
Greeks realized that these two heavenly bodies were actually a single planet.
Astonished by the speed of its movement through the sky, they kept the name
of Hermes for it, in reference to the most fleet-footed deity of the Greek
pantheon. The Romans later called the planet Mercury.
Observations obtained from the various space probes nearing Mercury’s
surface indicate this planet’s great similarity to the Moon. They are both barren
and pitted with countless craters made mostly by meteorites. The largest crater
measures 1,350 kilometers (over 800 miles) in diameter and is found in the
hottest region of Mercury when illumined by the Sun, thus explaining why
scientists call it the Caloris Basin (i.e. “Heat Basin”). Long rectilinear faults can
be observed on this planet, as well as cliffs reaching upwards about 2 kilometers
(1 ¼ miles) and extending hundreds of kilometers (miles). As for Mercury’s
interior, it is similar to that of Earth and consists of three successive sections: 1)
a crust; 2) a mantle composed of rocks and with a density increasing as its depth
increases; and 3) a molten core of metals representing 50 percent of Mercury’s
volume and 80 percent of its mass.
Recent measurements have revealed that Mercury rotates on its axis in 59 Earth
days and that a day on Mercury lasts about 176 Earth days. Since the planet revolves
around the Sun in less than three months—88 days to be precise—the result is that
the year is almost half the length of the Mercurian day. Furthermore,
Mercury’s orbit is quite elliptical. That is why the distance separating
it from the Sun varies between 46 and 70 million kilometers (28 ½
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and 43 ½ million miles). Consequently, the quantity of energy it receives from the Sun
can double depending upon the period of the year. Other important characteristics are
that Mercury has very weak gravitation and virtually no atmosphere. This explains
why its temperatures fluctuate considerably between the day (400° C or 752°
Fahrenheit at the equator) and night (–170° C or –274° Fahrenheit). We know of no
other planet that exhibits such enormous thermal differences.
MERCURY’S SYMBOLISM: For obvious reasons, the symbolism of
Mercury is associated with the ancient deity, who, in Greco-Roman mythology,
was thought to be the messenger between the deities and humans. To make him
most effective in this role, Zeus bestowed upon him a very astute intelligence
and the ability to move rapidly between heaven and Earth. This is why Mercury
is often represented with a helmet and boots bearing wings on each side.
Furthermore, he was charged with protecting travelers from brigands, wild
beasts, and demons. As part of this mythology, he was especially honored at
crossroads where a statue representing him was generally erected. Roads were
also marked with stones that had been dedicated to him and were supposed to
materialize his protection toward all those who worshiped him.
In addition to the previous explanations, the symbolism of Hermes or
Mercury is also linked with that of the Egyptian god Thoth. Traditionally
thought to be the inventor of writing and a source of inspiration to scribes,
this lunar deity personified Divine Wisdom and his function was to reveal
such wisdom to those individuals who sought it and were worthy of it. He was
thought to be the only one knowing “the path of light leading to eternity.” This
is why the initiates of ancient Egypt considered Thoth to be both the guardian
of the mysteries and the ideal guide for gaining access to the kingdom of Osiris
after death. Likewise, Hermes was the symbol of Knowledge and Illumination
for the initiates of ancient Greece. In many of their writings, he was even
compared to the Logos—that is, the Word—by which the Divine created the
universe at the beginning of time.
THE INFLUENCE OF MERCURY: As is true of all planets in our solar
system, Mercury exercises a special influence over humans. To be more
specific, it acts upon the two nervous systems (the cerebrospinal
and autonomic) and favors the exchanges constantly produced
by them through the medium of their mutual connections. When
we harmonize with this planet, it is possible not only to stimulate
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each of these two systems, but also to increase the speed of transfers taking
place between them. This results in two major effects: first, an increase in our
physical tonicity; and second, an increase in our mental vitality. Apart from
these two major effects, any harmonization with Mercury produces a fuller
synchronization between the voluntary and involuntary functions of our being,
which contributes to our physical and psychic well-being.
In an earlier monograph of this series, we noted that the Moon and Mars
react on intuition and will respectively. As for Mercury, its astrosophical
influence involves another important faculty: reasoning. Indeed, it is because
of this mental faculty that we are able to think, reflect, make decisions, work,
apply our free will, etc. Without it, we could not fulfill our potential as humans
and act upon our surroundings. Although we do not doubt that your reasoning
is sound, we feel that by harmonizing with Mercury on a regular basis, you
can make your reasoning perform even better and thus acquire a sharpened
intellect. To attain this goal, this is how you should proceed:
EXPERIMENT: To benefit as fully as possible from the influence exercised
by Mercury over our nervous systems and over our reasoning, we suggest that
you perform the following experiment as regularly as possible. Preferably this
should be done on a Wednesday, the day when this influence is most powerful.
First, sit in the position you normally use when meditating, close your
eyes, and relax a few moments while taking deep neutral breaths.
Intone the vowel sound OM while harmonizing with Mercury. While doing
so, you can visualize it as a planet (you may wish to look at a photograph of
Mercury) or you can visualize its astrological symbol, as shown in the Practical
Application of this monograph.
When you feel yourself to be in harmony with Mercury, stop intoning the
vowel sound and concentrate on the idea of Mercury radiating its influence
upon you, thus contributing to the stimulation of your reasoning. While
maintaining this concentration, visualize the word reasoning with as much
conviction as possible.
After continuing for a few minutes with this visualization, let
yourself drift into cosmic communion while maintaining a state
of receptivity. You may end this experiment as soon as you feel
the need to do so.
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Taking into account the effects obtained while harmonizing with Mercury,
we suggest that you practice this experiment as often as possible. If you tend to
lack tone in your body, with regular practice you will note an improvement of
this condition. You will likewise notice better performance on the intellectual
level and you will benefit from better reasoning. Also in terms of your
judgments and general behavior, you will perhaps have the feeling of becoming
more wise—to use the philosophical meaning of this word.
With best wishes for Peace Profound,
Sincerely and fraternally,
YOUR CLASS MASTER
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Practical Application
“Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the
evening what the morning may accomplish.”—Unto Thee I Grant
Symbol of Mercury
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Summary of This Monograph
After carefully reading this monograph, read the following summary. It contains
the major principles on which you are to reflect and meditate in the coming days.
If any of the points are difficult to understand, refer to the explanations given in this
monograph. Moreover, we advise you to read this summary again immediately before
your next sanctum period.
Mercury is the second smallest planet of our solar system and the one that
is closest to the Sun, circling the latter approximately every ninety days.
When the sky is very clear, the planet can be seen on the horizon, just
before sunrise in the early morning, or just after sunset in the evening.
Observations obtained from the various space probes nearing Mercury’s
surface indicate this planet’s great similarity to the Moon. They are both
barren and pitted with countless craters made mostly by meteorites.
Recent measurements have revealed that Mercury rotates on its axis in
59 Earth days and that a day on Mercury lasts about 176 Earth days. This
planet also has very weak gravitation and virtually no atmosphere.
The symbolism of Hermes or Mercury is also linked with that of the
Egyptian deity Thoth. That is why he was the symbol of Knowledge and
Illumination for the initiates of ancient Greece. In many of their writings,
he was even compared to the Logos.
Mercury exercises a special influence over the two nervous systems of
humans. When we harmonize with this planet, it is possible not only to
stimulate each of these two systems, but also to increase the speed of
transfers taking place between them.
Every harmonization results in two major effects: first, an increase in our
physical tonicity; and second, an increase in our mental vitality.
On the astrosophical level, Mercury exercises a positive influence on the
most important mental faculty: reasoning.
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NOTES
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NOTES
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NOTES
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