Mercury

Mercury is the planet closest to the sun making it the hottest too. It is also the fastest, taking only 86 days to orbit. To the Greeks he was known as Hermes, and also identified with the Egyptian Thoth. Hermes Tresmegistus, thrice great Hermes is the patron of all alchemy, his legacy the Emerald Tablets.

Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, and its keywords are: thought, curiosity, communication, swiftness and interaction. In the body it is associated with the lungs and the hands, also the nervous system.

He was the only god who could enter and leave the underworld at will, so can know both the shadow and authentic aspects of human nature, for in truth, we are each all of it. He was something of a trickster, which serves to remind us how our minds are not necessarily always our best guides.

I also associate Mercury with science, investigation and gathering of information, with magick, and with going about our daily lives.

Metallic mercury, or quicksilver, is the metal. Unique among all the metals, it is a liquid in its native state, and will readily dissolve other metals, including gold, to form an amalgam.