30 Apr Hermes of the Ways ~ May 1st-7th, 2017

Hermes of the Ways by H.D. (1912)

“The hard sand breaks,

and the grains of it

are clear as wine.

Far off over the leagues of it,

the wind,

playing on the wide shore,

piles little ridges,

and the great waves

break over it.

But more than the many-foamed ways

of the sea,

I know him

of the triple path-ways,

Hermes,

who awaits.

Dubious,

facing three ways,

welcoming wayfarers,

he whom the sea-orchard

shelters from the west,

from the east

weathers sea-wind;

fronts the great dunes. . .”

It is now the middle of Taurus season and thus this week offers a warmth and light that beckons you towards rest, repose and creative flourishing. As there are very few significant planetary aspects this week, these quieter days will be harmonious with Taurus’ preference for stillness.

The biggest astrological event this week will happen on Wednesday May 3rd, when Mercury will finally turn direct again in the sign of Aries.

This will be a relief to most people, as communication seems to be a little easier when Mercury is in forward motion. In the last lingering moments of Mercury’s Retrograde, a crossroads of experience will arise. Some of your important memories will feel more alive than ever whilst your vision of the future will become all the more illuminated.

In astrology, Mercury’s Retrograde periods are analogous to the mythological Mercury’s travels into the underworld. (Mercurius Psychopompos)

In terms of using the symbol of Mercury to understand your own mind, his role as psychopomp is one that reveals how the imagistic subconscious mind (underworld) communicates with the linguistic and analytical conscious mind. (overworld) Mercury is thus the connective intelligence that penetrates every level of your awareness, pollinating the conscious mind’s language with the subconscious mind’s images.

After three weeks of drinking deeply from the wells of the underworld, where the images of memory and dreams intermingle, you will be blessed by a newfound wisdom distilled from your own life experience. All this time spent in reminiscence has allowed you to reflect upon and revitalize your sense of personal and collective history.  

Mercury’s station direct in the middle of the week will be a moment to begin weaving your renewed sense of history into a richer and more nuanced creative impulse. In other words, the story you want to tell is now imbued with more complexity and meaning.

A perfect description of this week, with Mercury shifting directions, can be found in the poem “Hermes of the Ways” by the enigmatic poet, H.D.

H.D. was born Hilda Doolittle in 1886 but she always used the stark initials H.D. to sign all of her literary contributions.

She was one of the great modernist poets who became one of the archetypal Imagists. H.D. was introduced to the philosophy of Imagism by none other than Ezra Pound, who was also her first lover.

In the early 20th Century, Imagism was a literary experiment that sought to liberate poetry through precise language, unadorned imagery, and the rhythms of musical cadence. Ezra Pound’s definition of the image was “that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.”

H.D.’s Hermes of the Ways is an example of just such a poem, which uses natural imagery to convey a description of the intellectual and emotional qualities of the creative process.

Any poem about Mercury, or his equivalent Greek counterpart Hermes, must be read as a magical invocation of the god of language itself. In mythology, Hermes is associated with the birth of language and was the inventor of the lyre from which we derive the word lyric. As lyricists, poets are thus the hierophants of Hermes.

Please note that the more traditional god of poetry, Apollo, actually received his iconic lyre from Hermes. 

The opening image in H.D.’s poem “Hermes of the Ways” describes the creative process of translating one’s senses into words. It describes the internal alchemy of a poem coming into being.

The hard sand breaks,

and the grains of it

are clear as wine.

When the hard sands break, the rigidity of thought bound to the heaviness of earth yields to new lightness: a myriad of crystals that can be carried upon the wind. Inspiration is found!

But more than the many-foamed ways

of the sea,

I know him

of the triple path-ways,

Hermes,

who awaits.

The poet stands at the convergence of past, present and future; of earth and sea and sky. 

Dubious,

facing three ways,

welcoming wayfarers,

he whom the sea-orchard

shelters from the west,

from the east

weathers sea-wind;

fronts the great dunes

H.D.’s invocation of the god “of the triple path-ways” provides an imagistic definition of Hermes’ nature. 

Hermes is inconstant, shape-shifting, and forever mixing and mingling new elements together through allusion and reflection. This is a poet’s wisdom regarding the true nature of all language, music and memory. It is upon Hermes’ triple pathways that imagination and feeling can become articulated into lyrics.

In the spirit of the internal alchemy of poetry, let this week be a time for contemplation, where inconstancy and irresolution are embraced as being an essential aspect in the process of creation. 

Hard sand breaks into tiny grains becoming wind strewn sand dunes. The rippling waves of ocean crash into the rippling waves of sand.

Your intelligence and creative energy are as organic and rhythmic as the ocean tide. So, in Taurus season, allow yourself to remain passive and submit to the rhythm of your creative instincts. Only then will you experience the emergence of the poem, the painting, the song, or the plan that you feel budding inside your heart.

Monday/Tuesday: The Many-Foamed Ways of the Sea

On Monday, the Moon is waxing in the waters of its sign of rulership, Cancer. With lunar energy building in its sign of rulership, your connection to familial history will be brought to the surface.

The maternal wisdom of Cancer knows that in order to envision the future, you must have a deep connection to the past. The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree. Thus, your thirst for history will arise to strengthen the integrity of your best intentions.

There is no one way in which you might satisfy this primal need for ancestral connection. You may get lost in box of old family photographs. You may read some of your old journals. You may listen to music from another era. You might celebrate Beltane, which heralds many centuries of magical tradition.

On Tuesday, the Moon will shift into the fire sign of Leo, enlivening courage and the desire to perform your work with great poise and flair. Let the little bit of extra personality that is brimming within you come forth. Flamboyance and flirtation are welcome.

Wednesday/Thursday: Him of the Triple Path-ways

Mercury will station direct on Wednesday, offering you a multidimensional view  of your life. With a view of so many paths, it may seem like it is the time to make a great leap in any direction. But during Mercury’s station, it is important to be patient. Rather than acting out of impulse to take action, remain content to stand in-between worlds for a little bit longer.

Remaining contemplative and passive during the middle of the week can be better justified if you give in to the influence of the Sun in Taurus’ sextile with Neptune in Pisces. This is an aspect that will project the light of your inner visions onto the surfaces of your material environment.

Neptune’s mystical vapors will begin to carry you into a more visionary state, where a better sense of omnipresent consciousness will pervade your experience. Under Neptune’s influence, the whole world explodes with animated life. There will be whispers in the wind and kisses from the Sun. You will see the smiling faces in the tree-trunks and behold the castles in the clouds.

You may well spend this time lost in dazy daydreams. Allow yourself to indulge in this, for daydreams are a sign of your imagination’s wanderlust. Submit to the will of your creative instincts. Let your imagination roam wild.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Hermes Who Awaits

On Friday, the waxing Moon travel through Virgo, making a trine to the Sun in Taurus. This will coax a harmonious return to order. This is perfect opportunity to plant seeds of intention to perfect your work and create a firm foundation from which to build upon. When the luminaries are both in Earth signs, plans begin to solidify and ideas leave the realm of the abstract and begin to crystallize into a coherent form.

Over the weekend, the Moon will enter into the sign of Libra, beginning with an opposition to Venus on Saturday. A powerful craving for intimacy and affection will arise and you will likely seek out the comfort of friend or lover to fulfill this. Treat yourself to good company, good food, and a delicious sense of deserving.

On Sunday, the Moon will conjunct retrograde Jupiter in Libra, which is such a fortunate aspect that you can expect to feel elated. The Moon and Jupiter are quite a joyful and indulgent pair, so it is likely that you will feel like singing. Be open to receiving unexpected signs of love and generosity from others. Likewise, be open to giving generously yourself. During a Moon/Jupiter conjunction, all who give magnanimously will receive even more in return.

You may be called to give your time, your money, or simply your compassion. Whatever it is, you will feel how generosity comes from a free-flowing fountain within.