Mercury and the Powers of the Sphinx:

 

Mercury and the Powers of the Sphinx:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

Mercury is a many faceted and fascinating concept within the realm of occult philosophy. On the Tree of Life, Mercury is associated with the path of Beth, the Creative World and Hod. Mercury corresponds to air and is entirely hidden from our perception. One can merely grasp its influence once the consequence is experienced, it is a fleeting dealing with the great trickster, which leaves a person grasping for meaning. This god is easily comparable to Nature, whose law is that ‘Change is Stability’, learning and writing as a concept is also a wonderful means of understanding the nature of this force. Through this practice we wrestle with ideas, first we are confronted, then we are forced to learn, which leads to subject and object conceiving a new reality. It is this change in perception that brings about greater influence over nature, in other words, via the act of developing which occurs as a result of Mercury's influence, one’s perspective circumference is widened, as well as his influence, which should lead to greater control. This systematic growing in accordance with nature leaves the process subjectively inconceivable, while for the outside world something is stirring, and the change is clearly perceived. This process is perhaps best expressed as an ordeal of change, once a person learns, he is incapable of not changing, he has to change as his perspective has changed and thus his need for comfort found within familiarity brings about an internal struggle, which often results in conflict with the outside world. When this new state is attained, a person is forced “to Dare”, and to move forward, “to Go”, otherwise, staying fixed will merely result in more putrefaction, a condition which he is already in the process of experiencing.

As per the A.’.A.’. grades, the aspirant’s first true attainment is Yesod, not Malkuth, as Malkuth signals the attainment of a Probationer and is merely indicative of having established an internal dialogue. This is the value of working with the elements within the grade, these elements correspond to the Soul and are associated with the different ‘parts of his own being’, something that the Probationer will need to familiarize himself with during his time in the grade. Hence, he is given the Star Ruby to work with, the purpose of which--is to, in a sense, expose himself to himself. Following that, the order of business in Yesod, is to understand the dialogue that he has established in Malkuth, or to start understanding himself. This work is done on the Astral Plane, and it is during this grade that the aspirant starts studying the formula of ‘Change is Stability’, which is mercurial in nature. How this comes about, is that, by separating the parts of his being, the magician has become unbalanced, or imbalanced, and needs to pull himself together in order to move forward. His new state of experience evokes Mercury, which will either lead him to completion, or not, ergo he is the great trickster or the great teacher. Our run-ins with this god need to first be faced, then they need to be evaluated, so that understanding will lead to a fruitful outcome, here we have three Powers of the Sphinx, to Know, to Will, and to Dare. The last power, which is to Keep Silent, pertains to one’s conduct as it affects people in the world. Hence, one can see that by coming to a greater understanding and a reconfiguration of the universe, the last Power of the Sphinx becomes important for maintaining control. One reason for this need to guard against the world, is that ‘Change is Stability’, is not something the world at large is willing to accept, and it tends to conflict with growth and development which it is at odds with, as per its own inability to embrace change. It should be clear in this light, how Mercury and the Powers of the Sphinx are congruent with each-other, especially as for their importance pertaining to the grade of Neophyte. The Powers are thus tools, which should serve as a compass to help the aspirant navigate his way through the unknown nature of Being and to support him in his journey along the Tree of Life.  

“Love is the law, love under will.”