Astrological Mythology The Meaning of ... - Mandhata Global

distinguishing feature between the symbols of Mercury and Venus is this arc
at the lop of Mercury's symbol.
Mercury contains within itself all the qualities of Venus; sensitivity,
perception and the tendency towards materialization of the Divine potential.
Under the Mercurian impulse, Venusian qualities are either pushed toward
the deeper layers of materialization, or they are raised towards the
realization of the soul's Divine origin and original purity. Such transformations
depend upon the growth and development of intelligence. Mercury
is related to Mind, which enables the individual to use his intellect. The arc
that distinguishes Mercury from Venus at first sight appears to represent the
Moon. Mercury is related to the Moon. The Sanskrit name for Mercury is
Saumaya, meaning "son of Soma" or the Moon. The Moon is pure
consciousness. It reflects the universal essence of life directed through the
radiance of the Sun. The Moon projects this radiance onto lower levels of
manifestation to energize and nourish life on earth. Pure consciousness, as it
is the capacity of comprehension without any object, requires involvement
in matter in order to get objectified and fructify the realm of manifestation.
In this process, the intellect serves as a bridge between knowledge as an
active potential and pure intelligence that enables the understanding of the
essential being. This is the special feature of Mercury. The emblem for the
planet as a cross which stands for manifestation, combined with a circle
which represents evolutionary movement in its wholeness, and the Moonlike
arc which relates it to pure consciousness indicates the totality of
Mercurian function. The arc at the top represents the movement of various
impulses after they have individualized and are struggling towards
liberation. The semi-circularity of the arc links the last point of
objectification of the subjective impulse with the beginning of the liberation
of the soul. This wide field of Mercurian operation makes the planet a
messenger between the gods and man.
The Mercurian arc reveals two additional aspects of the planet. First, the part
of the arc touching the top of the Venusian circle signifies the immersion of
the soul in matter. It shows the downward movement of the Divine Energy.
Second, the movement of the arc away from the Venusian circle signifies
escape from the material world. It therefore shows that the human intellect is
capable of immersing the individual in the darkness of materialism as well
as releasing him from it. Whether the individual is struggling toward the
Spirit or to indulgence in the scnsate experiences of the material world
depends upon the disposition of Mercury. The proximity of Venus and
Mercury relates to two adjacent sheaths of the human being, the
Anandamaya Kosha or Bliss sheath (related to Venus) and the Vijnanamaya