When ancient mystics looked at the skies, they saw the planetary bodies as gods, angels and messengers. There wasn't a whole lot going on back then but to pass the time staring at the sky. For them, it was like binge-watching "Game of Thrones" or "How I Met Your Mother."

Mercury was the name for the Roman messenger god. The Greeks called it Hermes, the Babylonians had Nebu, and Egyptians called it Thoth. In Norse myths, Loki the Trickster appears. The Archangel Raphael is a Mercury-type in Judeo-Christian myth and in Islam we see Idrïs and Enoch.



Mercury’s energy can be explained by observing the characteristics and behaviors of the planet itself. By looking at the energetic threads connecting the physical planet and the religious symbols above, you can see how they are all related.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It’s small (barely bigger than Earth’s moon) and very hot. It has a very thin atmosphere and a solid, rocky surface, marked with craters, making it a harsh and impossible place for humans to live.

It takes 59 Earth days to make one full rotation, making for a long workday for natives of Mercury, hopefully with lots of lunch breaks. Meanwhile, a year on Mercury only takes 88 Earth days. Because of its slow rotation and short year, the Sun only rises once every 180 Earth days. I'll bet it's an epic sunrise though.

Against the backdrop of stationary stars, Mercury appears to move rapidly across the sky each night. Its speed and position between Sun and Earth is like a heavenly intermediary, carrying messages between our divine light and our earthly bodies.

In this way, its energy represents perception, thought, communication, and connections. In a birth chart, Mercury describes how a person processes the world around them, how they talk and write, and how they connect to the people and world around them on a personal level.

Mercury Retrograde is a well-known phenomenon among both astrologers and astronomers. During a retrograde period, a planet appears to move backwards through the sky. This is due to the nature of multiple bodies in varying circular orbits around a central point. With Mercury, this happens approximately 5 times a year.


(We've all been there)

Energetically, this is a time when day-to-day communication can break down. People are encouraged to take time for introspection and reflection. Don’t commit to anything serious as things can change quickly and unpredictably during this time. We interpret this as the basic up-and-down rhythm of life, with Mercury as a hand on the clock saying, “Hey, slow down a little bit.”

The symbol for Mercury features a cross (Earth, matter) under a circle (Sun, the soul), with a crescent moon on top (connection, communication). This represents our divine nature rising above our material nature, yielding connection and communication from above to below.



Mercury, in the Cosmic Octave (developed and written by Hans Cousto), is calculated to be 141.27 Hz. This frequency is calculated by finding the orbital frequency of the planet and scaling it up to the audible range. By using instruments tuned to this frequency, sound therapists and spiritual healers can tap into the energy and spiritual power of Mercury in their work.

To start working with the connective power of Mercury, see the Paiste 32" Mercury Gong here.

We have many other instruments tuned to Mercury as well. If you’re interested hearing what else we have, contact us!