Mercury is the smallest planet in our system and the closest to the sun. It can never be more than 28 degrees longitude away from the Sun so the only astrological aspect they can form is a conjunction. Mercury takes 88 days to complete its revolution, which is the speediest of the planets.

Things that change quickly and often are referred to as being mercurial. Mercury is the planet of the rational mind and spiritual direction. Because Mercury represents the rational intellect and the moon represents instinctual memory, when these planets conjunct, superior intellect occurs, because the person has superior ability to remember everything he or she learns.

The mythology of Mercury begins back in Babylonian times where Mercury was known as Nebo (Nebu). Nebu was the son of Marduk, the kind of the gods. Marduk became the king by slaying the sea monster Tiamat, thus establishing order in the universe. Nebo became the scribe of the gods. It was his job to write down the laws and edicts of Marduk and to communicate them to men. Marduk later became the Greek Zeus and then the Roman Jupiter. Nebo became the Greek Hermes and then the Roman Mercury.

The most significant observance of the Babylonian calendar was the Babylonian New Year festival, which recreated the battle of Marduk against Chaos. During this festival, the image of Nebo was ceremonially removed from its shrine in Borsippa and carried to the temple of Marduk in Babylon. Through this act of Nebo being symbolically joined with his father, it was established that Mercury (Nebo) served Jupiter (Marduk). This ceremonial enactment represents the link of an individual's mind with his sense of purpose.

Interestingly ... the Egyptians called Hermes Thoth and his role there was as the transporter of souls. Because the human intellect is by itself, amoral, and its function is rational thought, not necessarily connected to an ethical code, the same mental process that leads a person to write a great classic may lead another to lay the plans and carry out a flawless robbery.

Mercury was the son of Jupiter, the king of the gods, and Maia, a minor goddess. Mercury was the messenger of the gods and the god of roads and travel in Roman mythology. The Romans considered Mercury rather crafty and deceptive, and even a trickster or thief. Criminals regarded him as their protector. Mercury resembled the god Hermes in Greek mythology. Mercury delivered his messages with miraculous speed because he wore winged sandals. He also wore a broad-brimmed hat and carried a winged staff. Mercury's staff had snakes curled around it to protect him in his travels. In ancient times, most messengers wore a hat similar to Mercury's. Messengers also carried a staff to identify themselves so they could travel freely. Mercury later became associated with magic and science, and his staff has come to symbolize medicine. Mercury is a zodiac planet playing important role in european and chinese astrologies.