Planets in Medical Astrology: Mercury

Posted Thu, 2009-10-01 18:32 by Yubraj Sharma


Themes of Mercury:



  1. Mercury rules the bridge or the antahkarana, your column of consciousness rising from the level of personality towards soul-spirit.

  2. Mercury has a strong association with duality.

  3. Arms, hands, dexterity and manual co-ordination.

Governs the communicative pathways within the body and physiology. The levels of communication include those between:


  1. Higher self and lower self

  2. Upper chakras and lower chakras

  3. Transmission along the nerve axon through electrical action potential

  4. Nerve cell to nerve cell communication through chemical neurotransmitter across the synapse. Also nerve cell to and from muscle cells and sensory organs.

  5. Hormones and chemical messengers (e.g. within the immune system)

  6. Hormonal actions at a distance within the body, local autocrine and paracrine effects from local messengers.

  7. Cell to cell communication through receptor function (glycoproteins are relevant here).

  8. The communication between the genetic code (DNA) within the cell nucleus and the cytoplasmic metabolism (especially for protein production at the endoplasmic reticulum).

Thus a vast range and number of diseases may feature an afflicted Mercury. The particular system that involves Mercury are, however:

Nervous system


Note that the Moon governs the etheric body, vitality and nourishment of the brain and nervous system. This equates to the Calcium carbonate dynamic as the polar (but essential) opposite to the Silica forces of higher self communicating to the nerves. Without the substance and form of the Moon, there is ineffective function of Mercury, i.e. there is then simply not enough nerve electrical and chemical neurotransmitter production to carry the life of thinking into the brain. The brain pertains especially to the Mercury within the heavens, as a guide to gods and immortals. The peripheral nervous system especially pertains to Mercury within the underworld, as a psychopomp to the dead souls and the journey between lives within the lower astral plane.

Respiration, lung system and breathing


The act of exhalation/expiration pertains to the death process, the exit of the soul from the physical-etheric body at excarnation and the last breath of life. The astral body is releasing any obsolete experiences of the physical corporeal life. The act of inhalation/inspiration pertains to the entry of the soul at the start of life, the first breath at birth and the entry of new cosmic forces and aspects of the astral body into the physical. The influence of Mercury is relevant for:


  1. The relative equality of inhalation and exhalation. Thus there should not be undue air trapping within the lung airways from insufficient exhalation.

  2. There should be a gap of nothingness between each phase of inhalation and exhalation. This relates also to the gap between systole and diastole within the heart rhythm. These correspond to the soul connecting to the void or nothingness of cosmic spirit, transiently unplugging from corporeal or material experience.

  3. The respiration also within the cells, whereby the cells receive oxygen from the capillary blood and shed carbon dioxide waste back into the capillaries. Cellular respiration should be closely matched to the lung respiration, e.g. breathing becomes accelerated during periods of increased cellular demand such as exercise.

  4. The formation of the lungs within the embryo. Hence disorders may lead to weak surfactant activity at birth and respiratory distress syndrome in the baby.

Sensory activity


The Sun is especially connected to the sensory faculty, providing for the thinking outlook of Empiricism, i.e. perceiving and understanding the world through the senses. However, the Sun must act in close association with its messenger, Mercury. Thus, the outer sensory impressions (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory and taste) are received by Mercury within the surrounding space outside the aura, and then relayed into the relevant sensory organ where the sensation meets the astral body and the sphere of the Sun. Hence, we see what we want to see, hear what we want to hear etc. Mercury is able to theoretically impulse the sensory organs with myriad sensations, but this would overload the nerve-sensory system. In a sense, therefore, Mercury acts as a filter to ward off undue and excessive sensations from the sensory organs. Similarly the god Mercury is often shown wearing a hat to protect himself from the glare of too much light.

The various functions of the throat chakra


These include:


  1. Faculty of communication through speech, the larynx form and function. Speech also involves effective transmission of thoughts to another person through the words that are said. Also the power and strength of the voice relates to the levels of Lung chi/energy.

  2. Thyroid gland levels of thyroid hormones, and thus the speed of the metabolism and basal metabolic rate. This must be sensitive to prevailing requirements and circumstances and needs.

  3. Parathyroid gland function, which regulates calcium blood balance. Adequate maintenance of blood calcium enables proper grounding of the Mercurial forces and nerve-muscle communication.

Nervous system


Abnormal Mercury action can lead to the following problems:


  1. Insufficient signals and function from birth, such as cerebral palsy and birth trauma to the brain. Consider the influence especially of Uranus, Mars and/or Pluto with Mercury and/or at the Ascendent.

  2. Slowing down of nerve signals and communication later in life, causing dementia patterns. This includes premature dementia, slow-virus diseases such as CJD, Alzheimers and multi-infarct dementia. Also Parkinsons disease, stroke related paralysis. Consider also unaspected Mercury and Mercury placed in detriment positions.

  3. Excessive signals and cramped communication. This includes multiple sclerosis, various involuntary movement disorders (e.g. tardive dyskinesia, chorea-athetosis). Consider Saturn and Mercury patterns, also Saturn and Uranus patterns. Saturn is causing obstruction to the nerve impulse, which is consequently jammed and cramped in its location.

  4. Inflammatory disorders of the nervous system, e.g. encephalitis, meningitis, spinal myelitis. Consider Mars and Mercury patterns.

  5. Disorders of the cerebrospinal fluid, such as hydrocephalus, lymphoma within the CSF, leakage of CSF after head injury (also involves Mars and 1st house or Aries). Consider patterns between Mercury and Neptune.

  6. Nerve sclerosis and paralysis patterns, such as peripheral neuropathy, nerve atrophy, stroke damage. Consider Saturn and Mercury patterns.

Respiratory system



  1. Inability to let go of life experience, disordered exhalation. This leads to air trapping, diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis.

  2. Disordered of chest wall expansion from chest wall deformity, such as scoliosis, kyphosis, concavity of the sternum. Consider especially the influence of Capricorn and also Saturn-Mercury patterns.

  3. Defective respiratory control centre activity within the brainstem. This could be from nerve damage (e.g. brainstem stroke, diphtheria, polio infection) or chemical damage (e.g. carbon dioxide excessiveness, carbon monoxide poisoning), alcohol induced. Also sleep and respiratory problems (such as snoring), such as from a thick inflexible neck, alcohol, laryngeal obstruction. The overall result is usually carbon dioxide retention, blue bloating patterns, lung failure, cor pulmonale and pulmonary artery hypertension (leading to right-sided heart failure).

  4. Generally, the incarnation process becomes blocked at the throat chakra level. The patient often suffered recurrent or chronic throat inflammation (laryngitis, pharyngitis and tonsillitis) during childhood. These were suppressed by antibiotics. Mercury may be unaspected or afflicted from good aspects with other planets, thus poorly leading the astral body into the physical-etheric body. When there is reactive fevers and blood heat from the astral body permeating the blood through force, then consider also the action of Mars. Where secondary glomerulonephritis occurs, then consider the action of Venus.

  5. Larynx disorders. This could be structural defects, such as laryngeal odema, nodes and tumours on the larynx, vocal cord paralysis. Consider Saturn and Mercury patterns for the paralysis and Mercury-Moon for the odema.

  6. Speech problems, such as stuttering, stammering, severe autism related, withdrawal syndromes. Consider Neptune-Mercury patterns where there is excess sensitivity in the soul (as often the case for the autistic child).

Thyroid disorders


Such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Mercury is out of synch with the metabolic requirements of the body. There is usually the a history of throat inflammation as above. Consider afflictions also of Uranus, thus higher order regulation of the body is disrupted.

Sensory disorders


There could be paralysis or inaction of the sensory glands, leading to problems such as blindness, deafness, lack of taste or smell, peripheral nerve paralysis with numbness to touch, vibration, proprioception or pain.

For visual disturbance consider:


  1. Eye inflammations such as chronic conjunctivitis, optic neuritis, retinal or vitreous haemorrhage, eye injury with Mars and Mercury patterns.

  2. For cataract, optic atrophy, retinitis pigmentosa, stroke damage to the visual cortex consider Saturn and Mercury patterns.

  3. For glaucoma consider Jupiter and Mercury patterns (Jupiter influences liver metabolism and causes fluid congestion with the anterior chamber of the eye).

For ear problems consider:


  1. Congenital hearing problems, i.e. deafness from birth, consider Moon and Mercury problems.

  2. Chronic kidney disease associated with ear problems, such as aspirin induced, recurrent otitis media, grommets. Consider Venus and Mercury patterns.

  3. Sclerotic diseases such as otosclerosis, neuropathy and nerve deafness. Consider Saturn and Mercury patterns.

Retrograde Mercury


During the phase of retrograde motion, there may be slowing down of nerve signals and thyroid activity. Hypothyroidism may become precipitated and be difficult to resolve during this period, treatment becoming successful upon the shift to forward motion with secondary progression. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis may relapse during retrograde phases, with symptoms such as reduced vision from optic nerve delay, delayed bladder emptying or other delayed motor/sensory responses.

Copyright © Yubraj Sharma, All Rights Reserved