Hermes, Guide of Souls
By Jane Rocco Evans
The god Hermes comes to us in a flash, unexpectedly, quickly. He is a god of surprises, synchronicity. Where there is spontaneity, playfulness, restlessness, Hermes is with us. Hermes as Guide of Souls, guides us on a psychological journey that seeks to unite male and female elements in our psyches.
Hermes as Gemini, or the twins, expresses this duality. The task for Hermes is "union of the same"—the integration of solar/lunar elements in the individual. In order to do this, Hermes must first obtain the "caduceus." The caduceus is a rod topped by wings. Encircled around the caduceus are two white snakes, the twin threads of death and rebirth. They are male spirit and female soul united, the ultimate integration of the Self.
The caduceus' wings mark integration of self. Generally, cultures symbolize this with some form of winged creature or spirit. According to the Aztecs, the Phoenix rises when the sun and moon join. Quetzalcoatl, winged serpent, represents the ultimate union of sky and earth. (Even in the Christian tradition, there is the Holy Spirit, a dove.) These are different names and forms of the caduceus.
In order to obtain the caduceus, Hermes must travel up to the sky (or sun). The union of the same, or the twins, comes through a balance of the four Elements. We balance the different aspects in our lives, when we work with each Element as the situation demands:
We work from the East (Air), as we develop the ability to see the whole picture. Like the Eagle, we retain sight of important details. We use foresight to plan our lives.
We work from the South (Fire), as we find the courage to assert ourselves, make our presences felt, and heal the wounded child within.
We work from the West (Water), as we bond together. We learn what it means to be part of the group. We learn not to fear death, and to be comfortable with silence.
We work from the North (Earth), as we become responsible for our own life support. We learn about respecting and protecting Gaia, our Earth Mother.
At each Gate, at each Element, we pass through tests. The tests are cleansing—a series of "earthquakes" and "tidal waves" that come when the circumstances, people or places which no longer serve our evolutionary purpose are leaving, breaking away. We can meet these tests patiently, holding on till they pass. We can be like Hermes and remember that wherever we are, we are only there temporarily.
Like Hermes, we receive the caduceus once we've balanced the four Elements. We meet the four Guardians and reach the house of the Sun. Having traveled to the Sun (or the Sky Father), we now become "Hermetics" and are able to travel to the Moon (or Earth Father), the Underworld.
We now become Hermes the Traveler, who went freely between Mount Olympus, Earth and the Underworld. Hermes finds his twin, and now uses his opposite principle as transition energy. At this point we stop calling the energies "masculine" or "feminine." We take off the labels, thereby freeing these energies and using them wherever they are needed. Indeed, traveling to the Underworld requires psychological androgyny. The inward experience of both masculine and feminine perceptions is a key to entering this realm. Hermes' caduceus is his new symbol of psychopomp, or Guide of Souls. Hermes now travels freely in the Underworld and leaves it at will.
Once he has integrated his twin self, Hermes' trickster element does not have to be experienced negatively. In the Navajo tradition, Hermes appears in the first world as Coyote, or trickster. And Hermes was out stealing cows from his brother Apollo on the day he was born. At this stage, Hermes had not yet developed a sense of the `other', his twin. Once the twins have integrated, however, this trickster element can be employed in a positive manner. The ability to think like a trickster can help us discern the different mind games people are pulling on each other, or it can make a detective very successful.
Once Hermes is able to travel freely between the worlds, he becomes Hermes the Integrator. Hermes seeks to understand and integrate the different worlds of the mind (Mount Olympus), human life (the political) and the soul (the collective unconscious, or Underworld). Through his travels, Hermes finds that all three worlds are connected. He thus becomes Hermes the Communicator, who will always find a way to teach what he knows. | 
