The planet Mercury, or Budha, is the one which lies nearest to the Sun and is said to receive seven times more light and heat from it than our Earth, whereas the beautiful Venus gets only twice the amount received by the Earth. So there is no doubt but that "Mercury is, as an astrological planet, still more occult and mysterious than Venus." (S.D., II, 28)

It also occupies a very important place in ancient Mythology, as it represents the principle of Buddhi—Esoteric Wisdom—and is therefore identified with the god of Wisdom, known under various names. In one place in The Secret Doctrine the Planet Mercury or Budha is designated as the "Lord of Wisdom" (II, 27), and in another place it is said that "the men of the Lord of Wisdom (Budha Mercury), not the sons of Soma (the Moon,) are immortal" (II, 44). The day of the week which is named after this planet, Budha—Wednesday, was also, we are told, "sacred both to Hermes and Thot." (II, 367)

Furthermore, "Ancient Mythology includes ancient Astronomy as well as Astrology. The planets were the hands pointing out, on the dial of our solar system, the hours of certain periodical events. Thus, Mercury was the messenger appointed to keep time during the daily solar and lunar phenomena, and was otherwise connected with the God and Goddess of Light." (I, 389 fn.)

It is on the solid foundation of the Science of the Zodiac that ancient theogonies have been reared, and one cannot but be "struck with amazement at the idea of the days of Mercury (Wednesday), Venus (Friday), Jupiter (Thursday), Saturn (Saturday), and others being related to the days of the week in the same order and with the same names in India as in Northern Europe." (I, 652)

The clear Theosophical teaching that each human being is endowed with the divine faculty of Buddhi, which can be developed by the requisite self-purification and spiritual training, as also the fact that Buddhi is the golden casket which serves as the vehicle in which a Ray of the Absolute is focused and becomes individualized—these truths have been given expression to in a veiled and allegorical form, it seems, in the words of Mercury through his oracles: "I am he whom you call the Son of the Father (Jupiter) and Maia. Leaving the King of Heaven (the Sun) I come to help you, mortals" (II, 542). We can well understand, therefore, Madame Blavatsky's statement that Mercury heals the blind and restores sight, mental and physical." (Ibid.)

There is a beautiful allegory about the birth of this planet Budha which is full of deep significance. Soma, the sacred beverage drunk by the Brahmins and the Initiates during their mysteries and sacrificial rites, is really symbolic of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, and for this reason

Soma was never given in days of old to the non-initiated Brahman—the simple Grihasta, or priest of the exoteric ritual. Thus Brihaspati—"guru of the gods" though he was—still represented the dead-letter form of worship. It is Tara his wife—the symbol of one who, though wedded to dogmatic worship, longs for true wisdom—who is shown as initiated into his mysteries by King Soma, the giver of that Wisdom. Soma is, thus made in allegory to carry her away. The result of this is the birth of Budha—esoteric Wisdom—(Mercury, or Hermes in Greece and Egypt). He is represented as "so beautiful," that even the husband, though well aware that Budha is not the progeny of his dead-letter worship—claims the "new-born" as his Son, the fruit of his ritualistic and meaningless forms. (II, 499)

Directly after relating the above, Madame Blavatsky very aptly observes in a footnote that "We see the same in the modern exoteric religions."

An observation worth noting in reference to Mercury is the fact that it has no satellites. Astronomers are unable to explain why this should be so in reference to this planet, as also in the case of Venus. This is because

science has only one key—the key of matter—to open the mysteries of nature withal, while occult philosophy has seven keys and explains that which science fails to see. Mercury and Venus have no satellites but they had "parents" just as the earth had. Both are far older than the Earth and, before the latter reaches her seventh Round, her mother Moon will have dissolved into thin air, as the "Moons" of the other planets have, or have not, as the case may be, since there are planets which have several moons—a mystery again which no Oedipus of Astronomy has solved. (I, 155-56 fn.)

Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus are said to be the four exoteric planets and these, along with three others which, Madame Blavatsky says, "must remain unnamed," "were the heavenly bodies in direct astral and psychic communication with the Earth, its Guides, and Watchers—morally and physically; the visible orbs furnishing our Humanity with its outward and inward characteristics, and their 'Regents' or Rectors with our Monads and spiritual faculties." In other words, it is made quite clear that "only seven of our planets are as intimately related to our globe, as the Sun is to all the bodies subject to him in his system." (I, 575-76)

Although a good deal of rare and valuable esoteric knowledge about the planets was given out for the first time in Theosophical writings (e.g., that pertaining to the Chain of Seven Globes interpenetrating one another, of which the visible heavenly bodies form but one Globe, the middle or fourth one), H.P.B. repeats in several places in The Secret Doctrine the idea that no one "could expect to have the secret teachings explained to him thoroughly and completely, before he had irretrievably pledged himself to the Brotherhood and passed through at least one initiation" (I, 164). The student is always encouraged by her therefore to use his intuition at every step and to draw as much as possible on this divine faculty of Buddhi which lies latent in him and with which the planet Mercury is so closely related.

However, even a casual and cursory acquaintance with Theosophical teachings will make one thing amply and unmistakably clear to every intelligent reader, namely, that the planets are not merely spheres, twinkling in Space, and made to shine for no purpose, but the domains of various beings with whom the profane are so far unacquainted; nevertheless, having a mysterious, unbroken, and powerful connection with men and globes. Every heavenly body is the temple of a god, and these gods themselves are the temples of GOD, the Unknown "Not Spirit." (I, 578)

He who is great must make humility his base. He who is high must make lowliness his foundation. Thus, princes and kings in speaking of themselves use the terms "lonely," "friendless," "of small account."...

Thus it is that "Some things are increased by being diminished, others are diminished by being increased."...

Therefore, if a great kingdom humbles itself before a small kingdom, it shall make that small kingdom its prize. And if a small kingdom humbles itself before a great kingdom, it shall win over that great kingdom. Thus the one humbles itself in order to attain, the other attains because it is humble....

Therefore, the Sage, wishing to be above the people, must by his words put himself below them; wishing to be before the people, he must put himself behind them. In this way, though he has his place above them, the people do not feel his weight; though he has his place before them, they do not feel it as an injury. Therefore all mankind delight to exalt him, and weary of him not.

—Tao Te King