According to Greek myth, Mercury (or Hermes, whose name derives etymologically from the piles of rocks which marked trails and guided travelers) was the messenger of the gods. He carried orders from Olympus to the mortals on Earth. The child of the illegitimate union of Zeus with Maia, Mercury was born “unknown to the immortal gods” and had to win his place among them by trickery, cleverness, and cunning. This is why he became the vagabond deity of travelers and wanderers. He is the instinctive foe of the settled who see him as an outcast roaming on the outskirts of society: a pariah, a thief, and a swindler. As ruler of the sign of Gemini, the Twins, he symbolizes the brother—the alter-ego who teaches us as much as we teach him and is associated with adolescence, a period of intense intellectual discovery. Mercury thus symbolizes lively, sparkling wit, mobility in any form, mental exchange, and interaction. As a result, a person strongly ruled by Mercury is quite likely to be clever and skillful. If Mercury is “afflicted” in one’s chart, their intellectual velocity may sometimes become mere mental hyperactivity. In any case, these skills are a great resource in the social realm. You communicate easily and effectively, orally or in writing. Your ability to unite and transmit would be a good resource in diplomatic or commercial endeavors.

In the Greek tradition, Mars or Aries was the god of war. Twayko associates him with the element fire, the color red, and the taste of bitterness. Although it also symbolizes the elder brother in the cosmic family, it is more likely to be associated with declared enemies or adversaries. Martian morphology is typically virile, angular, and athletic and corresponds to aggressive, domineering, masculine behavior. Likewise, Mars is usually associated with rage, its resultant brutality, and male destructiveness and domination. Psychologically, Mars figures in any situation of conflict, opposition, and confrontation. Martian symbolism intervenes to separate, oppose, and decide and corresponds to duels, war, and any situation in real life which involves confronting an obstacle. Individuals who are greatly influenced by Mars are typically direct and straightforward—either unabashedly extroverted or furiously introverted. They are extremely active and extremely emotive. Their purpose in life seems to be inextricably mingled with a combat against an unacceptable situation, a challenge which they either issue or are forced to accept.

This planet symbolizes the principle of independence and self-sufficiency, as well as a principle of transformation. Its most striking characteristic is distance from others: the Uranian strives to stand out from the herd, distanced from structuring influences like convention, tradition, etc. Although this need to free yourself from the confines of convention, tradition, and family symbolizes an appeal for freedom and a desire to evolve beyond the bounds of physical limits toward a spiritual dimension, it may also correspond to a form of escape. This is why you sometimes need to cut yourself off from situations or relationships which feel stifling to you. Your intense fear of being swallowed up psychologically causes you to react to certain emotional demands by making yourself remote or running away.

In a relationship, you are seeking a certain degree of intellectual excitement. Without it, you feel as though an unbearable, suffocating boredom sets in. By refusing certain concessions to convention which are practically inevitable, you may find yourself in unpleasant situations. Finding an intelligent alternative to the routine set by the rigid forms of the past is extremely different from rebelling against any form of authority, in the settings of family, school, business, or society. One of the major problems you have to solve is how to wield your freedom, in your emotional relationships, as well as your relationships with society.

The fifth house is an area of the sky which is especially important to Twayko. In the following paragraph, we shall explain the general meaning of this fact.