THE CADUCEUS OF HERMES
Although not everybody knows its name or how to pronounce it, most people can recognize the Caduceus—that ubiquitous medical icon with the two snakes wrapping around a winged rod. The Caduceus is a common symbol that we can see in many medical or pharmaceutical organizations, as it is associated with a precursor of medicine. Internationally, the most popular symbol of medicine is the single serpent-entwined staff of Asklepios (Latin, Aesculapius), the ancient Greco-Roman god of medicine, son of Apollo. However, in some cultures, Asklepios's staff is often confused with the double serpent-entwined rod with surmounting wings, the Caduceus of Hermes. The meaning of the Caduceus is based on the Hermetic astrological principles of the planets and stars, the Tree of Life, and Alchemical work. This wand is represented by a central rod where two serpents entwined around it in the form of a double helix (our DNA) symbolizing, rebirth and regeneration, duality, and the unification of the polar opposites. As such, these double snakes speak of the balance and integration polarities in order to strike harmony.
Caduceus of Hermes
Hermes Trismegistus
Aesculapius' staff
Aesculapius
It was originally a herald's staff, sometimes with wings, with two white ribbons attached. The ribbons eventually evolved into snakes in a figure-eight shape. The number eight is important to the practitioners of astrology and occult studies.
The Asclepius' staff, the one with only one snake entwined around it, symbolizes healing, regeneration, and the skill of medical art. At the same time, the Caduceus of Hermes has two intertwined snakes, which, in addition to all the above, also represent the need for balance, or homeostasis, for optimum health maintenance and disease prevention.
This short rod entwined by snakes and topped by a pair of wings is the magick wand of the Greek god Hermes Trismegistus (Roman Mercury and Egyptian Thoth), the messenger of the gods, inventor of magickal incantations, arts and writing conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and thieves. Hermes, personifying the dual powers of the Secret Wisdom, carries in his hand a powerful symbol that represents the breathing in and breathing out of the cosmos and unites all the dual aspects of manifested existence.
But the Caduceus was also found not only in Europe and Egypt but also in Mesopotamia and India where it has always symbolized peace, harmony, and balance. In India, it is associated with the Kundalini power, the latent power believed to lie as a coiled serpent at the base of the spine. As consciousness awakens the energy travels up the spine to the head. In both Hinduism and Buddhism esoteric teachings, the Caduceus represents the two spiritual energies or healing forces in the spine. They also symbolize the lunar Ida and solar Pingala channels of yogic philosophy, which must be cleared and balanced for the kundalini energy, to ascend from the base of the spine to the crown, producing enlightenment. In the Western esoteric tradition, this is called the Alchemical Marriage. Also, the Romans considered the Caduceus a symbol of moral equilibrium, balance, and good behavior.
Kundalini
There are nevertheless many different historical and esoteric interpretations of its meaning and origin. The Latin word Caduceus is an adaptation of the Greek kerukeion, meaning "herald's wand (or staff)," deriving from kerux, meaning "herald" or "messenger," which in turn is related to kerusso, meaning "to announce”. According to the Homeric stories, it is the God Apollo who gave Hermes the iconic staff. Indeed, while he was still a child, he stole some of his flock and hid in a cave to escape the wrath of the Sun God. Apollo then began looking for him to punish him. But when he found him, Hermes played his lyre, an instrument he had invented. The god, charmed, offered to spare him in exchange for this melodious instrument. He was so pleased with this acquisition that he also offered the famous Caduceus to Hermes.
One of the interpretations is the association with the spinal column, which is the central conduit for Life Force, or nerve energy, which animates all the organs of the body.
The central pillar is our spinal column. The two pillars on the sides are Jachin and Boaz from the temple of Solomon. They are Ida and Pingala. In Kabbalah, they are called Od and Obd. In Genesis, they are called Adam and Eve. They are the two serpents on the caduceus.
Caduceus
Kundalini
Tree of Life
Letter Vav
The central column of the Tree of Life symbolizes the spinal column. The two side pillars are connected to Ida and Pingala, the two nadis or channels of energy that balance solar and lunar forces in us; physically, energetically, and consciously. All of this is in our spinal column, and in Hebrew that is represented by the letter ו Vav.
Our spinal column is the central column of our temple. It is what holds our body up not only physically but consciously. Our spiritual body is held upright by the forces that flow through the spinal column.
On the physical level, the spinal column is filled with fluid. That fluid allows forces and energies to move up and down the spine through the nervous system. That fluid is directly related to the fluid through which the brain floats. That fluid is directly related to sexual energy.
The Snakes
The places where the snakes cross represent the spinal energy centers or Chakras. Snakes also have a profound symbolic significance in science, spirituality, and healing. The snake, which periodically sheds its skin, again is symbolic of healing, regeneration, and renewal. The two snakes also represent the two complementary halves of the nervous system: motor and sensory, sympathetic, and parasympathetic. For optimal functioning of the nervous system, these complementary halves must be balanced. The spiraling contortion of serpents in the traditional caduceus imagery is no accident. Their spiral effect indicates an expansion of knowledge as well as the undulating dance of cosmic forces. Snakes were also considered solar symbols. The sun, as the source of all Life and energy in our universe, is deeply connected with healing and the expression of vitality and well-being in general.
The Rod
The central staff is the Shushumna canal or our central energetic artery, that runs within our spinal column. The rod of the caduceus may be viewed as a conduit between the mundane and the ethereal. traditionally vertical rods are considered archetypal symbols of the phallus. As the dual serpents address the concept of gender, I’m more inclined to view the staff of Caduceus as an emissary of transference between body and mind, physical and spiritual.
The Wings
The wings of the Caduceus symbolize the 'winged radiance' of those who have achieved the dynamic equilibrium of the two lobes of the medulla, the petals of the third-eye chakra, as well as the lightning speed of Hermes as Messenger of the Gods. The symbol is seen in alchemy with one serpent representing sulfur (male) and the other representing quicksilver (female). This symbol also infers the synthesis of opposites with the goal of unification and transformation. The center focal point is the Golden rod of wisdom pertaining to the union of opposites with the goal of achieving harmony in duality. We can also see it in the Hermetic philosophy and the Tree of Life where the two serpents in the Caduceus represent the Pillars of Severity and Mercy (Boaz and Jachin) while the central staff represents the Pillar of Mildness and the spinal column. The rod contains the Three Mother letters Shin (Fire), Aleph (Air), and Mem (Water)….Aleph is the mediator between Fire and Water. The wings represent the Sephitoth; Kether — Binah – Chokmah as the top of the Tree, called Supernal.
The Caduceus also represents the integration of 4 elements: the wand for the earth, the wings for the air, the snakes for the fire, and the movement of the serpent for the water. Our spinal column is the central column of our temple. It is what holds our body up not only physically but consciously. Our spiritual body is held upright by the forces that flow through the spinal column. If you think about it, this makes sense. The caduceus of Mercury/Hermes is the staff of the herald. It is through this staff, our spinal column, that the gods can speak to us and can hear us. We communicate through the forces that flow through our nervous system. The power of speech is driven by the nervous system, the power of thought, the power of emotion, the power of sensations, and the power of perception on every level that flows through our nervous systems. Our nervous systems are united in the spinal column, in the brain, and in sexual energy.
Hermes, also called Mercury by the Romans and Thoth by the Egyptians, is sometimes pictured as a hermaphrodite, or a person who is half male and half female. So it is with the nervous system; it is neither emissive/masculine/Yang, nor is it receptive/feminine/Yin, because it incorporates both principles or polarities. The essence of the nervous system is communication, and Hermes / Mercury / Thoth is the god of communication, transportation, and commerce. The caduceus also symbolizes the fall of spirit into the matter from the archetypal world to the creative and formative worlds and finally to the material world. Thus it essentially represents the astral light, the means through which Hermes wields his great power of transformation.
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Paola Luciani Fulbright
Copyright - Paola Luciani Fulbright. No reprint without permission. All Rights Reserved.
