Who was Hermes? The messenger of the gods. Himself the god of science,

commerce, travel, eloquence, games, and other practical arts. A trickster figure, the embodiment of surprise and the unexpected -- now you see him, now you don't. The Romans called him Mercury, hence the adjective "mercurial."

Hermes is usually pictured as a smiling youth wearing winged shoes, a

brimmed hat (later a winged helmet), and carrying the caduceusor rod

of the Greek messenger.

Hermes is the god of boundaries and in-between spaces. Ancient Athens

was covered with herms -- four- cornered pillars topped with a bust of

Hermes. Herms were used mainly as boundary markers and mileposts --

signs of geographical change. The smiling face of Hermes looked down on the traveller to say "Here's how far you've gotten. Keep going!"

In short Hermes is the god of change, transformation, movement, lightness

of touch, and everything powered by those energies.

What happens when Hermes enters the room? You can't predict, but it's bound to be interesting. Whomever Hermes touches rediscovers a youthful

perspective and a refreshing playfulness.

Sometimes Hermes, bearing his caduceus -- even now the symbol of the

medical profession -- comes with a unexpected message of healing and personal renewal.

Sometimes Hermes in his winged hat -- the original thinking cap? -- comes

as a flash of insight. Thank Hermes for the aha! and eureka! experiences

in your life. Hermes always presides as we create our worlds through interpretation. The philosophical science of interpretation is called "hermeneutics" in honor of this creative Hermean gift.

Hermean thought is always supple, pragmatic, and refreshing. His fellow

deity Apollo represents measure, order, and balance in thinking. Hermes and Apollo are a team. Apollo makes the theories. Hermes provides the data that won't fit. Apollo erects great monuments to the disciplined intellect; Hermes, in his role as Divine Graffiti Artist, leaves his irreverant, spraypainted question mark and is gone long before the Mind Police arrive.

Hail Hermes! Grace our writing, startle our thinking, mark our

progress. Lend us some of your lightness and humor as we navigate the last years of this murderous century toward a new unpredictable millenium.