Quotes from Pagan Graces by Ginette Paris

"Winning while appearing to lose is a strategy that a hermetic person knows how to play to advantage. The power of humor and ridicule in the face of harsh authority, the role of the court jester, the uses of flight over fight and of artful speech in negotiation -- all these can be rediscovered in Hermes."

"But the writing style that Descartes said had to be "clear and distinct" is the opposite of Hermes' speech."

"When too much clarity is required, the spirit of Hermes draws back and chooses ambiguity, not out of stubborn preference for obscurity and paradox, but because by repudiating ambiguity one is left with only one level of meaning and only one style of communication."

"And so with this hazy boundary between theft and commerce and with no guarantee of integrity on either side, the genius of Hermes is to see that both parties end up feeling satisfied with the deal. This kind of paradox, where both sides feel they've won, is right up Hermes' alley."

"Today only independent artisans can choose to sell high to the rich, low to friends, and nothing to someone they dislike. Negotiation makes no sense without the possibility of increasing or decreasing the margin of profit, for that's where the game is."

"Hermes knows better than to collide head-on with authority; it has to be outsmarted, turned aside, turned into laughter."

"Hermes is very daring, but he can't allow himself to become impolite or violent. He takes on formal authority with the informal power of seduction, laughter and ridicule. In business matters these types don't openly break the law, but they spot any weakness in the system and slide through."

"Whenever negotiations break down, whenever there are hidden agendas and tiresome intrigues, whenever a committee suffers from such an overdose of procedure that structure devours content, Hermes is offended. He gets his revenge by stopping the flow of ideas so that in the end nothing is really said."

"Hermes persists in speaking out more or less candidly about what he sees."

"If Hermes is not on the side of facts, it's not just because he's the god of liars, for if he were nothing but a liar no one would be interested in his stories. He is, par excellence, a god of mythic thought, more interested in the truth of symbols than the truth of facts. As messenger of the gods, he brings the fundamental message of all gods -- which is myth."

"To teach someone to relax... falls well within the capabilities of Hermes. His place in medicine is even more crucial today in view of the fact that psychosomatic troubles increase in direct proportion to society's ability to provide itself with a sophisticated scientific medical system."

"Hermes, god of travelers, adventurers, pilgrims, and all those who take to the road in search of spiritual revelation, pushes us to change our lives, our values, our diet, and to explore new territory, including the 'final voyage' during which he serves as 'guide of souls'."

"On the psychological level, people who haven't given enough attention to Hermes generally find it hard to give of themselves, to be involved, to seduce, or be seduced."

"The personality with no Hermetic qualities lacks suppleness and adaptability. The personality with exclusively Hermetic qualities may lose his way as he tries to navigate through many escapades, detours and evasions."

MODERN THOUGHTS

Hermes has touched my life in more ways that any other deity and I find ample opportunity to show my respect for him. As some examples:

• If the married, Christian men that I work with tend to think that a single pagan man such as myself participates in an orgy of sex and drink every week, who am I to tell them otherwise? :-)
• Whenever I do tarot card readings, I become the great storyteller and the messenger of the deities.
• Writing role playing scenarios and characters is also a way to be a storyteller.
• Some of my studies include herbalism, Hermetic (alternative) medicine and psychology.

All things considered, my life is touched by Hermes almost every day and I take every opportunity to acknowledge him. (The ways that Hermes touches my life in the workplace is something I can't talk about. Even though such practices are quite common, they are only accepted if they aren't acknowledged.)