Mercury Retrograde in September-October 2008 Pt. 4 - How Will The Inferior Conjunction in Libra Manifest?

by Robert Wilkinson

Following up on yesterday's article on the general meaning and function of the "Inferior conjunction" between the Sun and Mercury, today we explore specifics of the Libra Inferior conjunction of October 6, 2008.

The inferior conjunction is when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) while retrograde, indicating that signals, messages, and ideas from either outer sources or subconscious sources will fuse with the life principle, setting the tone for the lessons involving how our minds are relating to our lives during the next four months. Since Mercury is retrograde, the degree of the inferior conjunction shows how our lives will merge with our perceptions and bring forth a new understanding of our light.

This degree is "A Noon siesta," symbolizing our need to withdraw from outer things from time to time to reorient, and free ourselves from peripheral things. It also relates to concepts of "proper adjustment to the rhythm of nature," and "faith in the ordered scheme of things."

Rudhyar also says this degree indicates a need for "recuperation within the social pattern of everyday activity," and relaxation, which provides us the time to "digest, free from external pressures, the complex experiences of social living." Dr. Jones says that "when positive, the degree is an incisiveness of thought or reaction and an effective directness of act."

This is the second step in a two-conjunction process. The first step is when Mercury conjuncts the Sun in forward motion after its retrograde period. As Mercury is faster than the Sun, after this Mind again outraces Life, and explores ideas and perceptions of experiences yet to occur.

Then Mercury goes stationary retrograde, and moves into the second step when Mercury again conjuncts the Sun while retrograde. This is when Mind is being absorbed by Life, or Life takes on the results of subconscious or collective ideas returning to source. Eventually Life gets as far from Mind as it can, Mercury goes stationary direct, and begins to speed up preparing for the first step anew in a different part of the zodiac.

We are told that 14 Libra is a technique of TRANSFIGURATION on the Individual-Mental level of experience within the span of EXPECTATION. Here we can find some level of peace with the process of moving between external and internal activity, and prepare for a period of repairing whatever has been stressed in order to find a revelation. This Inferior Conjunction of mind "looking back" into life will help us reinterpret experiences we've had which showed us how we've been awakened and initiated into a greater spiritual reality.

The fact that the Inferior Conjunction falls with the Moon at 9 Capricorn, a degree of "the basic harmony of fulfilled selfhood" and attunement to the invisible Angelic world, indicates that the experiential forms in coming months will show us a new look at how we can realize harmony in our lives by a detached higher understanding, and surrender our ego-mind and flow with a universal current.

Venus, ruling the sign of the Inferior Conjunction, is at 16 Scorpio in a very productive and favorable sextile to Saturn at 16 Virgo, dispositor of the Moon. This augurs well for how the lessons will unfold over the next few months, and promises a greater warmth of character and faith for those who confront their Divine Power caged up within and in fervently meeting life's potentials, blossom forth in a beautiful form.

The 11 days before the inferior conjunction (fusion) of mind and life is a good time to take a new look at how you can bring out your inner wisdom by adjusting to a future vision or broader perspective that's opening for you, and get a new point of view regarding what your imagination is willing to consider and how to coordinate your life to reorganize it productively. It's great for intuitive flashes, insights into the larger collective consciousness and unconsciousness, and you should find a new ease and sophistication among those you're with.

Here are links to the other articles on what this September-October 2008 Mercury Retrograde in Libra is all about:

Mercury Retrograde in Libra in September-October 2008, Part 1 - Integrating Our Intuitions Releasing Our Genius Adjusting Our Possibilities

Mercury Retrograde in Libra in September-October 2008, Part 2 - Understanding Larger Signals and Finding New Ways to Begin Anew

Mercury Retrograde Astrology in Libra in September-October 2008 Pt. 3 - What It Means For Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces

Copyright © 2008 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[DianneM]

Greeting All,
During the time frame indicated, as retro Mercury has been hovering around my Nth Node in the 8th, I have been preparing an application, so I can to go back to Uni and study Writing.
I have had to 'say what I mean' on paper as opposed to 'what I think I mean', and have been required to re-examine what I have and haven't done, over the last thiry years or so. I have barely left the house; I haven't seen anyone for days, I haven't wanted to.
Everything has been slow, little things have gone wrong, papers have gone missing, my printer ran out of ink, I have had to re-write letters and have papers re-signed, and my 'spellcheck' went bung.
Tomorrow I submit the forms, tomorrow it will be out of my hands.
An improvement, last year, same time, I missed the deadline.
So it's all good!
Best to all
Diannem

[Lisa]

Robert,

I'm looking ahead to November, and wondering how the solar eclipse at 16 Pisces being conjunct to a progressed natal sun will have a major impact on the person's life for many years to come? How do you determine whether the solar eclips will effect a person negatively or positively, and does it primarily effect the house and other planets in aspect to the progressed sun at 16 pisces? Does it also impact the natal sun placement in as well as the progressed sun placement? I can't find much information about solar eclipses and conjunctions with a progressed Sun at all on the Internet.

[hitchhiker72]

Hi Robert, if you don't mind my asking, why 4 months?

Thanks.

[Terri]

Robert,
Everytime I check in with your site I learn more and more about astrology. Thank you for putting this information out for us to digest.

I am wondering if you will have a chance to discuss further the impact of the time when Saturn in Virgo will be approaching 150 deg. from the Chiron&Neptune position in Aquarius. Neptune has been haunting me in this position for years; my sun&mars conjunction is at 13 deg. Leo. This will also be conjuncting Pluto for many Gen Xers, myself included. Will Saturn tone down this aspect a bit?
Thanks!

[Robert]

Hi DianneM - Sounds like Mercury RX to me!

Hi Lisa - I assume you're referring to the Solar Eclipse at 18 Pisces last March? It could have many influences if the Prog Sun is conjunct it over the next few years. It's not possible in a comment stream for me to outline how I would determine whether an eclipse effect is "positive" or "negative" as that involves the art of synthesis. Since planets don't cause anything and our responses determine whether a thing turns out to be "good" or "bad," it's not possible to give a simple answer. Our response is more important than whatever some web astrology site would opine. Yes, it primarily affects the house it falls in, and yes, the aspects to and from an eclipse do show an influence. The reason there's little to no info on what you want is that it's an incredibly complex part of astrology, and there are few if any astrologers out there who could explain it coherently.

Hi Hitchhiker72 - It's 4 months between one inferior conjunction and the next one.

Hi Terri - You're welcome. Yes, I'll be touching on the quincunx effects in future articles. Not sure what you mean by "haunting," unless you're referring to Neptune opposed your Sun-Mars which is now passed. I've already written things about Saturn conjunct various Pluto positions across generations in prior articles which you may want to check out. If you're dealing with a natal quincunx then I'm not sure I understand what the question is.

[angel]

This retrograde has been the worst ever in my life
It was a major fire,evacuated,then loss of tel service( unrelated) then so many mix ups,two failed friendships
sprinkler broke,the repair men broke my window,the bank destroyed my foreign bank card in 2 hours before I COULD
retrieve it,leaving me without access,need I say more.
work was so slow,I had to borrow money.
In the yrs even when I struggled,and was emotionally
in bad place,I never suffered this much.

I hate oct 2008. it will remain my black dot.

[Robert]

Hi angel - Sorry this was a difficult retrograde period, though I suspect more was going on than just Mercury RX. And of course, all of it may turn out much differently than you suspect. I would only recommend that you learn to love elements of what happened that brought forth your higher awareness and skills. And of course, it also helped you chew up some karmas, so that now hopefully you never have to experience them again since you've fulfilled the patterns that brought them forth to begin with. As for which patterns, check out your attachments, aversions, illusions, and negative expectations that could have contributed to the suffering, since these mental afflictions are the sources of all suffering. And if you are clean with these, then you in fact resolved past karmas by moving through the experiences.