by Robert Wilkinson
Following up on the general meaning and function of the "Superior Conjunction" between the Sun and Mercury yesterday, today we explore specifics of the Superior Conjunction of April 9, 2015, at 20 Aries. This “fusion of life and mind” will impact the rest of the Mercury direct period up to its next retrograde Inferior conjunction coming on May 30, 2015.
The inferior conjunction is when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) while retrograde. This indicates 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 direct in motion and moving faster than the Sun, it now makes a “superior conjunction” that begins a several week period when mind will race ahead of life, heralding things to come. The degree of any superior conjunction shows how our perceptions have caught up with our lives, which can bring forth a new expression of our light.
The Sabian Symbol for the Inferior Conjunction
The symbol we’ve been given for the 20th degree of Aries is “A young girl feeding birds in winter.” In the original Jones class notes published in The Astrology of Personality Rudhyar says this symbolizes “Participation of self in a life larger than any conception of selfhood,” and “protection, or the need for it.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he says this degree involves “Overcoming crises through compassion.” He states this degree is about using creative imagination to join with others to overcome some form of “seasonal decay or deprivation.”
He continues that here “we witness human activity motivated by sympathy overcoming the seasonal phase of impotency. Life potency in nature spirits reaches a higher level in the human being. The theme is the transmutation of life into love.” He says it falls in the span of Examiniation, and it’s the ultimate degree of the social-cultural level of the scene of Desire in the Act of Differentiation.
According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, the degree is one of self-assurance as regained by giving nourishment to forms of life other than (our) own.” Here our social self is receptive to experience which is the “characteristic of youth and of femininity, and by a deep generosity of spirit which marks maturity and … aspiration which has its expression in the more barren periods of everyday being.”
He offers us the keyword of HOSPITALITY. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is "a naïve genius in the administration of both the powers of nature and the potentialities of selfhood.”
So we enter a time of “the fusion of life and mind” that should give us new insights into current and future potential for social forms of renewal, where we join with others and can give nourishment and be nourished in return. This is receptivity fused with generosity, where we “administer the powers of nature” and demonstrate our individuality in compassionate linkages.
At this conjunction, mind is no longer following life, trying to catch up to it. Now mind races forward as herald, catching glimpses of knowledge, perception, and understanding that shows us where life is headed in the near future.
This Superior Conjunction can fuse foresight and life experience to see how new forms of light, life, and perspectives can come forth these next few weeks. Because this “fusion of life and mind” takes place in the second third of Aries, take a new look at heart initiatives, creative expression in plain and obvious forms, and embrace new expressions in the social realm where you link with others. This is self-initiated Fire that embraces creative forms of natural action.
What’s Up After the Superior Conjunction?
As I pointed out in the first article about the Superior Conjunction, at this Superior Conjunction at 20 Aries we will have “a fusion of life and mind” that will help set a platform. In blending these principles we will see a shift in our affairs, attitudes, and understanding about those things symbolized by Mercury in Aries.
Natal points in harmony with 20 Aries will see productivity, understanding, stabilization, and unique qualities come forth. Natal points in friction with 20 Aries will see turning points, blocks, braking action, and release of potential. These are the primary “Life-Mind” fusion lessons through the next Inferior Conjunction on May 30 at 9 Gemini, a degree that will help us take careful aim and practice our “Zen archer” skills.
So this Superior Conjunction should bring a new practice of generosity and compassion that we’ll take into the future, where we exercise our heart and our love in cooperative dynamic social circumstances. This can show us how current views and life experiences are preparing us for things to come. It’s time to focus our potency in forms of compassionate action, and link with others so all can overcome some form of “barrenness” or “deprivation.”
What’s the Backdrop to What’s Happening?
The fact that the Inferior Conjunction falls in Aries makes Mars the worldly ruler of the conjunction. That implies that Mars in Taurus is steering this boat, and is one of the dominant energies at this time. As Venus is the ruler of Taurus and is in Taurus at this conjunction, it makes Venus the final dispositor for all the other planetary energies except Neptune. So Venus and Mars are the primary backdrop rulers to all the other planetary functions.
From here, even though Mercury will outrace the Sun for the next few weeks, it’s going to slow down in speed, and will go retrograde at 6:50 pm PDT on May 18, 2015, 2:50 am BST May 19, at 14 Gemini, a degree of telepathic communication. That will give us yet another period where we can learn about how Mercury functions from a retrograde “review and return” perspective.
Mercury’s duality is “Life/Death,” so we can get a new look at how our consciousness and responses are either creative, destructive, or both, to cite the venerable Kabalistic Arhat Paul Foster Case. Mercury is where we learn if our mental processes are creating chaos and disorganized scattered conditions through ambivalence, and thus come to see how to use discernment to coordinate various functions to bring forth perfect knowing how to do whatever needs to be done.
Because we’ll be dealing with Mercury retrograde energies beginning May 3 when it enters its shadow zone, if you haven’t already gotten your copy, you may want to purchase my book A New Look At Mercury Retrograde, where I explain a lot more about Inferior and Superior Conjunctions, and how the mind operates when racing forward and looking backward. It is now available on B&N's Nook and Amazon Kindle, and I’ve gotten a lot of good reviews from those who have this new expanded 2nd edition. We’ve also done the final proofs so that it can be published as a paperback, so it will be available soon!
The book includes a lot more about Mercury Retrograde in the signs, houses, what it means for each sign, when it happens, and Mercury Retrograde celebrities and historical events that you'll never find in any other source. If you want a copy of this resource that you'll use for a long time to come, you can purchase it here: A New Look At Mercury Retrograde.
Copyright © 2015 Robert Wilkinson
Comments