by Robert Wilkinson
Following up on the general meaning and function of the "Inferior Conjunction" between the Sun and Mercury, today we explore specifics of the Inferior Conjunction of May 30, 2015 at 9 Gemini. This “fusion of life and mind” will impact the rest of the retrograde period, and many weeks after.
Because this particular Inferior Conjunction is an extremely important event due to when and where it's happening, this is a long article that will pull together a comprehensive overview that ties together past, present, and future.
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 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.
The Sabian Symbol for the Inferior Conjunction
The Sabian Symbol we’ve been given for the 9th degree of Gemini is “A quiver filled with arrows.” From the Jones notes in The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this is a degree of “superiority and ease based upon training,” Sure marksmanship,” certain self-direction,” “preparedness,” and “invisible help in trouble.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he goes on to say that the symbol of an arrow implies “the piercing of a target.” Since “the mind of man is essentially a trans-piercing power,” seeing “the object toward which it is aimed,” it implies we can penetrate any object we aim at, including our ego. He states this is a symbol of “Man, the Conqueror” seeking to conquer the outer nature, or instinctual drives and the limitations of ego. It is said to fall in the social-cultural level of Discovery in the Act of Differentiation in the Scene of Zeal.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, states this degree is about “extreme alertness to the interests and needs of selfhood, and of high competency in pursuing any and all practical ends in view.” He says this is about our right to make demands on others, or “to bring to our service whatever helps us hold our place in the scheme of things.”
He further asserts that here we find the “fruits of the self-discipline and training” which equip us with skills we will continually use. He offers us the keyword of PREPARATION, and states when operating in a positive way, this degree is “unlimited personal capacity for rising to the issue of the moment on any level of experience.”
So we enter a time of “the fusion of life and mind” that should give us new insights about old ways of “taking aim,” or perhaps previous alertness of our needs that led to us figuring out our place in things will be seen in a different light. This can give our “backward turned minds” a new light of understanding related to how we once demonstrated our skill in finding our target, or a self discipline that gave us skills. It could yield glimpses of old techniques or a renewal of an old technique.
Some will get flashbacks to previous eras. As 9 Gemini was the focus of a double Yod, or two interlocking “Fingers of God” in December 2012 and again in March 2013, perhaps we’ll get new insights about that double “expansion through sacrifice” energy that began to squeeze a lot out of all our lives at that very important time in history. Those important events in our lives will be echoed, remembered, reviewed or find anew during the time span influenced by this Inferior Conjunction.
This Inferior Conjunction can fuse hindsight and life experience to see how new forms of light, life, and perspectives have come forth in collective consciousness over the past 30 months. The next four months are a time to get educated from seeing the past through different angles and interpretations yielding alternative views or understanding.
Because this “fusion of life and mind” takes place in the first third of Gemini, take a new look at ideas, signs, and signals of whatever you’ve discovered since late 2012. This initiates an era of new understanding of old skills and disciplines.
An alternative possibility is that we can now see how we prepared in the past for current attitudes and ideals, or conversely, through the retrograde lens see how past attitudes and ideals led us to where we’re at right now.
Keep in mind that while Mercury is giving us a backward look or alternative view and understanding of something from the past, it also in a strange way prepares the ground for the future when other planets cross this degree. For example, we may get new insights and interpretations related to the 500 year cycle that was set into motion when Neptune and Pluto conjuncted at 9 Gemini in the Summer of 1891, and made several more passes over this degree through 1894.
Aspects in Play
Mostly the outer planets are triggering the action in this chart, with Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto having the most aspects. The forming aspect include Moon biquintile the Sun and trine Neptune, Mercury semisquare Uranus and biquintile Pluto, Venus trine Saturn and sesquisquare Neptune, Sun conjunct Mars, septile Uranus, square Neptune, and biquintile Pluto, Mars sextile both Jupiter and Uranus while quincunx Pluto, the huge Jupiter biseptile Saturn I wrote about recently, Jupiter trine Uranus, Saturn semisquare Pluto, and Uranus novile Neptune.
Overall, the Gemini planets favorable to Jupiter and Uranus favor multilevel building, and the ability to make excellent progress in areas affected. This building energy will release through the squares to Neptune, helping many to higher responsibilities based in the expertise and discipline learned before now. Be precise, find a practice plan and stick to it, while using imagination and a sense of forced growth to “win the prize.”
Of course, Jupiter biseptile Saturn and the Sun septile Uranus show big changes coming these next 4 months. I gave you the affected zones created by the Jupiter biseptile Saturn in the linked article above. The Sun septile Uranus of course will play out wherever we have Gemini and Aries, with hot zones at 17-21 Aries, 8-12 Gemini, 29 Cancer-3 Leo, 20-24 Virgo, 11-15 Scorpio, 3-7 Capricorn, and 25-29 Aquarius. If you have a planet or angle in these zones, take aim and let your arrows fly!
There’s a great balance in the element spread, with 3 planets in Fire, 3 in Water, and 3 in Air signs. Only Earth is short, showing this period coming may not be practical, but we’ll all feel, think, and interact a lot! With Uranus leading the Inferior Conjunction, it will be a transformational period with renovation, innovation, and revolution in the air! Be the pioneer as you move through the merging of past, present, and future.
So Just How Does the Process Work?
The Inferior Conjunction between Mercury and the Sun 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. This is called a “Superior conjunction.” Most recently this occurred at 20 Aries on April 9-10, 2015.
That “fusion of life and mind” marked the beginning of Mercury getting out in front of the Sun. Of note is that degree is the same as Uranus in this chart, so there will be direct correlations between that conjunction and what is revolutionized these next 4 months.
As Mercury is faster than the Sun at any “Superior Conjunction,” after that event Mind again outraces Life, gets ahead of the Sun, and explores ideas and perceptions of experiences yet to occur. That’s what we experienced between early August and late August, when Mercury began to slow down.
After Mercury gets as far forward from the Sun as it can, it begins to slow, eventually going stationary retrograde. By then it is slowing rapidly. That marks the second step that leads to the point 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.
Then Mercury, still slow in speed, becomes distant from the Sun anew as the Sun moves forward while Mercury is still retrograde. 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.
What’s the Backdrop to What’s Happening?
The fact that the Inferior Conjunction falls in Gemini makes Mercury the ruler of the conjunction. As it’s in Gemini, it’s very powerful, and is the final dispositor for all the other planetary energies except Neptune in Pisces. As Mercury is semisquare Uranus, restrain temperamental tendencies and take time to rest. Much that has been difficult before now will move forward easily, while those who tried to dodge hard truths will find themselves face to face with symbolic and real images of those truths.
All Mercury retrograde periods teach us about how Mercury functions. 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.
As the backdrop to how our mind and life relate to each other, perhaps we can learn how to deal with Mercurial energies in ourselves or others from a different angle of view, organizing or reorganizing or ideas, perception, interpretations, and way of communicating. We can see or find new ways to understand, communicate, or interpret the signs and signals of our existence through looking back on the discoveries we made and views we acquired in past cycles when Gemini was prominent.
All in all, the coming 4 months will bring interesting returns, reflections, and rehearsals of how and what we’ve dealt with in the realm of relationships, including real and metaphoric brothers and sisters, as well as our immediate environment. We can see our ideas from a different angle, find a new focus, and make progress in some form of “performance” or initiative that will be the source of much information and activity in the next few weeks.
Once the Inferior Conjunction happens, whatever has seemed delayed, postponed, or dragging along will move forward soon. This can bring forth a greater holistic vision of how events and people are connected, as well as why we must rethink some things, people, and plans.
Generally, 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. It's also good for getting 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 seeing how you're being led to see elements of your Soul you may not have recognized before now. So think back on what's happened in the past couple of weeks, and find a new way to view how those things may symbolize the future somehow.
Just remember during retrogrades, especially Mercury retrograde, that often things that don't turn out one way lead directly or indirectly to other things somewhat related manifesting down the road. It's as though nothing should be taken at face value, and often what we do or think during Mercury retrograde creates odd echoes in the future that take different shapes, or different functions related to the original intention.
Because we’ll still be dealing with Mercury retrograde through June 11 (and to some extent through the end of June), if you haven’t already, you can find out a lot more about these very important 3 week periods by getting a copy of the new expanded 2nd edition of my pioneering book A New Look At Mercury Retrograde. The first major work on Mercury retrograde ever written, it offers in-depth information about Mercury retrograde people, Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses, and what the entire Mercury Retrograde phenomenon is about. If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Gemini, as well as all the other signs and houses, it’s all in there.
As I’ve told you, the great news is that it is again available as a paperback! Yes, we managed to get it published in time for this retrograde. The paperback is available through Createspace.com, so if you want the newest edition go there and order your copy. Of course, it’s also available as an ebook through Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook. I've included links to both sites.
As I’ve mentioned before, it is written for both astrologers and laypeople. I have just about everything you could want to know about Mercury retrograde, including how it works, what it means, celebrities who have it in their charts, historic events that happened during Mercury retrograde, and what signs are involved in future Mercury retrograde periods.
By knowing more about 2014's Mercury retrograde periods in Pisces/Aquarius, Cancer/Gemini, and Scorpio/Libra, as well as 2015’s Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, you may see patterns in what was going on in your life, what you were taking a new look at and why, and how this "looking back" influenced your choices as you moved through past events.
Here's the link to where you can order your copy of the new edition of my ebook, A New Look at Mercury Retrograde to check out possible ways this Mercury retrograde effect could play out over the next 4 months. And here’s the Createspace link to the page where you can purchase a paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde.
And as usual, here are links to recent articles on what this May-June 2015 Mercury Retrograde in Gemini is all about:
The Guide of Souls in May 2015 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 14 Gemini
Copyright © 2015 Robert Wilkinson
your work is very informative and interesting-thanks!
Posted by: Lynx | June 05, 2015 at 11:23 AM