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 Aug 8-9 at 17 Leo. 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. This one ties previous Venus retrogrades to current Mercury retrogrades!
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 17th degree of Leo is “A nonvested church choir.” In "the Astrology of Personality," where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, 17 Leo is said to be a symbol of “utilization of normal human instincts as a foundation to high endeavor,” “Lay-participation in Mysteries,” and “Joy in Faith.”
We are told in the Astrological Mandala that this symbolizes "the feeling of togetherness which unites men and women in their dedication to a collective ideal.” He states that related to the symbol of a “church choir,” the institution of religion is about giving “a transcendental character to the feeling of community.” He speaks of fellowship as being needed “for substance and security” along with rituals that the community participates in which allow “the consciousness and feelings of human beings flow into a common mold in which they become refreshed by the experience of shared values and beliefs.”
He continues that this symbol implies a “steady phase of culture and society,” and a “special way in which a particular community … interprets the deepest realities of human existence and (our) longing for an ideal.” He offers us the keyword of “Togetherness,” and says it falls in the span of Interpretation, and it's the second (counterpoint) degree of the actional, physical, and material level of the scene of Release in the Act of Stabilization.
So this Inferior Conjunction indicates we’re getting a new perspective on whatever we’re participating in, and the joy we are getting from that social interaction. This is a time to continue to see how the past has impacted the present life, and get a new look at how we renewed ourselves in the past.
According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, the degree is one of “the inviolability of experiences … for each individual through (their) participation in the broader or community functions of life.” He continues “the common activity of group effort apart from any or all social and spiritual regimentation is a necessary exercise in respect for others, and an encouragement to an ordered self-expression.”
He speaks of “a high appreciation of reality through an enhanced and normal enjoyment of everyday living,” and offers us the keyword COMMUNION. He states when operating in a positive manner, this degree is "the effective quickening of (our) heart through interests which have been expanded to a point of real concern for (others.)”
So we enter a time where Life is moving forward as Mind looks back on past communions, especially those which “quickened our hearts” through interactions that benefited others. I’m sure many will remember old friends and mutual experiences which gave a sense of togetherness to each and all, or perhaps will encounter people in the near future which remind us of old friends we were once close to.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Just remember that all Mercury RX phenomena take a while to unfold, often during a subsequent RX period. Things that happen during a retrograde seem to have a way of moving forward at future retrograde. Right now we’ve all received some sort of blessing since December 2017, as well as seen a new dimension of our own Being. This Inferior Conjunction will bring echoes of past eras when Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus were in this part of Leo.
So we enter a time of the fusion of life and mind that offers us new insights about past and present communications showing us the Way to a greater Spiritual Communion, whether a “Sacred Union Within” or the “Sacred Union Without.” This can bring insights that will help us release the power of our hearts, our creativity, and our willingness to join with others joyously so we may create joy for others in the shared togetherness. Take a new look at recent new developments in doing your Being, and open to a greater view on your life!
This Inferior Conjunction can fuse hindsight and life experience to see how new forms of light, life, and perspectives have come forth after periods of adjustment, planning, and training in the past. The next four months are a time to embrace new ways of managing transitions into the future already formed by seeing the past through different angles and interpretations and finding alternative views or understanding.
A benefit of Inferior Conjunctions is they offer us views of 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. When Mercury gives 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. Just as January 2019 will bring powerful manifestations of what is set up by the last Inferior Conjunction at 12 Aries, this one will give us “echoes of the future” which will activate in July 2019.
Aspects in Play
Remember that in any celestial event, forming aspects show the future and closely partile separating aspects show what’s activated now. In an Inferior Conjunction, the Sun and Mercury conspire to bring separating aspects back into play, with forming aspects activated now and in the future when Mercury goes direct.
This Conjunction makes some extraordinarily heavy aspects! There’s a tight semisquare to Venus, square to Jupiter, sesquisquare to Saturn, biseptile to Uranus quincunx to Neptune, and triseptile to Pluto. If you’ve been here for any time at all, you’ll Immediately recognize that this is triggering The Grand Irrationality V.2, anchored by Uranus biseptile Pluto!
This opens up 7 “hot zones” of important choices and changes wherever these planets fall in our charts, as well as any other planets we may have in the resonant void zones. The “7 zones of Destiny” include 18-22 Capricorn, 9-13 Pisces, 1-5 Taurus, 23-27 Gemini, 15-19 Leo, 6-10 Libra, and 27 Scorpio-1 Sagittarius. If you have something in one of these zones, you will receive insights from the past which will change your life in significant ways!
We also have an extraordinary set of special configurations. I believe this is what “they” mean by “vibrational astrology,” so if you’re a student of that branch, this is for you. First, there is a forming Moon conjunct the Star Sirius, the Sun of our Sun, opposed to Pluto on the degree of rehearsal. The Moon, focusing the Source of the Ancient Wisdom of our Solar System, is in a Grand Water Trine with Jupiter and Neptune. This allows for a wise flow to the coming weeks.
Given that Jupiter is favorable with Pluto, Neptune is favorable with Pluto, and the Moon is quintile Uranus, it creates a number of extremely harmonious and productive void areas around 13-18 Taurus, Cancer, and Virgo. It also creates the potential for high specialization and even serendipitous events for those with planets near 1-4 Taurus/Scorpio, 7-10 Gemini/Sagittarius, 13-16 Cancer/Capricorn, 19-22 Leo/Aquarius, and 25-28 Virgo/Pisces.
Besides all of the ones already discussed, other forming aspects (including those that are partile separating) show the Moon binovile Venus, and pentelftile Mars; Venus is semisquare the Sun, trine Mars, novile Jupiter, square Saturn, quincunx Uranus, and pentelftile Neptune; Mars is quintile Jupiter, square Uranus,and semisquare Neptune; Jupiter is semisquare Saturn and bielftile Pluto; Saturn is trine Uranus and quintile Neptune, and Uranus is semisquare Neptune.
To remind you, Uranus semisquare Neptune anchors the very frictional energies of the Rhombus Diamond and its frictional cutting, grinding, and polishing process. It also puts the Individualizer at odds with the Collectivizer, which symbolizes the widespread “willful delusion/confusion,” as well as the assertion of the individuality challenging any tendency to drift, deceive, or procrastinate while illusions are being weaved. And yes, Mars is doing a lot of “cutting and grinding” while it’s square Uranus and semisquare Neptune!
Elements, Dispositor Backdrops, and the Jones Pattern
The chart of the Inferior Conjunction shows a balanced distribution, with 2 planets in Fire, 3 in Earth, 2 in Air, and 3 in Water. This also makes for a balance between hot and cold, favoring a slightly more grounded feeling-approach, and slightly less on inspiration and interactivity. Still, with the conjunction in Fire, the emphasis is on the fusion of Life and Mind in a Fixed Inspirational mode.
With this conjunction, we now have a planet leading the Sun for the first time in months! From now until the next Superior Conjunction on September 20-21, Mercury will lead the Sun, allowing us a more mind-based approach to the Light than we’ve had for quite a while.
In this chart, we have FIVE “final dispositors” for all the other energies. We have the Moon, ruling itself; we have Sun in Leo, ruling Mercury and itself; we have Venus in Libra, ruling itself and Uranus; we have Saturn as the final dispositor for Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, and itself; and we have Neptune as a “standalone” in Pisces. Because Mars is going to be in a Saturn-ruled sign until November, Saturn’s influence is very powerful as the ruler of both Mars and Jupiter until November, growing stronger during the time Venus is in Scorpio.
This Inferior Conjunction occurs during this period where we will have a “Splay” with elements of a “Splash” Jones pattern. I discuss the Jones patterns at work in each Lunation article, so if you want to know more, please refer to the recent Full Moon article discussing the pattern.
So Just How Does the Process Work?
Though I’ve given you the general concepts in other retrograde articles, there’s so much misunderstanding that it bears repeating here. 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 16 Gemini on June 5-6, 2018.
That “fusion of life and mind” marked the beginning of Mercury getting out in front of the Sun. The period since then has brought us through a major transformational period, where we opened to new ideas, new discoveries, and something in us demanded externalization. This reoriented our perspective, and we’ve been moving through a process of metamorphosis since then.
Some will remember people and unifying experiences in the past that are connected to something being reconsidered, researched, or rehearsed now, while others will remember old connections or renew connections with people and views from the past to come to a new understanding of a fellowship they once shared with others. The “pulses” of the Inferior and Superior conjunctions of the Sun and Mercury constitute an entire field of research unto themselves.
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 early June through early July before 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. I explain this process in greater detail in A New Look at Mercury Retrograde.
Mercury, or Hermes, the “Guide of Souls”
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. As this Inferior Conjunction falls in Leo, it should provide us new ways to understand, communicate, or interpret the signs and signals of our future through looking back on fiery understanding and emergent developments since this time last year.
All in all, the coming 4 months will bring interesting returns, reflections, and rehearsals of how and what we’ve already dealt with in the realm of learning to use Leo energy productively. This includes all the usual Leo themes, such as opening to a greater heart strength and expression, a more authentic creative or artistic expression, and moving forward as custodian of a Divine Order in our lives.
So the new views, understandings, and reinterpretations shown by this Inferior Conjunction should be considered in the light of the house in which this retrograde and inferior conjunction is happening. We can see our ideas from a different angle, find a new focus, and make progress in some form of transforming initiative that will be the source of much information and activity in the next few weeks. Wherever you have mid-Leo will bring a fusion of Life and Mind.
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.
A New Look At Mercury Retrograde
Because we’ll still be dealing with Mercury retrograde through August 18-19 (and to some extent for the 2 weeks after that while Mercury is still in its shadow zone), if you haven’t already, you should get a copy of the 2nd edition of A New Look At Mercury Retrograde. It offers in-depth information about Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses, and what the Mercury Retrograde phenomenon is about.
By knowing more about 2016’s Mercury retrograde periods in Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, as well as the 2017 retrogrades in Capricorn and Sagittarius, Taurus and Aries, and Virgo and Leo, and 2018’s retrogrades in Aries and Leo, you may see patterns in what has been going on in your life, the different things you’ve been taking a new look at and why, and how this "looking back" has influenced your choices as you moved through past events. And, by taking a look at the qualities of the coming November-December RX in Sagittarius and Scorpio, you’ll get important information about what to expect in the months to come!
Here's the Amazon link to the page where you can purchase a paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. You can also get a Kindle ebook at that site, or go to Barnes and Noble for a copy on Nook. (Please note that if you go to amazon, make sure you're ordering the 2015 edition, and not the earlier one. There are plenty of used ones for sale, but they are far inferior to the newest edition.)
If you want to go back to any of the previous articles in this series, they are linked at the bottom of this article:
Copyright © 2018 Robert Wilkinson
Robert, I love that you included Sirius in this report. My natal Mars at 28 Leo is jumping for joy.
Posted by: Jo Garceau | August 07, 2018 at 02:15 PM