by Robert Wilkinson
Today we explore specifics of the Superior Conjunction of May 21 at 1 Gemini. This “fusion of life and mind” will impact the rest of the Mercury direct period, as well as the first part of its next retrograde up to the Inferior Conjunction coming on July 21 at 29 Cancer.
To remind you, the superior conjunction occurs when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) when in direct motion, while the inferior conjunction is when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) when Mercury is retrograde. Each operates as a fusion of Life and Mind, but in each “Mind moves in a different direction.”
When either conjunction happens, it indicates that signals, messages, and ideas from either outer sources or subconscious sources will fuse with the life principle. This sets the tone for the lessons involving how our minds are relating to our lives during the weeks which follow the inferior conjunction.
Since its last retrograde, Mercury in direct motion has been moving faster than the Sun. It has now caught up to the Sun and making a “superior conjunction,” beginning a several week period when mind will race ahead of life, heralding things to come when the Sun transits the span Mercury will show us over the next few weeks. 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.
As I mentioned yesterday, this Superior conjunction at 1 Gemini happens on the exact degree of the Moon in the November 2018 Full Moon chart. This begins a fusion of Life and Mind with identical themes as we experienced in late November and early December 2018.
By way of comparison, the last Superior Conjunction at 10 Aquarius was on the exact degree where Mars went stationary retrograde last June. That means the period after the Superior Conjunction in late January brought a time of forward movement in February and March 2019 related to how that Mars RX period played out in our lives. While the period between June and October 2018 was a time to withdraw from our own and others’ projections, and plan anew, and we found what had been “popular” before that time was no longer popular after that time, the Superior Conjunction helped us understand how what we left behind in 2018 was related to our lives in February and March 2019
The Sabian Symbol for the Superior Conjunction
The Solar-Mercurial degree symbol for the Superior Conjunction at 1 Gemini is “A glass-bottomed boat in still water.” In "the Astrology of Personality, where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, 1 Gemini is said to be a phase of "Depth of realization in a consciousness constantly in touch with the sources of life," and "sensitiveness to collective images."
In the Astrological Mandala, he says this degree involves "the revelation of unconscious energies and submerged psychic structures." Here we become aware of the "hidden contents of man's collective Unconscious" if our "boat," or ego, has a "glass bottom" allowing us to see that which is below normal perception. He states that our conscious mind must be somewhat "translucent" so we can become aware of the "psychic depths below the normal level of consciousness."
He goes on to say that in this discovery process this is a stage of vision, where we find that which we did not know existed. Here "a new dimension of reality is perceived by the earnest inquirer." He says it falls in the span of Zeal, and is the first degree of the actional level of the scene of Discovery in the Act of Differentiation.
According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, the degree is one of "alertness to ramifications of experience," and the need we take action that benefits us if we would "capitalize on any particular opportunity." This shows that even inactivity is of value if it allows us to "regrasp our destiny" to our advantage, since it gives us the ability to touch "the transient stream of everyday affairs."
He offers us the keyword of CURIOSITY. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is "high competence in the estimation of life's potentialities."
So we'll use the ”fusion of life and mind” through the next Inferior Conjunction to look forward, anticipating things to come while being moved by a seeing how we’ve opened to a new depth understanding, or can now “see beneath the surface” of routine life. We will again take a new look at some things we’ve discovered since last November, or in some way the next few weeks will open up a new curiosity which will help us “regrasp our destiny.”
What’s Up After the Superior Conjunction?
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.
Also remember that when Mercury outraces the Sun and moves ahead of it, it no longer "leads the light." Now "Life" leads "Mind" even as Mind blazes the trail the Light will follow these next few weeks. This is the time when we stretch out into the future, with a period of looking back coming in July at the next Mercury retrograde.
In this chart, now that Mercury no longer leads the Sun, it leaves Venus as the “entry to the Light.” Venus in Taurus gives us a fairly enjoyable and natural entry to our lives at this time, and substantiating what’s been set into motion since last February. So again, our way to “anticipate the Light” is through relationships which are reliable, enjoyable, and natural.
Venus will lead the Sun until the next Inferior Conjunct between Mercury retrograde and the Sun at 29 Cancer, after which Mercury will briefly lead the Sun until it too conjuncts Venus while retrograde on July 24-25 at 27 Cancer. Then Venus will resume “leading the Light.” The study of which planet leads the Sun is a crucial but often overlooked part of the study of how the planets work in sequence.
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 first third of Gemini, we enter a time of discovery, seeing greater actional, personal, or material discoveries which will reveal a dimension of life below the surface of everyday living.
This will give us a chance to articulate our Light fused with “the Guide of Souls” to find new discoveries and new ways of understanding the information that comes to them as a result of where their Mind leads their Life. This will open doors of perception wherever it falls, and many things will “come together in the Light of Mind” as we now move forward into a greater potential for demonstrating our wisdom as we dance at the intersection of Fate Street and Freewill Street on Eternity Boulevard.
As I have pointed out in the first article about the Superior Conjunction, during this Superior Conjunction at 1 Gemini we will have “a fusion of life and mind” that will help set a platform in the house where this conjunction occurs in our charts. In blending these principles we will see a shift in our affairs, attitudes, and understanding about those things symbolized by Mercury in Gemini, as well as the houses where we have Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo.
Natal points in harmony with 1 Gemini will see productivity, understanding, stabilization, and unique qualities come forth in that chart house. Natal points in friction with 1 Gemini will see turning points, blocks, braking action, and release of potential. These are the primary “Life-Mind” fusion lessons through the next Inferior Conjunction coming on July 21 at 29 Cancer, a degree which will give us alternative views of the past so we can weigh and judge the various possibilities coming in August and September.
The Lunar Influence and the Backdrop to What’s Happening
The Moon is at 3 Capricorn for this Conjunction. That means the focus is on growth through new experiences, where we must “temper our longing by an evaluation of the end results” of achieving that which we long for. As it falls in the first decan of Capricorn and is opposed Mars and trine Venus and Uranus, there will be tremendous emotional releases as well as regenerations. Just don’t get aggravated at the wrong things, or struggle with things you don’t need to struggle with.
This Superior Conjunction is entirely future oriented, and opens up depth understanding. This is an extraordinarily intuitive Conjunction as it’s exactly quintile Neptune, as is the Moon. Listen to the inner voice which will whisper wisdom into your mind, and see distractive arguments as means to detach and redirect on necessities.
The Superior Conjunction falling in Gemini makes Mercury the worldly ruler of the conjunction. As Mercury is in one of its home signs in Gemini, it is its own dispositor and very secure in its own self-awareness and self-expression. Mercury, “the Guide of Souls” which allows us to coordinate the visible and the invisible in our lives, weaves the spiritual into the material so we are the perfect fluid expression of our Soul. Mercury, being very well aspected in this chart, offers us an adventure in adaptation as we move forward into the next adventure.
Summing Up
Because it falls at 1 Gemini, this Superior Conjunction is totally future oriented, and begins a period where we can learn what we need to in order to take full advantage of the compression of energies coming this Summer. This is an intensely spiritual conjunction, since it makes a quadranovile to Jupiter in Sagittarius, a quadrelftile to Saturn, a quintile to Neptune, and a sextile to Chiron. This indicates the need for faith in action, and accepting those who “speak our language” while letting go of those who do not.
From here, even though Mercury will outrace the Sun for the next few weeks, it’s going to begin to slow down in speed, and will go retrograde at 4:15 pm PDT on July 7, 12:15 am BST July 8. The Mercury retrograde station will happen at 5 Leo, a degree of the “permanence of basic elements in nature underneath temporary changes” and “steadiness of self-knowledge.” July will give us a look back at how we’ve achieved enduring works over time, again learning about how Mercury functions from a retrograde “review and return” perspective.
As I explained in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, 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 it is the ruler of the conjunction, understanding its influence as a factor for weeks to come is crucial to the smooth operation of what moves forward from here.
Because we’ll be dealing with Mercury retrograde energies beginning June 19 when it enters its shadow zone, you should also take a look at the appropriate chapters in my book A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. You can find out all you need about the coming Mercury Retrograde in Leo and Cancer, as well as the houses it occupies in your chart.
Here's the Amazon link to where you can order your paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. You can also find it on Kindle or Nook. It’s a great reference source where you can check out possible ways the coming Mercury retrograde effect could play out in July and August 2019.
Copyright © 2019 Robert Wilkinson
Very informative this degree forms finger of God with my Mercury sextile Neptune...my glass bottom boat on seas full of plastic and no effing fish...
Posted by: sue | May 21, 2019 at 08:26 AM
The degree of this superior conjunction of Sun Mercury is also exact to the Pleiades.
Robert, am I just catching on, or did you intentionally expand your approach in this post to point us forward to the next conjunction? Helping us see an even larger picture of what's coming later this year and well into 2021?
Thanks for the remarkable post!
Posted by: Jo Garceau | May 21, 2019 at 11:55 AM