by Robert Wilkinson
Today we explore specifics of the Inferior Conjunction of September 22/23 at 1 Libra. This “fusion of life and mind” will impact the rest of the retrograde period, and many weeks after.
As I offered in earlier articles, an 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.
Mind is now reconsidering territory it’s already seen. This “fusion of Mind and Life” allows Mind to see where the Light has already been, and thereby written in our Book of Light/Life. Mercury, Guide of Souls, now has slowed down enough that the Sun has caught up and they come together for a brief moment. That also means Mercury again leads the Sun, showing Mercury is again the Gatekeeper to the Light.
We now enter a phase of looking back at Life to see how certain things in the past impacted how we got to where we are today. This is “Illuminated Mind looking back at inward, outward, and collective processes which have shaped our Life. As Mercury is retrograde, the degree of the inferior conjunction shows how our perceptions will merge with our Life and bring forth a new understanding of our Light.
The Sabian Symbol for the Inferior Conjunction
This Inferior Conjunction falls at 1 Libra. It is said that the first third (decan) of any sign deals with the material and actional levels of life, and being the Libra decan of that sign, invokes a sub-influence of Libra with an extra dose of the Moon.
The Sabian Symbol we’ve been given for the 1st degree of Libra is “A butterfly made perfect by a dart through it.” In "the Astrology of Personality, where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, he offers that this degree is one of “a symbolic death that is initiation into spiritual reality and wisdom," "sudden awakening," and "craving for inner light."
In the Astrological Mandala, he states this degree is one showing us "the immortal archetypal reality that a perfect and dedicated life reveals." He goes on to say that this initiates a “coming together,” where “the descent or externalization of archetypal realities is gradually occurring,” involving “metamorphosis of ‘worm’ into butterfly,” symbolizing “the possibility of being transformed” into more than we are, perhaps even becoming an Initiate, an Adept, or a Perfect Human.
He continues that “the perfect butterfly thus represents the outcome of the process of occult discipleship,” where we begin to live a standard of perfection greater than we’ve ever known. He finishes with explaining this is an actional phase, “because in it the perfection of individual activity is revealed and immortalized. This is the symbolical Transfiguration,” where the human is “made sacred, becoming the embodiment of a pure archetype. He states this degree falls in the Span of Expectation, the Act of Group Integration, and Scene of Transfiguration on the Actional level.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of a degree of pure potentiality as it is conditioned through imagination. We are told this degree contains "elements of individual consciousness emerging from primordial formlessness," and wisdom deriving from our willingness to embrace new experiences.
He says we come into “identifiable being through the nature which has been molded” for us, which we refine for our self-expression. He offers us the keyword ARTICULATION, and when positive, it offers us "awakening to the need for some more whole-souled focus of character."
It is interesting that this Inferior conjunction degree is the same as the Lunar position of the Equinox Full Moon in March 2019, as well as the Mars conjunct Saturn degree of July 2010 and the Mercury SD degree of October 2015. The first point influenced all Mars/Saturn related events between July 2010 and August 2012, creating a platform of transfiguration in late 2015 and early 2016. This Equinox with Mercury retrograde could bring interesting flashes linking those periods over the next 13 weeks. Synthesize the narrative of your journey into the primary themes, and you’ll get a vision of how you’ve transfigured your life since 2010 from a wider angle of understanding.
This is a time to use the ”fusion of life and mind” through the next Superior Conjunction to look back, reflecting on things which have been, old ways we were transfigured which brought us to where we’re at now. We can look back, seeing how we went through symbolic deaths which opened us to a new life, or helped us glimpse our immortal form. It is possible we’ll get flashes of memory and take a new look at the new spiritual roles and ideals we’ve opened up to these past 12 years, or in some way the coming period will help us see how we’ve been transfigured in a roundabout way.
So we enter a time where Life is moving forward as Mind looks back on a) how we “died to be reborn” in the past, and/or b) how current events related to the past are again challenging us to take a new look at what needs to “die” so we can renew our vision of our immortal Self. This “looking back” involves a period of review, reflection, and reconsideration of past ideals, deaths, and rebirths in ways which open the way to even deeper insights about how life is related to the mind’s imagery and our reaction to previously unknown things.
Because it’s a retrograde conjunction in the Air sign of the mind exploring all there is to explore, be flexible in your approach and response to remembering past ideals and relationships which transformed our lives. Remember past awakenings, past interactions, and past transformations to find a new way to see who you are as an “immortal Self.”
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. This Inferior Conjunction will bring echoes of past eras when the outer planets were in this sector of Libra, as well as a foreshadowing of what will come when Mercury, and Venus transit this degree over the next few weeks, as well as next August when Mars transits this degree with Venus retrograde and Uranus stationary retrograde.
Important Dispositors and Aspects
The Inferior Conjunction is in Libra, and so is ruled by Venus. Venus is in Virgo, ruled by Mercury, showing these two are in “Mutual Reception,” a very powerful closed circuit self-reinforcing energy. This Mutual Reception is the “final dispositor” to all the other planets except Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto, making Virgo and Libra the predominant backdrop during the time this chart is in play.
Most of the aspects are identical to those present in the Equinox chart, explained in detail in yesterday’s article It's the Autumnal Equinox 2022 - What's Coming in October, November, and December 2022. The outstanding aspects are the Inferior Conjunction biseptile Mars and the Moon quintile Mars and biquintile Jupiter, with Mars quintile Jupiter. The biseptile indicates at least two major “forks in the road of destiny” for all with a planet or point near 16-20 Gemini, 8-12 Leo, 29 Virgo-3 Libra, 20-24 Scorpio, 12-16 Capricorn, 3-7 Pisces, and 24-28 Aries.
The double quintile/biquintile creates a powerful “5 Pointed Star of Uniqueness” affecting planets or points we have near 3-7 Aries, 15-19 Gemini, 27 Leo- 1 Virgo, 9-13 Scorpio, and 21-25 Capricorn. If you have something in one of these areas, expect unique conditions leading to high specialization or “quintessential” experiences.
And we continue to have the VERY heavy Saturn square Uranus cut into two semisquares by Jupiter! This continues to put pressure on planets and points we have around 17-23 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, as well as 2-8 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. We have choices in how we want to manage figuring out what’s pertinent in our lives and what isn’t. Be strong and persevering, showing patience, balance, and courage as we eliminate all we no longer need.
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.
So What’s Been Going On, and What Will Happen From Here?
I’ve explained this “two-step” process of Inferior Conjunctions followed by Superior Conjunctions alternating with each other in previous articles. The last few weeks we’ve been under the influence of the last Superior Conjunction at 25 Cancer on July 16 with its theme of “accepting the mantle of power” and integrating our social emotions for a leadership role in the future. Now, at the Inferior Conjunction, we’ve reached the end of the direct influence of that conjunction, and will go into a process where we will take a new look at many things, including the need to take a new look at our subconscious mind and what ideals it wants to express.
While Mercury is still slow in speed, from here it gradually speeds up, and will go stationary direct at 25 Virgo on October 2. It will continue to speed up until it outraces the Sun at the next Superior Conjunction at 17 Scorpio on 25 Cancer on November 8. That Superior Conjunction ushers in several weeks of realizations about trusting “the God within” and demonstrating our faith in a form of action.
So while up to now, Life has been catching up to Mind, it will now outpace it for weeks to come. Once Mercury goes direct and hits its maximum speed, we’ll get the next Superior Conjunction, after which Mind will again outraces Life, exploring ideas and perceptions of experiences yet to occur.
The Inferior Conjunction marks the point when Mind is being absorbed by Life, or Life takes on the results of subconscious or collective ideas returning to source. For the next short period, Mercury will still be slow in speed and retrograde as the Sun moves forward, putting distance between it and Mercury. Still, from this point on, Mercury gradually speeds up, so the slowest part of the retrograde process is now past!
Once Life gets as far from Mind as it can, then Mercury goes stationary direct, and continues to speed up through its shadow zone and beyond as it prepares to enter unknown zodiacal zones after leaving the shadow zone. The “pulses” of the Inferior and Superior conjunctions of the Sun and Mercury constitute an entire field of research unto themselves. 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. As I explain in Chapter 2 of Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, Mercury’s duality is Life/Death, so when the “Divine Trickster” slows down we can get a new look at how our consciousness and responses are either creative, destructive, or both, to cite the venerable Kabbalistic 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 we explore this new energy showing 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. 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 early Libra and late Virgo energy productively.
The new views, understandings, and reinterpretations shown by this Inferior Conjunction should be considered in the light of the house in which this retrograde inferior conjunction is happening. (I gave you that information in the top linked article at the bottom of this post.) We can see our ideas from a different angle, find a new focus, and make progress in transformational regenerations that will be the source of much information and activity in the next few weeks. Wherever you have 1 Libra will bring a fusion of Life and Mind, especially related to the houses where you have Gemini and Virgo.
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 October 2 (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 2018’s Mercury retrograde periods in Aries, Leo, Sag and Scorpio, the 2019 retrogrades in Pisces, Leo, Cancer, and Scorpio, the 2020 retrogrades in Pisces, Aquarius, Cancer, Scorpio, and Libra, and the 2021 retrogrades in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, 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. By taking a look at the qualities of the January-February 2022 RX in Aquarius and Capricorn, the May-June RX in Gemini and Taurus, and this September-October 2022 RX in Libra and Virgo, you’ll get important information about being guided to your Soul this year. A further benefit is by looking at Mercury RX in Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo, you’ll get insights into how the 2023 Mercury retrogrades will impact you next year.
Here's the Amazon link to the page where you can purchase a paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. If you want an ebook, you can order one at the link, or go to Barnes & Noble and it's available through Nook. ((Again, if you’re going to purchase a copy, make sure it’s the award-winning second edition published in 2016 and not the 1997 edition!)
Previous articles in this series:
Mercury Retrograde in Libra and Virgo in September-October 2022 - An Overview
A New Look at the Guide of Souls - Mercury Retrograde in September-October 2022 –
The Guide of Souls in September 2022 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 9 Libra
Copyright © 2022 Robert Wilkinson
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