by Robert Wilkinson
Today we explore specifics of the Inferior Conjunction of January 7 at 17 Capricorn. 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 17 Capricorn. It is said that the second third (decan) of any sign deals with the emotional and social levels of life, and being the Taurus decan of that sign, invokes a sub-influence of Venus with an extra dose of Mars.
The Sabian Symbol we’ve been given for the 17th degree of Capricorn is “A girl surreptitiously bathing in the nude.” In The Astrology of Personality, where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, 17 Capricorn is one of “Escape from bondage to social inhibitions,” “ readjustment of relation of spirit to body,” “self-purification,” and “self-confrontation.”
In The Astrological Mandala, he says this degree is one of “the escape from bondage to social inhibitions and a reliance upon the wisdom of the body.” He notes that “the pressure of religions” has created a “sharp and unwholesome division between soul and body” because of the rigid suppression of natural instincts, and offers this symbol of nudity is “a welcome protest against the depressing and neurosis-generating puritanism of the past.”
He continues “Men and women are demanding a psychologically as well as physically healthful freedom of the body to overcome the hypocrisy and constrictions of social behavior.” He says this symbol is a call to release our inhibitions, and says this degree falls in the Span of Dependence, Act of Capitalization, and Scene of Group Performance on the Actional-Physical level.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of “the irresistible desire of all life to strip back to essentials, and to gain self-renewal by some immediate and close intimacy with the accepted roots of all-being.” This symbol tells us “the spiritual significance of the human body (is) as a temple of the spirit, or as the archetype representing the total potentiality in a person existence.”
He continues “here is successful resort to self-sacrifice or psychological renunciation in order to achieve a new dimension of conscious reality.” He offers us the keyword IMMERSION, and states that when operating positively, the degree is "a highly effective dramatization of the basic characteristics and potentials of self.”
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 led to shed old inhibitions. We can look back, seeing how we went through self-purification which left us less hung up in some way which “adjusted the relationship” of our spirit to our physical vehicle. 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 since 2020, or in some way the coming period will help us see how we’ve been led to the group work we’re doing now.
So we enter a time where Life is moving forward as Mind looks back on a) how we got over inhibitions in the past, and/or b) how current events related to the past are again challenging us to take a new look at what we believe about ourselves relative to Spirit. This “looking back” involves a period of review, reflection, and reconsideration of past group work which led us to greater effective action, or which led us to responsibilities related to what we’re doing now. These will 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 Earth sign of taking responsibility in some way, be flexible in your approach and response to remembering past ways of breaking free of old rules and restrictions. Remember past times when you had to act in mature and definite ways to take responsibility for your actions or non-actions.
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 Capricorn, as well as a foreshadowing of what will come when Mercury transits this degree in forward motion in a few weeks, as well as late January 2024 when Mars transits this degree.
Important Dispositors and Aspects
The Inferior Conjunction is in Capricorn, and so is ruled by Saturn. Saturn is in Aquarius, its home sign, thus its own ruler. As Saturn also rules all the other planets, it is the “final dispositor” to all the other planets except Neptune in Pisces. That makes Aquarius the predominant backdrop during the time this chart is in play.
Most of the aspects are identical to those present in the Full Moon chart, explained in detail in Wednesday’s article The January 2023 Full Moon of 17 Capricorn-Cancer Pt. 3 – Aspects, Evolutionary Configurations, and More. The outstanding aspects are the Inferior Conjunction quintile Jupiter, decile Saturn, trine Uranus and conjunct Pluto with Venus trine Mars.
The quintile from the Conjunction to Jupiter opens voids in a powerful “5 Pointed Star of Uniqueness” affecting planets or points we have near 28 Pisces-4 Aries, 10-16 Gemini, 22-28 Leo, 4-10 Scorpio, and 16-22 Capricorn. If you have something in one of these areas, expect unique conditions leading to high specialization or “quintessential” experiences.
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 17 Scorpio in November with its theme of “surrendering to the God within” and accepting a deeper connection with self, others, and Source. 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 9 Capricorn on January 18. It will continue to speed up until it outraces the Sun at the next Superior Conjunction at 27 Pisces on March 17. That Superior Conjunction ushers in several weeks of realizations about using our creative imagnination to “dominate circumstances.”
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 Capricorn 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 shedding ideas, behaviors, and responses we no longer need. These will be the source of much information and activity in the next few weeks. Wherever you have 17 Capricorn 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 January 18 (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 the 2019 retrogrades in Pisces, Leo, Cancer, and Scorpio, the 2020 retrogrades in Pisces, Aquarius, Cancer, Scorpio, and Libra, the 2021 retrogrades in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, and the 2022 retrogrades in Capricorn/Aquarius, Taurus/Gemini, and Virgo/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 this December-January 2023 RX in Capricorn, the April-May RX in Taurus, and the August-September 2023 RX in Virgo, you’ll get important information about being guided to your Soul this 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. ((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 Capricorn in December 2022 and January 2033 - An Overview
A New Look at the Guide of Souls - Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn December 2022 and January 2033
Copyright © 2022 Robert Wilkinson
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