The Inferior Conjunction between the Sun and Mercury

As many of my readers may be aware, the basic meaning of the 3-week Mercury retrograde period that occurs every 4 months or so is that it asks us to review matters that have either been ignored or which are moving towards further development. The midpoint of the retrograde period is known as the Inferior conjunction and it occurs this Friday, September 3, 2010 at 10° of Virgo. Ever since Mercury began its retrograde motion, we have been thinking about important issues in our life, but especially those which require introspection. It is a time for self-reflection, a period where we can examine our thought patterns and discover whether or not they serve us and, if they do not, what ways of thinking would be better for us.

In my discussions with friends and students, what is being expressed most of all is the sense that whatever I am focusing on now is quite important. There doesn’t seem to be time for ‘casual’ or ‘insignificant’ matters to be considered. We may not want to waste time on areas of our life that do not require our attention. And, if we do engage in such things, we may be more peeved about it than usual. The meetings we have with others seem to be necessary now and we may sense that they are likely to have deeper implications towards our future. We spend time thinking about the best approach rather than to just ‘dive in’ nonchalantly. If so, this is a good thing to do, because whatever we do set into motion now is indeed significant. Yes, more review may be inevitable, but that need not be thought of as a problem. What is developing actually is the possibility of a new ‘intention’ or ‘direction.’ We may find ourselves considering turning towards a new set of potentialities and while we cannot know if they will bear fruit or what kind of fruit they will produce, we do sense the need for a new direction to either be taken or at least be considered.

The meaning of the upcoming conjunction of the Sun and Mercury is that a new ‘seed idea’ is being born which simultaneously is being created by something old that is finally coming to a head. There is an odd sense that it is partially like a New Moon (the beginning of a new cycle) and partially like a Full Moon (the culmination of an already developing cycle). I know it may feel strange but you might like to reflect on what is developing for you right now to see if something from the past is coming together as well as something new being considered. Whatever you find out, it is likely that this is a very potent time, full of newly emerging opportunities. Of course, often we find that before something new can be born, something old must either die or change form significantly, but that’s just the way of things.

Two Ongoing Conjunctions As Well

Right now, due to the combination of faster moving planets slowing down or retrograding, we are in the midst of a ‘dance’ of two conjunctions that usually last for only a short time. This time they are dancing together for a considerable amount of time.

Venus dancing with Mars – usually Venus moves quickly past Mars in its normal transit since it is a very fast moving planet, but right now, because Venus is slowing down in advance of its coming change of direction (turning retrograde) on October 8, 2010, Venus is in a two-month conjunction with Mars. It began in mid-August and continues through mid-October. Although Venus and Mars are associated with love, romance and sexuality, it goes deeper than that. Venus is the symbol that rules the law of attraction, which can be defined as what we want to bring toward us and what we want to push away. Mars is the principle of self-assertion and how we go after what we want. Right now we are becoming clearer about both what we want and how we must approach getting it, if we are to be successful. Combined with the Mercury retrograde cycle we may be determining what these strategies need to be.

Jupiter dancing with Uranus – this dance is lasting many months. Specifically, it is in effect from mid-May 2010 to late January of 2011. This is due to the fact that they have conjuncted and are now retrograding together moving back and forth between early Aries and late Pisces. I have written extensively about this exciting combo. It is bringing forth all sorts of new paradigms, ideas, and insights. Because it is lasting so long, though, my sense is that it will deepen the profound possibilities that can come forth now. While it brings with it a lot of instability and uncertainty, it is going to be well worth it. One friend said that she is living hour by hour right now, as anything can happen and she can’t tell where things are going at all. This level of uncertainty is good for us though, however scary it can be. Learning to live in the moment is so important for us. Why?

Because the only ‘real’ life we can ever have is in the eternal moment of the now. The present transit between Jupiter and Uranus can be exposing us to this, whether we like it or not, and if we go with it, we may discover that we actually like it. It is where we can be so open that we ‘Feel’ the Life force so vividly that we find that we are in a state of constant inspiration. Anything can happen and sure enough, it does. It is where we can do the impossible or, more accurately, what we had thought was impossible.

Finally I would like to mention that this is a good time to be open to not only learning something new, but perhaps more significantly being open to a new paradigm. One helpful definition of the term paradigm is this – “A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the person and group/community of which they are a part.” A paradigm shift is meant to be a fundamental one and can lead to a ‘new way of Being-in-the-World.’ Because the conjunction is in Aries, some people will be only focused on themselves, what they want and desire, etc. Others will be concerned with the importance of personal rights and freedoms which we can already see developing with the growth of anti-government sentiments. But to me, the highest way this transit can manifest is for each of us to find ways to become more connected to what we know in our heart is what we are here are earth to do. We can claim the right to be ourselves in the fullest sense while also understanding that no person is an island and that we are a part of a larger Whole that gives us life and sustains us. These can be very exciting times with loads of new opportunities, but before this can show itself, we may have to prepare for the death of the old cycle. I believe that this is what the retrograde back into Pisces between Jupiter and Uranus actually signifies.

As always, I and the readers love to hear your thoughts about this article and anything on your minds that is in some relevant to what’s happening now. So, please feel free to write in.