On March 14, retrograde Mercury forms a conjunction with the Sun at 24∞11’ Pisces. This “Inferior Conjunction” marks the opening phase of a new Mercury cycle. Much like a New Moon, this is a time when seed ideas are planted that will play out over the course of the next two months. Normally Sun/Mercury conjunctions bring a sense of clarity or knowingness that a new path lays before us. We may not see the fullness of the idea taking shape, but it feels right to move in this new direction. Knowing where the conjunction falls in one’s natal chart will give some indication of what may unfold for a person if they put in effort and think things through realistically. However, with these planets in Pisces and widely conjunct Neptune, the ruler of Pisces, things may not be so clear. We may not be ready to see the truth about a current situation that requires a new approach, or be resistant to embarking on something with an uncertain outcome.
The Pisces archetype is idealistic and can easily be disillusioned when others don’t act from a pure and noble place. Yet the reality of our collective state, which lives mainly from ego, rarely reaches ideal levels of personal heroics. Instead, during this particularly dominant Piscean period that commenced with the Pisces New Moon conjunct Neptune on March 6, we’re seeing an uptick in major scandals erupting, including but not limited to more high profile sexual misconduct allegations, prestigious college admissions bribery cases, and the deceptive and deceitful sales tactics of Big Pharma that fueled the opioid epidemic. From a cosmic consciousness perspective, the biggest scandal of all is how the subtle yet all powerful spiritual force of unconditional love that is the hallmark of the Pisces/Neptune archetype remains unrealized in most. But that doesn’t mean our ideals and dreams of being a hero in our own life are unattainable.
Under the Sun/Mercury conjunction, it may occur to us that our lofty ideals act as signposts that lead us on a path towards the higher values of life. We simply need to keep them in sight as we operate within the reality of today and let them guide our choices. We can productively use the Inferior Conjunction by determining what is most important to us and make a strong commitment to align each choice along the sightlines of our values. The Sun represents our vitalizing creative force, our will and the core talents we bring to this life. It is the joy center from which our creativity flows. Mercury represents the mind and how we gather, analyze and share information with others. The combined Sun/Mercury archetypes in Pisces may inspire us to summon the courage needed to commit to realizing the fullness of our being, which is love.
The Inferior Conjunction is in a tight square to the expanding force of Jupiter in Sagittarius, which indicates opportunities may arise that will align us with our dreams if we choose to grab hold of them. Strong in the sign it rules, Jupiter in this tense aspect to the Inferior Conjunction can amplify the sensitivity of the planets in Pisces to the point of overwhelm or exaggerate a current situation so it can’t be ignored. As the traditional ruler of Pisces before Neptune was discovered, Jupiter’s influence at this time is even more pronounced. We may be compelled to look for meaning in everything we do or focus more on the big existential questions of life. As Jupiter connects with the Sun and Mercury in the sign of Unity, those questions may turn to love and the nature of our connectedness with each other. Our intuitive senses may also be expanded at this time so pay attention to symbols, dreams and synchronicities as messages from the unseen helpers of the cosmos aiding us on our way.
Since Mercury will be retrograde through March 28, there can be further delays in moving things forward or difficulty in transitioning to the new cycle because of lingering hopes for efforts made in the previous one. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and represents the process of endings, of allowing things to die so that renewal can happen. For example, someone I know works for a corporation that is having to rethink certain restructuring plans it just announced due to one of its top executives being the subject of a sexual misconduct investigation. Another person is in the process of re-evaluating her participation in a business venture, in which she has put in considerable time and energy, because her partner is not prepared to commit the needed investment to move the project forward. British Prime Minister Teresa May experienced yet another “humiliating” defeat in Parliament when it voted down her latest Brexit plan, prompting a British journalist to write, “She may as well burn it all down and try to start afresh.” Big dreams are on the line and disappointments are possible when things come to an end, but when we allow this process to happen without resistance they serve the purpose of moving us closer to realizing our ideals.
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