Astronomical musings on today’s Mercury transit of the Sun

Ancient astronomers and astrologers of our historically civilized cultures of India, Egypt, the Middle East and Medieval Europe, all at their various epochs, would observe the movement of the planets and luminaries in the night sky and note the attributes occurring at the regular cyclic points on the wheel of the celestial zodiac. This backdrop of the constellations and fixed stars served as a virtual compass, by which to measure and time alignments and thus events correlated on the ground. For example the ancient Egyptians were able to time the flooding of the Nile annually by sighting a certain star, thereby timing their crucial planting and harvesting seasons. Other alignments were also observed and recorded by these star gazers, priests and alchemists, and one of the most noteworthy was the regular thrice yearly alignment of Mercury with the Sun, known as Mercury conjunct the Sun, “Mercury combust”, and for a few hours in the actual event, Mercury is known as “in the heart of the Sun” or “cazimi”.

From our point of view on the earth, the rotation of Mercury appears to make a reverse motion through the heavens three times a year, for about three weeks each. This is popularly known as the Mercury Retrograde phase. It is an optical illusion of course, since the planets rotate in the same direction through the heavens around the Sun all year long. However, due to both Earth and Mercury rotating around the Sun at different speeds and at varying distances from the Sun, our visibility of Mercury on its inner orbiting circle makes it look to us as if Mercury slows, stops, reverses, and then three weeks later does the same again, this time going forward once more as usual. It’s all about line of sight, and geometric alignments from our point of observation on Earth.

Now some who have looked into astronomy or astrology will have heard about the Mercury retrograde phase, and perhaps even the mercury stationary days, at the beginning and end of the three week long retrograde, but there is another interesting event that occurs twice during the cycle of Mercury’s 88 day full orbit of the Sun, and that is the moment when Mercury aligns exactly with the Sun, from our observational point of view on earth. The one conjunction or transit of the Sun occurs when Mercury appears to be going forwards, and is called the Superior conjunction, since Mercury is on the other side of the Sun, in relation to Earth. The second and more powerful conjunction or transit, according to the ancients, is when Mercury is in its retrograde phase and it passes between Earth and the Sun, called the “Inferior conjunction”. And this has just occurred today.

Now because the Sun is so bright, the rays of the Sun actually make it impossible to see Mercury either with a telescope or the naked eye, for about two weeks before the transit as well as after. At this phase, Mercury is labelled as “combust”. It is simply invisible. As a result ancient astrologers considered this to be a less than opportune time for what they considered Mercurial activities, like writing, correspondence, and rational thought. In a horoscope of someone born during this time of the year, with Mercury within about eight degrees of the Sun, it symbolises someone who may have limitations in their thinking or who may struggle to be heard.

The closer Mercury is to the Sun, by degree in the zodiac constellation, the more covered the strength of Mercury will be in the horoscope, the person and literally by the engulfing rays of the Sun. However, there is a magical moment, right at the very center of the alignment, the very moment of exact alignment, where Mercury is considered “in the heart of the Sun”, labelled by the Arabic astrologers as “cazimi”. This is a period lasting no more than eight to twelve hours of a day, when Mercury is within 17 minutes of arc from an exact conjunction. Considering that one degree of arc in the zodiac is made up of 60 minutes, this opportune time is very fine, but it is a time when genius or magic can happen. Priests and alchemists would use this event to perform rituals and ceremonies to invoke blessings, for example.

Well this “Inferior retrograde conjunction” of Mercury transiting in front of the Sun occurred in the past few hours, and so I write about it today. Anyone born within that window of time – this occasion on 1 July 2020, from about 2am until 10am GMT – may be a genius. Mozart is almost an example of such a birth. The challenge though, may still lie in the fact that the Sun’s rays are so overpowering that Mercury is blocked from view, as mentioned. In Mozart’s case, he was born in the combust phase and missed the cazimi by a few hours, so was literally overshadowed by his domineering father (symbolised by the Sun in the horoscope), which hampered him somewhat apparently. Nevertheless, he was still a genius who produced some of the greatest music known to humanity for hundreds of years.

Therefore although it has already just passed us by as I write this, you can at least be informed about it and actually observe when the next opportunity takes place like clockwork in the rotation of the planets. I chose the moment earlier to write a poem as a meditation on the event and the planets involved, and to invoke some inspiration overall, for my life journey. It’s an inspiring time, still throughout today, and you can take the moment to tap in to your muse, your inspiration. Jimmy Page, legendary musical genius from the 60s rock band Led Zeppelin, also shares this conjunction of Sun and Mercury in his horoscope.

Now that Mercury is still in its retrograde phase, and specifically conjunct the Sun for the next week, the focus will be better placed inwardly. In other words, while external activities and business may slow down amidst delays or breakdowns, introspection and meditation on your inner soul work is favored. This is considered today the beginning of the next Mercury cycle. Focus now on the heart of the matter, your real inner requirements as a soul journeying through life. If you listen carefully today, you may be able to hear the whisper of the voice of inspiration, of the divine, from within you, depending on your receptivity today. The next opportunity for a Mercury cazimi moment will be 17 August 2020, and thereafter the more potent “inferior Conjunction”, like today, occurs again on 26 October 2020, when Mercury transits between Earth and the Sun. So there are always opportunities, since life is cyclic. Know how to read the cycles and you will have at your command the ability to harness the flow of the cosmic tides and winds to fill your sails on the journey toward your destination. I pray you are blessed with the insight you require to make progress on your path.