Mercury Retrograde Conjunct Sun – A new Mercury Cycle Begins

Whenever Mercury Retrograde makes a conjunction with the Sun, a new Mercury cycle begins. Just like the Moon has cycles, Mercury has cycles, too. Every year we have approximately 3 Mercury cycles.

A Mercury cycle usually lasts for 116 days. When Mercury is conjunct the Sun the previous Mercury cycle comes to an end, and a new Mercury cycle begins.

The Mercury-Sun conjunction takes place in the middle of Mercury Retrograde.

Mercury Retrograde conjunct Sun is similar to a New Moon and it’s a time to start something new.

If New Moons (Moon conjunct Sun) are great to start an activity you can complete in one month’s time (or one lunar cycle)

… if Jupiter cycles (Jupiter conjunct Sun, happens only once a year) are great for initiating a goal you can complete in one year… (one Jupiter cycle)

… Mercury cycles are great for starting projects you can complete in a 4-month time.

The duration of the cycle (approx. 4 months) is ideal to kick-start and complete medium-term projects.

Mercury And The Mind

In Astrology, Mercury rules the mind and the thinking processes, communication, travel, short trips, commerce, paperwork and our day-to-day activities.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. This close proximity makes Mercury difficult to observe and interpret.

One thing we DO know: since Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, and Sun is our personality, our Self, Mercury is the most familiar energy to the Self.

In fact, it is so familiar, that we are not even aware of it. That’s why we are in our mind most of the time – because Mercury is ALWAYS somewhere close to the Sun. In fact, we confuse our sense of self – who we are (the Sun) – with our mind (Mercury).

Of course, we are not our mind – the mind is just a tool that serves the higher purpose of the Self (Sun)

The Four Phases Of A Mercury Cycle

While most people have heard of Mercury Retrograde, very few have heard of the whole 116-day Mercury cycle.

The Mercury Cycle, just like all the planetary cycles, is part of a continuous spiral of growth. The retrograde phase marks the point when we shift from one state of “Mercury” to the next.

There are four Mercury “phases” in a Mercury cycle:

Phase I – Observe and Insight

Phase I starts at Mercury’s inferior conjunction to the Sun and lasts until Mercury turns direct

In this phase, Mercury has a strong will and a clear sense of purpose, thanks to the encounter with the Sun. Sudden clarity can come at this phase. You can find new ways of doing things or find new solutions to your problems.

And although this phase might not yet lead to clear answers, right now you are aware of what’s going on and you can find solutions and new ways of action.

Phase II – Prototype and Test

From Mercury direct until Mercury’s superior conjunction to the Sun

Mercury is at its highest speed now – this is when we are capable of intense mental work. This is a good phase to kick off and work towards fulfilling the initiative you started at the time of the inferior conjunction.

This is a good time to test different elements of your plan. Try to get feedback, see what works and what doesn’t.

Phase III – Build

From Mercury’s superior conjunction until Mercury turns retrograde

Mercury’s superior conjunction with the Sun marks a phase of culmination. Take what you started in phase I and “prototyped” and “tested” in phase II. Your project can now finally take shape and materialize.

Mercury is getting now a “reality check” from the Sun, who acts like a “curator” and synthesizes the good bits and pieces that have been produced in the previous phases.

Now is the time to “go live” with your project.

Phase IV – Analyze

From Mercury retrograde station until Mercury’s inferior conjunction to the Sun

Mercury’s fourth phase is contemplative and introspective. You now want to discover the higher meaning of the past 3 months (from the beginning of the current Mercury cycle).

The last phase is great to “analyze” what you did in the first three phases and see how the outcome can lead to an even better outcome, to be initiated in the next Mercury cycle.

Mercury cycles last for almost 4 months. It is well known that the ideal timeline for a project is from 3 to 4 months. This is enough time to delve into a topic, do your research, test and build, and then analyze your outputs.

Anything that goes beyond 4 months loses momentum or becomes the point.2 version of the previous project.

You want to keep your projects within this timeframe. Do you have a goal that takes more than 4 months to complete? No problem! Simply break it down into 4-month mini-projects.

The 3-Step Process To Work With The Mercury Cycle

Take your time to focus on a project you want to undertake. Follow these 3 steps to identify your project and plan it according to the Mercury cycle:

1) Consider your current priorities. These priorities should not require a long time to complete. Getting a master’s degree, building a house, a profound personal transformation will take longer than 4 months.

Similarly, your Mercury project should require enough time so you don’t complete it in a few days only – for example writing an article, finishing a presentation, or learning how to cook a new dish.

You want to identify something in between, a project you could complete in 3 to 4 months.

2) For more guidance look in your natal chart to see in which house the Mercury-Sun conjunction falls in your chart – for example, if it falls in your 2^nd house you may want to start a project to generate a new source of income, if it falls in your 4^th house you may want to do home improvement, in your 6^th house you may want to start a new diet and so on.

3) After you have identified your project – split it into 4 different phases according to the 4 phases of the Mercury cycle. Try to stick to the timeline. You want to spend 2 weeks for the 1^st and 4^th phase, and around 5 weeks for the 2^nd and 3^rd phases.

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