The conjunction of the Sun and Moon with the outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are extremely significant in transforming the arc of life into something quite extraordinary. The Sun and Moon are the foundations of life, and the outer planet energies are beyond the norm (their orbits are outside of Saturn’s, which is generally considered to signify the limit of conscious awareness), so when they combine the life often runs on a different track than usual. With Uranus, this could mean a life lived against the grain, with Neptune a life given to extraordinary vision and imagination, and with Pluto a life infused with great power.
So what happens when the inner planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars are conjunct the outer planets? Let’s see what the Mercury conjunctions get up to, and then turn to Venus and Mars in later posts.
The conjunction of Mercury with Uranus, Neptune or Pluto brings the outer planet qualities to all conscious thought, and the mindset as a whole. More generally, similar outcomes can be seen with other aspects of Mercury as well to the outer planets: opposition, square, sextile and trine. So while I am heading the following sections as conjunctions, you want to read them as any aspect of Mercury. Just one other thing to remember: the oppositions and squares (along with conjunctions) tend to be more intense in their manifestation than the sextile and trine.
Conjunct Uranus
Mercury-Uranus makes the person perceive the world and think of things in a unique light: he or she is not afraid to think out of the box, and will do so often. Wherever the mind goes, so do Uranian significations. The mental process can be particularly inventive as a result, and can range from progressive thought that breaks social norms, to genius-like quicksilver ideas that come out of the blue, or to outright quirkiness with no particular agenda. Mental restrictions of any kind such as having to think inside rigid boundaries are shunned and despised—free ranging thought is valued and sought.
Abruptness of speech and writing are very much on the cards—sentences may be short and jerky, for effect. Mercury-Uranus people may take delight in playing odd pranks and tricks, especially those that involve strange ideas. They will also take pleasure in thinking unconventionally, and may well be a contrarian, saying the opposite of whatever everyone else is saying. Sometimes this might across as sheer orneriness, but at other times this could produce stunning insights.
Elon Musk has Mercury (13 Can 35) square Uranus (09 Lib 28). His eclectic thoughts have led to game-changing innovations including Tesla, the hugely popular first fully electric mainstream car, SpaceX for space travel, and Hyperloop for high-speed transportation.
Comedian Leslie Jones has Mercury (25 Vir 27) tightly conjunct Uranus (24 Vir 05). Her first appearance on SNL was on a Weekend Update segment in May 2014. In the course of the segment, she speculated as to what her life might been like under slavery: “Master would have hooked me up with the best brother on the plantation, and every nine months I’d be in the corner having a super baby … I would be the number one slave draft pick.”
Conjunct Neptune
If Mercury is conjunct Neptune, the perception of the world and the mind-set are colored by Neptunian dimensions including illusion, creativity, imagination, dreams, lack of boundaries. There is a subtlety to the thought process that may escape the more literal among us, and a noticeable bent toward metaphor and verse. The boundary between fact and fiction might be nebulous, and the two might be easily interchanged.
Such people may make good poets, or songwriters, or advertising copyrights who are in the business of crafting a persuasive or alluring message. Their words and speech may be lyrical, and they will have the ability to pick words to convey exactly the right nuance and tone for a situation.
Memory works strongly in the form of images and feelings. People with Mercury-Neptune conjunctions are more likely to remember the feeling that was invoked by an incident in the past than the factual details. They may also have a good memory for music. Mercury-Neptune can also lead to big-picture, visionary thinking and planning. Creative visualization is a possible talent.
Robert Cialdini is a psychologist and author of the phenomenal bestseller, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” which has sold over 5 million copies. He has Mercury (16 Ari 51) square Neptune (04 Lib 16). The orb at more than 12 degrees is quite wide, but I am generous with orbs for the outer planets, in recognition of their outsized influence. According to Cialdini: “The best persuaders become the best through pre-suasion – the process of arranging for recipients to be receptive to a message before they encounter it. To persuade optimally, then, it’s necessary to pre-suade optimally.” This arranging for receptivity is a Neptunian thing, because it works behind the scenes or under the surface, indirect and subliminal.
Magician David Copperfield (described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history) has Mercury (11 Lib 51) conjunct Neptune (28 Lib 49). Once again the orb is pretty wide (17 degrees), but Copperfield has no other planets in Libra, so the influence of Neptune is fully trained on Mercury. Magic and illusion are pure Neptune, and Copperfield found fame through his highly Neptunian mind. Here’s what he says about his work: “I try to help people realize their dreams by using magic to tell stories that educate, move, and inspire.” Boldfaces are mine, to bring out the Neptunian themes.
Conjunct Pluto
Mercury in conjunction with Pluto gives great depth, intensity, or clarity to the mind. The thought process can be relentless and obsessive—a thought once planted may be hard to let go of. Memories stay long after they have outlived their usefulness, even if the person wishes those memories would simply vanish.
There is a mental ruthlessness (such as in a chess player with a strong killer instinct), but these thoughts do not necessarily translate into ruthlessness of action, unless Mars is also involved. Both speech and the written word can be direct and penetrating—no beating about the bush, no sugar-coating.
People with a Mercury-Pluto conjunction call it as they see it, and cannot stand mental games. The sheer mental will power of this person can manifest thoughts into reality if there is genuine desire. These people can be very good investigators. They are also good at breaking through barriers, and are not afraid to address topics that are generally considered to be taboo.
Mathematician and Nobel Prize winner for Economics John Nash has Mercury (11 Can 59) conjunct Pluto (16 Can 02). Nash found household fame through the movie “A Beautiful Mind”, which portrayed his struggle with a mind as fragile as it was deep. Mathematician Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov said about Nash’s work: “But what Nash discovered in the course of his constructions of isometric embeddings is far from ‘classical’ — it is something that brings about a dramatic alteration of our understanding of the basic logic of analysis and differential geometry” (boldface mine). Pluto signifies both deep transformation, and alteration or expansion of perspective.
Ruth Westheimer (“Dr. Ruth”) is a long time sex therapist, media personality, and author. She was born in 1928, and into her 90s now, she’s still very much in the public eye. Her media career began in 1980 with the radio show “Sexually Speaking”, which continued until 1990. Wikipedia says this: “Dr. Ruth helped to revolutionize talk about sex and sexuality on radio and television, … became known for being candid and funny, but respectful, and for her tag phrase ‘Get some'”. She was never afraid to say what she believed, particularly on topics that were not publicly discussed, if not downright taboo in her heyday: “The time has come when women should pay for a gigolo. Why should only rich men have young, beautiful women? Rich women should have young, beautiful men.”