Mercury Retrograde in April, May, and June 2025 – How Will The Inferior Conjunction at 5 Aries Affect Us?
by Robert Wilkinson
Today we explore specifics of the Inferior Conjunction of March 24 at 5 Aries. This “fusion of life and mind” will impact the rest of the retrograde period, and many weeks after.
As I’ve given you before, a Mercury Inferior Conjunction is when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) while retrograde. This indicates that signals, messages, and ideas from either outer sources or subconscious sources will fuse with the life principle, setting the tone for the lessons involving how our minds are relating to our lives during the next four months.
Mind is now reviewing and taking a new look on a span of degrees it’s already traversed. This “fusion of Mind and Life” allows Mind to see where the Light has already been, illuminating what’s been written in our Book of Light/Life. Mercury, Guide of Souls, now has slowed down enough that the Sun has caught up and they come together for a brief moment.
That also means Mercury again leads the Sun, showing Mercury is again the Gatekeeper to the Light, except for when the Moon comes between Mercury and the Sun. Mercury will occupy that position until the Sun conjuncts Uranus in mid-May, when Uranus will be the gateway to the Light for about a week. Mercury then resumes until the Superior conjunction at 10 Gemini. After that Uranus again leads the Light until the Sun conjuncts Jupiter.
At the Inferior conjunction we enter a phase of looking back at Life to see how certain things in the past impacted how we got to where we are today. This is “Illuminated Mind looking back at inward, outward, and collective processes which have shaped our Life. As Mercury is retrograde, the degree of the inferior conjunction shows how our perceptions will merge with our Life and bring forth a new understanding of our Light.
The Sabian Symbol for the Inferior Conjunction
This Inferior Conjunction falls at 5 Aries. It is said that the first third (decan) of any sign deals with the physical and material levels of life, and being the Aries decan of Aries, it has a direct rulership by Mars with a sub-influence of Mars.
The Sabian Symbol we’ve been given for the 5th degree of Aries is “A triangle with wings.” In The Astrology of Personality, where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones’ class notes on the symbols, 5 Aries is said to be a degree of “evolution of values in the sphere of inward self, but at a stage not yet substantiated,” and “eagerness for a spiritual goal.”
In The Astrological Mandala, he goes on to say that this degree symbolizes “the capacity for self-transcending,” where we hit a phase of “the desire to reach a higher level of existence, or pure aspiration or devotion.” He says that what emerged at the first stage of this “differentiation is becoming aw3are of the possibility of further up-reachings.”
He continues that “the principle of ‘levitation’ is seen as one of the two essential factors in evolution,” one that “the emergent being glorifies…” but it’s still only an ideal.” We are told we “long for its eventual realization,” and so “a new dimension of being is envisioned mobilizing creative endeavors.” He says this degree falls in the Span of Realization,” Act of Differentiation, and Scene of Desire at the culmination of the actional-material level.
Dr. Jones says this is a degree of “the inviolability of (our) essential nature” through all our experiences, “as long as we hold to the purity of our original impulses.” He says there is “a very
practical balance in our self-fulfillment, thanks to our threefold individuality in terms of skills, loyalties, and values.” He continues that “Light, rather than darkness remains the goal of our life, and our personal capacities become a continual refinement of every baser metal in self-hood.”
He offers us the keyword ZEAL. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree “is the creative transformation of everything into an expression of enduring idea and a reflection of the real vision ahead.”
So until the next Superior conjunction at 10 Gemini on May 30, the theme of the current “inward turned fusion of Life and Mind” involves taking a new look at a higher life, an elevated state, times when we achieved this in the past, and catching glimpses of a future state of mobilized creativity and self-fulfillment. Find the enduring ideal you wish to express, and you’ll see forms of it take shape by early May.
This fusion of Life and Mind should bring insights into how this happened in the past, or how recent developments are paving the way to an assurance in getting a plan or a vision. Get a different angle on how to focus your action on a new level of expression, or how you did this in the past.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
So we enter a time where Life is moving forward as Mind looks back on a) revelations of the future in the past, and/or b) how current events related to the past are again showing us new views of how current events help us plan for “probably future developments.” This “looking back” involves a period of review, reflection, and reconsideration of how we assessed potential futures when we saw basic purposes or larger cycles in the past.
Because it’s a retrograde conjunction in the Fire sign of material desire to BE, be proactive in your approach and response as you get flashbacks or memories of how you were inspired in the past, or were able to inspire others as you saw the future before it happened.
Just remember that all Mercury RX phenomena take a while to unfold, often during a subsequent RX period. Things which happen during a retrograde seem to have a way of moving forward in future retrogrades. This Inferior Conjunction will bring echoes of Chiron’s transit of this span in 2020 followed by Jupiter’s transit of this sector of Aries in 2022 and January 2023.
Important Dispositors and Aspects
The Inferior Conjunction is in Aries, so is ruled by Mars at 22 Cancer on a degree of “longing to live life as a grand adventure” and “the compelling power of all sustained desire.” That degree indicates our longing will open the new dimension of Self which will become concrete in 2026 when Saturn transits 5 Aries.
Mars is disposited by the Moon at 3 Aquarius which is disposited by Saturn in Pisces. Saturn is disposited by Jupiter, which is disposited by Mercury, which is disposited by Mars. So at this Inferior conjunction, all the planets are ruled by a chain of dispositors involving Mars, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury. As you can see, the rulership chain is quite spread out at this time!
Primary aspects to/from the conjunction involve a sextile to/from the Moon conjunct Pluto, and the forming tredecile to Mars, quintile to Jupiter, and septile to Uranus. This indicates a lot of interactive gifts and blessings coming in roundabout ways or after a delay, as well as a fork in the road of how we want to express our uniqueness or genius.
The Moon conjunct Pluto puts the focus on healing after the renunciation of old social roles, with a need for seeing our interconnections so we can compare notes with others to confirm our experiences. The interactive unique gifts and blessings will most impact those with planets or points near 1 Pisces/Virgo, 3-7 Aries/Libra, 9-13 Taurus/Scorpio, 15-19 Gemini/Sag, 21-25 Cancer/Capricorn, and 27-30 Leo/Aquarius.
A benefit of Inferior Conjunctions is they offer us views of how we prepared in the past for current attitudes and ideals, or conversely, through the retrograde lens see how past attitudes and ideals led us to where we’re at right now. When Mercury gives us a backward look or alternative view and understanding of something from the past, it also in a strange way prepares the ground for the future when other planets cross this degree.
Venus, Saturn, and the Sun will all activate this degree in March 2026, followed by Mars and Mercury in April. Neptune will occupy this degree in late May 2026, and go SRX there in July. Everybody’s going to want to levitate to a new view of self and the world by then!
So What’s Been Going On, and What Will Happen From Here?
I’ve explained this “two-step” process of Inferior Conjunctions followed by Superior Conjunctions alternating with each other in previous articles. The last few weeks we’ve been under the influence of the last Superior Conjunction at 21 Aquarius in early February which helped us plan anew as we navigated disappointment with resilience, fusing our Mind with our Life to turn toward better things.
Now at the Inferior Conjunction, we’ve reached the end of the direct influence of that conjunction, and will go into a process where we will take a new look at things related to the theme of this conjunction, including the need to take a new look at our subconscious mind and why it wants or does not want to see what’s coming and plan accordingly.
While Mercury is still slow in speed, from here it gradually speeds up, and will go stationary direct at 27 Pisces on April 7. It will continue to speed up until it outraces the Sun at the next Superior conjunction at 10 Gemini in late May. That Superior Conjunction ushers in several weeks of realizations about using mind power to turn trajectories in different directions, pulling out of nosedives and making “perfect landings.” I’ll write more about that in late May.
So while up to now, Life has been catching up to Mind, it will now outpace it for weeks to come. Once Mercury goes direct and hits its maximum speed, we’ll get the next Superior Conjunction, after which Mind will again outraces Life, exploring ideas and perceptions of experiences yet to occur.
The Inferior Conjunction marks the point when Mind is being absorbed by Life, or Life takes on the results of subconscious or collective ideas returning to source. For the next short period, Mercury will still be slow in speed and retrograde as the Sun moves forward, putting distance between it and Mercury. Still, from this point on, Mercury gradually speeds up, so the slowest part of the retrograde process is now past!
Once Life gets as far from Mind as it can, then Mercury goes stationary direct, and continues to speed up through its shadow zone and beyond as it prepares to enter unknown zodiacal zones after leaving the shadow zone. The “pulses” of the Inferior and Superior conjunctions of the Sun and Mercury constitute an entire field of research unto themselves. I explain this process in greater detail in A New Look at Mercury Retrograde.
Mercury, or Hermes, the “Guide of Souls”
All Mercury retrograde periods teach us about how Mercury functions. As I explain in Chapter 2 of Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, Mercury’s duality is Life/Death, so when the “Divine Trickster” slows down we can get a new look at how our consciousness and responses are either creative, destructive, or both, to cite the venerable Kabbalistic Arhat Paul Foster Case. Mercury is where we learn if our mental processes are creating chaos and disorganized scattered conditions through ambivalence, and thus come to see how to use discernment to coordinate various functions to bring forth perfect knowing how to do whatever needs to be done. Basically, are our thoughts leading us to living possibilities or down dead end streets?
As we explore this new energy showing how our mind and life relate to each other, perhaps we can learn how to deal with Mercurial energies in ourselves or others from a different angle of view, organizing or reorganizing or ideas, perception, interpretations, and way of communicating. All in all, the coming 4 months will bring interesting returns, reflections, and rehearsals of how and what we’ve already dealt with in the realm of learning to use Aries and Pisces energies productively.
The new views, understandings, and reinterpretations shown by this Inferior Conjunction should be considered in the light of the house in which this retrograde inferior conjunction is happening. (I gave you that information in the article about its effects on all signs and birthday at the bottom of this one.) We can see our ideas from a different angle, find a new focus, and make progress in shedding ideas, behaviors, and responses we no longer need. These will be the source of much information and activity in the next few weeks. Wherever you have 5 Aries will bring a fusion of Life and Mind, especially related to the houses where you have Gemini and Virgo.
Once the Inferior Conjunction happens, whatever has seemed delayed, postponed, or dragging along will move forward soon. This can bring forth a greater holistic vision of how events and people are connected, as well as why we must rethink some things, people, and plans.
Generally, the 11 days before the inferior conjunction (fusion) of mind and life is a good time to take a new look at how you can bring out your inner wisdom by adjusting to a future vision or broader perspective that’s opening for you. It’s also good for getting a new point of view regarding what your imagination is willing to consider and how to coordinate your life to reorganize it productively. See what’s come up these past two weeks, since those insights will be important once Mercury goes direct.
It’s great for intuitive flashes, insights into the larger collective consciousness and unconsciousness, and seeing how you’re being led to see elements of your Soul you may not have recognized before now. So think back on what’s happened in the past couple of weeks, and find a new way to view how those things may symbolize the future somehow.
Just remember during retrogrades, especially Mercury retrograde, that often things that don’t turn out one way lead directly or indirectly to other things somewhat related manifesting down the road. It’s as though nothing should be taken at face value, and often what we do or think during Mercury retrograde creates odd echoes in the future that take different shapes, or different functions related to the original intention.
A New Look At Mercury Retrograde
Because we’ll still be dealing with Mercury retrograde through April 9 (and to some extent for the 2 weeks after that while Mercury is still in its shadow zone), if you haven’t already, you should get a copy of the 2nd edition of A New Look At Mercury Retrograde. It offers in-depth information about Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses, and what the Mercury Retrograde phenomenon is about.
By knowing more about the 2023 retrogrades in Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo, the 2024 retrogrades in Aries, Leo, Virgo, and Sagittarius, and the 2025 retrogrades in Aries, Pisces, Leo, Sag, and Scorpio, you may see patterns in what has been going on in your life, the different things you’ve been taking a new look at and why, and how this “looking back” has influenced your choices as you moved through past events. By taking a look at the qualities of all the retrograde transits, you’ll get important information about how you were guided to your Soul in 2024.
Here’s the Amazon link to the page where you can purchase a paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. If you want an ebook, you can order one at the link. (Again, if you’re going to purchase a copy, make sure it’s the award-winning second edition published in 2016 and not the 1997 edition!)
Previous articles in this series:
Mercury Retrograde in Aries and Pisces in March-April 2025 – An Overview
The Guide of Souls in March 2025 – This Week Mercury Goes Retrograde at 10 Aries
Mercury Enters Its Shadow Zone at 27 Pisces – Preparing to Review How We Interpret the Past
Copyright © 2025 Robert Wilkinson
