Getting schooled: Mercury and Saturn in conjunction

Mercury and Saturn will make conjunctions three times between November 2017 and January 2018, thanks in large part to Mercury going retrograde in December (see specific dates below).

Mercury normally whips along the ecliptic at slightly faster rate than the sun, making its aspects to other planets brief — typically you won’t feel them for much more than a day. But the same aspect occurring three times in quick succession makes for an excellent medium-term study of astrology in action.

Saturn is the most taciturn of the planets, even when it’s in a fire sign like Sagittarius as it is now. It brings order and discipline to any scene it enters, and even though it might feel like a damper on fun it does help you get your act together in whatever area it chooses to make itself felt. It’s considered a “malefic” planet (as opposed to “benefic”) which says something about its nature; it does its job not by bringing you an opportunity (like Jupiter might) but by forcing you to get down to work.

Mercury isn’t malefic or benefic — it’s the in-betweener of planets, the messenger. So when Mercury makes aspects like these conjunctions to Saturn, it’s really going to amplify whatever message Saturn is trying to get across in your life.

You might experience this as well-timed criticism, where someone literally tells you about a shortcoming you need to overcome. It might be something more indirect, like getting schooled in bar trivia and realizing you really don’t know shit about geography. And it might even feel good as it’s happening, like realizing your book-in-progress needs to go in a slightly different direction — stuff like that can clear out the mind-clutter that’s been holding you back from making real progress.

Questions to ask yourself during Mercury–Saturn conjunctions include:

• What have you learned lately? Are you applying it?
• How can you simplify or cut back on what you’re saying?
• What sources of information can you trust to be consistent?
• Is your mind focused? On what?
• Have you asked enough questions to understand what you need?

Dates of the conjunctions

Times are all Pacific standard, -8:00 GMT.

November 27, 2017, at 10:59pm
27° Sagittarius
This first conjunction may bring a positive sense of clarity about something. It’s officially Sagittarius season at this point with festivities ramping up everywhere. Can you avoid distraction today for long enough to get the message?

December 6, 2017, at 4:05am
28° Sagittarius
This conjunction occurs shortly after Mercury goes retrograde, and is the most likely to come across as a scolding from Saturn. Be careful what you blurt out around this time, and prepare yourself to really listen to what people are telling you — even if it’s the uncomfortable truth that you’ve been wrong about something. You could learn something really valuable today.

January 12, 2018, at 11:03pm
2° Capricorn
Mercury and Saturn both will have changed signs at this point, and will be in Saturn’s “home” sign of Capricorn. This should feel like a very different conjunction as a result and will be a fantastic time for goal-setting. Use what you’ve learned from the past two conjunctions to make it a realistic one — but still challenge yourself! In ambitious Capricorn this shouldn’t be a problem.

Ending the year with some comedy: Mercury in Sagittarius

The very idea of “hold your horses” has basically no sway while Mercury is in Sagittarius. This fire sign isn’t known to hold back, so you might start to hear all kinds of things blurted out during this time.

Directness! Candor! Folks with Mercury in Sagittarius in their natal charts are often born around this time of year, and tend to be unapologetic truth-tellers — even when the truth hurts, and sometimes not at the most opportune moment. Good thing they also have a gift for making people laugh. They’re delightful conversationalists and can talk to literally anyone about anything, especially if there are no follow-up questions.

For all of us while Mercury is in Sagittarius, we can look forward to information coming out of nowhere and taking on the same mutable fire qualities of this sign — truthful, funny, exaggerated. This is a great time for brainstorming ideas and expanding on them. It’s also a fun time for improv comedy.

Arguments may tend toward the circular, though. If you’re working on something top-secret, good luck; it’s not an ideal time to exchange confidential information. Your best bet is to change the subject quickly if pressed.

How long is Mercury in Sagittarius?

Mercury will spend 66 days in Sagittarius, from November 5 until January 11. Mercury generally spends less than a month in a given sign, but it extends its stay when it goes retrograde, which it will do while it’s transiting through Sagittarius this year.

Mercury goes retrograde on December 3, and stations direct on December 22. Mercury can be pretty scattered in mutable signs, and even though Sagittarius has done a lot of cleaning up with Saturn transiting through it, this might be a bumpy ride with false information and miscommunications. Find a way to laugh off any setbacks instead of getting tripped up; maybe log them, if you’re so inclined, as though Mercury is your whacked-out news editor sending you leads.

Enjoy the ride when you can! Just be ready to clean it back up when Mercury moves into Capricorn.