Mercury - Jupiter Contradictions

 

As a Jupiter in Virgo native, I am very familiar with the contradictory nature of Mercury and Jupiter that have perfected their square this morning (CET). I am very good at taking things apart, analyzing and assessing the individual parts but it is often challenging for me to put them back together, to create a coherent whole. But I am trying, little by little, in a true Virgo fashion.

By nature, Mercury and Jupiter have a tense relationship with each other.

If we have a look at the signs that Mercury (Virgo, Gemini) and Jupiter (Pisces, Sagittarius) rule in the astrological chart, we can see that they relate either via a square or an opposition, relationships that are of nature of malefics – Mars and Saturn.

Square is formed between earthy Virgo and fiery Sagittarius and between airy Gemini and watery Pisces.

Feminine signs of Virgo and Pisces and masculine signs of Gemini and Sagittarius are standing in opposition.

The signs that Mercury and Jupiter rule are mutable, they are of a dual nature. They are transitioning places that dwell at the end of one and the beginning of the next season.

Mercury rules the signs where we are transitioning from the light towards the darkness.

In the sign of Gemini, the light is still growing though by the end of the Gemini season, with the coming of Summer, the light is starting to darken.

In the sign of Virgo, the light of Summer is still dominant but by the end of the Virgo season, with the coming of Autumn, the dark side of the year commences.

Mercurial shifts towards the darkness represent the deconstruction, disintegration, the breakdown of unity, the chaos.

Jupiter rules the signs where we are transitioning from the darkness towards the light.

In the sign of Sagittarius, the dominance of the darkness still persist but by the end of the Sagittarius season, with the coming of Winter, the dark is starting to lighten.

In the sign of Pisces, although the darkness is still dominant but by the end of the Pisces season, with the coming of Spring, the light is taking over.

Jupiterian shifts towards the light represent increasing order, coherence, unity.

Analysis and synthesis are two distinctive modes of thinking/problem solving that nicely illustrate what is at the heart of the Mercurial/Jupiterian archetype.

Analysis is a Mercurial process that is all about the separation of a whole into its components and their identification. To understand the complex nature of big concepts, we need to first break them down into smaller fragments and analyze them in great detail.

Synthesis is a Jupiterian process that is concerned with the composition or combination of small parts or elements to form a whole. It is a process that enables us to combine often diverse elements, ideas into a coherent whole. 

According to the German philosopher Georg Hegel, synthesis is the third stage of argument in dialectic. Dialectic is a beautiful example where we see both the Mercurial and Jupiterean principle at work.

Dialectic is a discourse between people who are holding different points of view about a given subject but who are wishing to establish the truth through reasoned argumentation. Discourse as a form of logical argumentation, is of Mercurial nature, while a desire to establish the truth, the common ground, is Jupiterean.

Synthesis, as viewed by Hegel, is a way to reconcile the mutually contradictory statements – thesis and antithesis. Thesis represents the status quo, the way things are, that which is conforming, widely held and accepted. Antithesis is the negation of the thesis, that which stands in opposition, in contrast.

Here is a simple example to bring these abstract concepts down to earth.

Thesis: Meat-eating is healthy.

Antithesis: Meat-eating is unhealthy.

Synthesis: People should be able to choose whether they want to eat meat. Meat should represent only a small part of a diet and it should come from ethically and environmentally sustainable sources. 

Thesis and antithesis are mutually contradictory statements that represent essential elements of every argumentation - Mercury´s domain.

Synthesis is about a new viewpoint that resolves the problems between these opposing statements. This is Jupiter’s territory. Jupiter is about reconciling the differences, restoring harmony and creating a higher order that brings stability that is necessary for things to grow, thrive and expand.

One couldn’t be without the other as they are complementing each other in their expression, yet they have a strained relationship as they have a contradictory nature.

It’s complicated…   

 Keep hope alive, keep dreaming.

Petra