Mercury-Saturn Sesquiquadrate

(Transit Mercury → Natal Saturn)

Avelom Podvodnyi. Aspects

Mercury sesquiquadrate: Artificial intelligence is always irresponsible intelligence. This aspect, at a low level, produces a hidden backwardness of thinking that simultaneously gives the impression of agility, sometimes even power. A person may speak logically and correctly, yet in their speech there will be felt some colossal distortions, as if they are imbuing their words with another, entirely incorrect meaning. The individual themselves, however, will not notice this, just as they will not perceive the profanation to which they subject others’ mental images and information in general during reception. For example, the Mercury-Mars sesquiquadrate results in a very limited set of mental patterns through which the person interprets and directs any forms of activity and energy—both their own and others’—often restricted to categories such as “good-bad, own-foreign, friend-enemy,” making it impossible for them to recognize and account for the dual nature of any activity. At the same time, their speech (especially if Mercury is harmonious) may at first glance sound powerful, convincing, and logical, demolishing any obstacles, including truth. Working through this aspect requires awareness of the limitations of one’s mental frameworks and the construction, upon their (stable!) foundation, of structures serving purposes (and inhabitants) other than those initially intended. At a high level, this becomes spirit—something existing beyond thought and logic, yet to which both should lead, like signposts guiding the seeker toward the treasure hidden within the labyrinth. Saturn sesquiquadrate: During deep drilling into the inner world’s well, instead of a fountain of spirituality, oil may gush forth. This aspect is not as harsh as Saturn’s square, but more insidious, as it gives the person a sense of profound penetration into the areas ruled by the planet, yet this depth is largely illusory, while the dogmatism of the methods used to achieve it is entirely real. For instance, the Saturn-Mercury sesquiquadrate produces someone who always knows how things should be, especially in areas ruled by Mercury; here, their thinking is indirect, dogmatic, and unshakable, and proving its limitations to them is practically impossible. The Saturn-Pluto sesquiquadrate, conversely, produces someone who knows how things should not be and knows precisely how to destroy them, having, at least at a low level, no doubts whatsoever about it. As long as this person remains ego-centered, the planet’s sphere remains inaccessible to them as a living reality and may even provoke irritation, as it does not fit within established boundaries; in reality, the person mutilates it, though they believe everything they do (structuring, rationally limiting, wisely guiding onto the true path) serves it exclusively for its benefit. If Saturn is afflicted, this sesquiquadrate may inflict deep emotional wounds upon the individual, but their source—the excessively rigid interaction with the planet’s spheres—will long remain unclear or obscure. Here, working through the aspect demands great self-renunciation and courageous deepening into the planet’s spheres through the eyes of others and in their interests, precisely when the person themselves has long considered everything clear and obvious. Only when they see the planet through others’ eyes, through the prism of their problems, and assist in resolving them, can the individual create something truly valuable, constructive, and reliable.