Mercury Sesquiquadrate Saturn

(Transit Mercury → Natal Saturn)

Avesalom Podvodny. Aspects

Mercury sesquiquadrate: The person is unable to grasp the truth expressed in words. This aspect creates discomfort and clumsiness in thinking within the areas of the planet; the individual, however, often remains unaware of this and insists stubbornly on their own opinions. For example, a Mercury-Moon sesquiquadrate may result in poor memory and rigid thinking, yet knowledge and reasoning that are barely acquired are constantly exploited by the person and serve loyally—rightly or wrongly—where appropriate and even where inappropriate, and it is very difficult to rationally convince them otherwise. The Mercury sesquiquadrate is extremely difficult to work through, since the person, usually sensing the limitations of their intellect in the planetary areas, either gives up entirely or, conversely, carefully represses these shortcomings into the unconscious and convinces themselves of the unquestionable significance and strength of their thoughts, refusing to accept alternative ways of thinking. At a low level of aspect integration, especially when clothed with authority, such a person may become an official ideologue within the planetary spheres, whose logical frameworks rest upon two cornerstones: Conformity and Non-conformity to Sacred Truth, which has already been definitively discovered and irrevocably formulated in certain works. At a high level of integration, the person develops subtlety and precision of thought, capable of accurately directing effort and carefully constructing a mental model within the planetary spheres, whenever and to the extent that it is possible. Saturn sesquiquadrate: If the wheel of fortune is stuck in a ditch, the cross of fate can still be carried on one’s back. This aspect brings obstacles within the planetary spheres similar to shackles: movement is possible, but difficult. The person, however, does not always feel them (as with a Saturn square), and sometimes, in addition, develops a peculiarly awkward manner of moving—inelegant, yet generally acceptable. If this becomes habitual, it grows highly stable, and the individual tends to view others who possess unnecessary and even harmful freedom with skepticism: a steam hammer has only one degree of freedom (up and down), yet works so effectively it’s a joy to behold, flattening even a crescent-shaped pastry. Subconsciously, however, the person feels strong constraints within the planetary spheres, forcing them onto an extremely narrow track in interaction with the external world, and may develop deep feelings of inferiority, which they nevertheless attempt to repress into the unconscious. In inner life, they seek but long fail to find a path toward deep mastery of the planetary areas, since the rigid framework they initially possess allows movement only along very coarse, predetermined paths, as if blocking access to subtlety. Here, integration transforms the dog’s strict leash into the flexible mind of a sage who perceives the course and branches of karma even in seemingly hopeless situations, but this requires overcoming internal constraints within the planetary spheres and realizing that in the external world, tribute is far more effective than serfdom.