From our perspective in space – at one minute past midnight last night ( March 8th 2026 ) wing footed Mercury met the Sun in an inferior conjunction as they do every 116 day cycle or so. As always, the messenger was overwhelmed by the intense solar light and obscured by heat and life force. This is Mercury Cazimi.
In astrology Mercury represents gender-neutral expression, and the swift neural pathways that sharpen our intellect, our perception and our communication skills.
Mercury was the youngest child of Jupiter and from the moment they were born earned the title of the “trickster” by fooling older siblings and wrecking havoc. Such was their infectuous laughter and glee the elderly Jupiter could not bring himself to reprimand the child, instead he took great pleasure in the jokes much to the annoyance of the older children.
According to author Dane Rudhyar, when retrograde Mercury and the Sun have their inferior conjunction so begins the first phase of a new Mercury synodic cycle.
This is akin to a New Moon, except it is a New Mercury.
The lore associated with the first phase of the Mercury cycle, which lasts for 10 -12 days, is that it is the time for planting new seeds in the garden bed of the mind.
When we are planting our fresh ideas, we often don’t really know how they will come up, what will be the fruit of this mysterious harvest?
Right now we don’t need to know.
The quality of this conjunction is Piscean, fluid, spiritual, non-physical, idealistic, confusing, divine, etheric, oceanic, indirect, loving, weighted in community, spiritual.
The mood is generally reflective, gentle and somewhat cautious. Group action is preferred. Better to blend into the surrounding rocks and seaweed that to be seen as prey.
The most recent powerful Total eclipse in Virgo activated the very same axis of our chart, and we might well be finding ourselves needing to take some gentle time out/in to integrate some deep tectonic shifts.
How wonderful it would be to have the space and freedom to disengage the mind from constant chatter and just let it float.
What would we have to do to feel that kind of freedom. How would we need to redefine our priorities. Who would we need be?
Can we allow ourselves this delicious pleasure? Or put our minds in a balloon and let them rise above us in the wind? Sunlight sparking clarity, purity of vision, perhaps even enough to notice the clouds normally obscuring reality.
If we are to look back, objectively on the last Mercury cycle, that started on November 20th 2025, what has taken place in the realm of our intellect? Thoughts, Books, Scandalous News stories, Gossip, Anxiety, Concerns about the state of World Politics, Worry, Release, Movies, Meetings, Gatherings, Christmas, Family, Friends, New Year, Party, Tears, Love, Loss, Dreams, Ideas, Completions, Resolutions, Change.....
Can you find a few words to summarise this last Mercurial journey?
Personally....An deepening of self trust. Completion of a musical project! I redesigned my web site and cut my hair short. What do these changes communicate I wonder? I bought a new guitar and I’ve been jamming with a new musical friend who plays tabla (you can hear us on the audio version of this post) and I’m exploring Interactive Astrology concepts in collaboration with new people. All these fit into the Mercury ruled part of my chart.
I find it essential to take moments out of the incessant humming of the mundane to play music and enjoy the experience of embodiment.
To remember, to offer gratitude, to be still in the moving rhythms and syncopation.
PHASE TWO of the MERCURY CYCLE STARTS ON MARCH 20TH
I will offer a Study Group focussing on the Mercury Cycle for the 5x Wednesdays of April 2026 . This is the mind seed I am planting this week.
The Study Group will take place within the second phase of the Mercury cycle, with Mercury direct and heading back to make the superior conjunction behind the Sun (which where we can’t see it).
This second phase begins on March 20th and this is when we will begin to tend to our new ideas, bringing them gently into manifestation through our clear communications and ability to make adjustments where necessary.
In the mean time, we can play music, we can float, dream, invite mystery, get hungry for fresh portals to open, invent the feelings we would like to inhabit, try on new colours like unread books, and make lines on the inner maps we would like to explore.
Thank you for reading, liking and commenting. I appreciate dropping these pearls into such divinely fluid bodies and hopefully making a few ripples in the process.
The audio podcast version (at the top) is accompanied by a musical conversation between myself and Varun and I am available for Astrology readings and music lessons throughout March and April.
ngā mihi
Kārena
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 20-22nd - Interactive Astrology Workshop and Marketplace readings. Resonance Festival. South head. Kaipara.
March 27-29th - Interactive Astrology Workshop and Marketplace readings. Morph Festival. Kumeu Showgrounds. Auckland.
Interactive Astrology Study Group April : Mercury cycle
5x Wednesdays in April 7-8:30pm NZT online.
All details here www.karenhunter.com
I’ll leave you to enjoy a set of songs I was performing in my festival set in 2017. I was accompanying myself with vocal loops on the Boss 505 looper.
