In astrology, a conjunction is an aspect between two or more planets placed very closely together in the sky, like the recent Venus-Jupiter conjunction that everyone got excited about. How close together is a matter of debate among astrologers, but for my money I stick to within five degrees… unless the Sun or Moon are involved, in which case I’ll give it ten degrees. The amount of allowable distance is called “orb”… and personally I’m stingy with it.
The conventional wisdom about the conjunction is that it represents a blending of the energies of the two planets involved. Like many simple explanations, this captures a fair amount of the truth and yet kind of misses the point. When you combine sodium and chlorine, which are respectively flammable poisonous, you get salt — which is neither flammable nor poisonous. The planets involved in a conjunction retain their inherent nature and functions, but they also tend to take on qualities from the other planet(s) involved. It’s kind of like when you put two things next to each other in the fridge for a long time and they take on each other’s smell and flavor (sorry about the onion milk by the way).
The nature of each planet in astrology is quite different, and when you combine two very different things you can get some interesting results: sometimes useful and sometimes not so much.
On the one hand, consider the mule, which is what you get when you cross a horse with a donkey. Mules are more patient and better at handling rugged terrain than horses, and they’re smarter and faster than donkeys… and less obstinate as well. On the other hand, did you ever see The Fly? Yeah, you would think that combining the mind of a genius inventor with the durability of an insect would be awesome, kind of like Spider-Man, right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flGCik0MMKo&channel=ChadBloodyHorror
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
I know I picked on overly-simple explanations earlier, but let me try to come up with something relatively simple that still conveys the meaning of the conjunction.
If you want to know the effects of a conjunction between any given two planets, use the following handy guide.
Take the description in column A and the adjectives in column B below.
Pick a conjunction between any two planets, or a planet and an angle. Select the description in the left column and combine it with the adjectives in the right column.
Sun
Ego energy and life force
Brash and energetic
Moon
Basic emotional responses and gut instinct
Moody and / or nurturing
Mercury
Thoughts and communication
Bright, chatty and scattered
Venus
Affection and comfort
Sweet and sticky
Mars
Ambition and anger
Energetic and punchy
Jupiter
Happiness and philosophical approach
Big and goofy
Saturn
Structure and limitations
Stiff and unyielding
Uranus
Individuality and uniqueness
Weird and unusual
Neptune
Mysticism and sense of wonder
Weird and spacey
Pluto
Transcendence and resilience
Powerful and / or dangerous
Ascendant
Appearance and general demeanor
Out there where everyone can see it.
Descendant
Closest friends and partnerships
Projected or reflected on others.
Midheaven
Life goals and what you want to be when you grow up
Is what the general public will remember you for when you’re gone
IC
Your base of operations and comfort zone
Where you’re most comfortable hanging your hat at the end of the day
***
So for example: Mars conjunct Saturn means that “Your ambition and anger is stiff and unyielding.” Venus conjunct the Ascendant means “You affection and comfort is projected or reflected on others.” Jupiter conjunct Neptune means “your happiness and philosophical approach is weird and spacey.”
Got that? Go through the conjunctions in your chart and give it a try.
And hey: yes, you’re absolutely right. That is a bit of an oversimplification. But it makes at least a little more sense than just saying “the two energies are blended,” doesn’t it…?
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