Conjunction of Mercury and Venus

On occasion, Mercury and Venus become conjunct in transit. One such event is coming up.

On March 27, 2010, Venus will enter the sign Aries and pass through this sign at normal speed, exiting on April 20.

By comparison, on March 30 Mercury will enter the sign Aries, where it will remain until June 6. During this time Mercury will become stationary at around 18° Aries for around ten days, from April 14 to 24. It will then go retrograde and become stationary again around 9° Aries, for around 12 days, from May 6 to 18.

During this time, Venus and Mercury will become conjunct, within a 5° orb, for 17 days, from March 28 to April 14 (see table below). The conjunction will not become exact, but will remain within a 2° orb for about a week, from April 3 to 9.

This conjunction is normally auspicious for rising signs where Mercury and Venus are the Moolatrikona lords of benefic houses. As the following table shows, Mercury and Venus are functional benefic planets for Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Sagittarius and Capricorn. For a further explanation of functional rulership please consult this description of the Systems' Approach. For Gemini, the 4th lord of peace of mind and 5th lord of entertainment will join in the house of friends. For Cancer, the 3rd lord of initiative and 4th lord will join in the 10th house of career. For Leo, the 2nd lord of family, status and wealth and 3rd lord will join in the 9th house of luck. For Capricorn, the 9th and 10th lords join in the 4th house. In the case of Virgo, however, where Mercury is 1st lord of self and Venus is 2nd lord, the conjunction will only be moderately helpful as it takes place in the 8th house of obstructions, where both of the planets become weak.
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Where either planet is a functional malefic -- Mercury for Aries, Libra and Aquarius ascendants and Venus for Taurus, Scorpio and Pisces ascendants -- the conjunction would tend to add strain to the indications of the afflicted planet. For Aries, the 6th lord of conflict joins the 7th lord of spouse in the 1st house. For Libra, the 12th lord of losses joins the 1st lord in the 7th house. For Aquarius, the 8th lord becomes conjunct the 9th lord in the 3rd house. For Pisces, the 7th lord and 8th lord join in the 2nd house. In the case of Taurus and Scorpio, however, the conjunction takes place in the 6th and 12th houses, respectively, suggesting greater strain for the indications of Mercury for these ascendants at that time. Mercury is 5th lord of creativity and speculation for Taurus and 11th lord of ideals, friends and income for Scorpio. However, where the afflicted planet is natally strong, the strains will be negligible. Other transit influences would also need to be considered before judging the total picture.

According to the Systems' Approach, no rising sign has both Mercury and Venus as functional malefic planets.