This is an interpretation for Sun conjunction Mercury in the birth chart.
The Sun-Mercury conjunction has a good influence on the character because it tends to stabilize the person and give them a more flexible ability to adapt to the environment.
On the other hand, it seems to have a negative influence on the intellect, which is often weakened by the presence of the Sun, especially if the conjunction is very close.
So many people are born with Sun conjunction Mercury in their birth charts that it’s almost pointless to discuss it. The symptoms of Sun conjunct Mercury are common enough: people who are self-absorbed and blind to their own flaws. People who are overly proud of themselves and love to talk about themselves. Those who are strongly opinionated and not good listeners. An abundance of people are born with this aspect. It is common and hardly interesting.
What is interesting is that ancient astrologers considered Sun conjunct Mercury to be a negative aspect which weakened the mental abilities. (Unless the orb of conjunction is less than 17 minutes, which will be discussed below.)
So, if the orb of the sun-Mercury conjunction is greater than 17 minutes (minutes, not degrees), it is not genius, but rather a debilitated intellect. Mercury is considered to be “combust” because the sun is burning it up. The mind is not as clear as it should be in order to function at top level. Ancient astrologers said that the mind would be “restricted in power.” People with this aspect would lack objectivity and have skewed views.
This is contradictory to the currently popular belief that people with Sun conjunct Mercury are somewhat geniuses. The misconception may be caused by confusing “genius” with “creativity.” These are two different things that can exist apart from each other.
People with Sun conjunct Mercury can be extremely creative and gifted in the arts. But that is not the same as Mercurial genius.
Mercurial genius has to do with logical expertise and the business side of things rather than artistic creativity. Mercury is so business related that ancient astrologers believed that, in a woman’s chart, Sun conjunction Mercury described her husband as being an expert in business.
(Ancient astrologers believed that aspects to the sun in a woman’s chart would describe her husband.)
Mercurial Geniuses
So, ancient astrologers considered Sun conjunction Mercury to be the opposite of genius, unless the orb is less than 17 minutes. This is the case with only a small portion of people. If the orb of conjunction is less that 17 minutes, then Mercury is considered “cazimi.”
Mercury cazimi means that Mercury is “in the heart of the sun.” This gives mental abilites of the highest order. The mental abilities are strengthened and endowed with good fortune.
Not everyone walking around with Sun conjunction Mercury is a mental genius. Only those with Sun conjunction Mercury cazimi have their gears spinning at an enhanced speed. Those with Mercury combust, not so much. That doesn’t mean that people with Mercury combust cannot be geniuses. If someone with Sun conjunct Mercury combust is a genius, it’s not because of the conjunction, but rather despite it.
Two famous people that had Sun conjunction Mercury cazimi are Elizabeth Taylor (orb of 11 minutes) and Edgar Allan Poe (orb of 13 minutes or less, depending on time of birth).
Elizabeth Taylor was the “first celebrity to create her own collection of fragrances.” Her perfume business was so successful that she earned more money from those than from her entire acting career.
Edgar Allan Poe didn’t achieve much worldly success during his lifetime. It should be noted that his lack of success may have been caused by his troubling experiences: he was basically an orphan who had been abandoned by both his birth father and his foster father. His first fiancée left him for another man. Every other woman he loved died a painful death, including his mother, foster mother, and wife.
Yet, Edgar Allan Poe poured his mind into his writings, which is where his Sun-Mercury cazimi reveals itself. Poe wrote murder mysteries with such high attention to detail and logistics that he is considered the father of the modern detective story.
Could Poe have used his intellect to gain worldly business success? Probably. He seemed to have a disdain for business and he seemed to purposely retreat into his writing where he could explore the full breadth of his enhanced brain. Poe’s views on this are evidenced in his satirical story, “The Business Man.” In that story, Poe discusses the relationship between geniuses and business men.
Mercury Under The Sun’s Beams
A tight conjunction within 17 minutes is rare. Most people with Sun conjunction Mercury have it wider than 17 minutes. Many people have Mercury “under the sun’s beams.” Under the sun’s beams means that Mercury is within 17 degrees of the sun.
So, even if a Sun-Mercury conjunction has an orb as large as 17 degrees, it’s considered bad. Having Mercury “under the sun’s beams” is a weak position that drains power from the planet, according to ancient astrologers.
Rather than have the sun-Mercury conjunction like this, it is far better to have Mercury more than 17 degrees away from the sun. People without the conjunction have a sharper intellect than people with Mercury under the sun’s beams.
A Strong Mind
People without a Sun-Mercury conjunction have a stronger mind because Mercury is free of the debilitating sun. This refers to people who have Mercury farther than 17 degrees away from the sun. Here are a few famous people who are/were notably gifted, and have Mercury farther than 17 degrees away from the sun: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Rene Descartes, and Mark Twain.
See also the interpretation for Sun in the Houses and Mercury in the Houses to see what specific parts of your life this aspect will take place in.