Sun and Mercury: aspect cards

Sun conjunct Mercury binds your thinking tightly to your sense of self. You speak from your own position, learn quickly, and usually hold a clear view on almost everything, because your opinions feel like part of you. When someone disagrees, it can feel as if all of you was challenged. Your mind is quick and direct, though you may look at a matter from one angle without noticing.

• You learn and explain fast, because thought and identity are one piece
• You speak to the point, so listeners can tell what you think

• When someone disagrees, it feels like an attack on you personally
• You view things from your own angle and miss information from the other side

In a meeting, a teammate points out that a figure on your slide is slightly off. You feel a flash of heat and argue straight away, though he was only helping you check. This time you take a deep breath and say, "Let me look again," then fix the number. It ends quickly, and he starts sending you his drafts first every time.

Your thoughts are something you have, not all of you; separate the two and listening gets easier.

When the Sun is on good terms with Mercury, your thinking and your sense of self work together smoothly. You know what you want to say and pick words your listeners follow without strain. Learning, writing and making complicated things simple come to you without effort. Because it is so easy, you may stop at "good enough" and skip the subjects that need time and depth.

• You explain hard things clearly without long preparation
• You pick up new subjects fast and enjoy it

• You settle for middling knowledge because the basics come so easily
• You avoid subjects that take long practice before you get good

You have to summarise a ten-page report for your boss in five minutes. You do it well with almost no rehearsal and everyone follows. Then your boss asks one deep question and you cannot answer. You write the question down and spend the weekend reading the original properly until you can.

Fluency is a good start; pick one hard subject and stay with it long enough to master it.

When the Sun challenges Mercury, your thinking and your sense of self do not quite cooperate. You may doubt whether your opinion is right, feel after speaking that it did not match what you meant, or think things over so long that the moment passes. You check yourself strictly and hold high standards, so you often feel you must prove you are smart enough before you dare to speak.

• You check your work and your words in fine detail
• You hold a high standard of thinking, so your work tends to be careful

• You hesitate until you miss the moment to speak
• You doubt your view is good enough even when the facts are in

Before sending an email to set a client meeting, you write and delete it three times because you fear the wording is not exact, and the time you aimed for passes. This time you jot the points in a short list in your notes first, then turn them into the email and send it within ten minutes. The client replies faster than you feared.

Write your thoughts down before you speak, and you will trust your own words sooner.