Bridging The Communication Gap

mercuryMy son and I are both having Uranus and Pluto transit our natal Mercury.  We’re talking a lot. He’s 14, so I was a little surprised when he defined himself and his intelligence. He said a number of things. I want to focus on one of them.

My son feels he has a good sense of humor and a lot of range on this front. It makes sense, astrologically. He has Mercury conjunct Jupiter!  But a lot his jokes go over people’s heads.  His humor can be lowbrow, but more often it’s sophisticated and this causes some problems.

For example, one of his teachers had to bring her 8 year old to school with her for some reason.  This is high school. The kid must have been petrified because he had his hands over his eyes and didn’t want to look at anyone.

The teacher sent her son to go hang out with my son. To sit with him.  This makes sense. My son is safe and he’s kind.

Reading the situation, he told his teacher and her son a joke to set them at ease.  “It was an easy joke,” he said.  “But they didn’t get it.”

I asked him what the joke was. I got it immediately, but we’re related. I considered why they missed this joke, because I knew there had to be a reason. I realized he talks fast and it was a clever joke.  I also imagine they were nervous in the situation, but bottom line, they didn’t get the joke so it wasn’t funny.

We were talking (Mercury) his future (Jupiter). I agreed, he has a keen sense of humor. This quality has been apparent since he was a toddler. “But if you ever want to do anything with this gift, you’ll have to make it accessible to other people. Telling jokes and seeing them slip by people may be amusing, I don’t know. But if you want to go further with it…if you are going to do this for a living somehow…if you want to write comic books or do stand up comedy, you’re going to have to find a way to connect your mind with the minds of others. If they don’t understand you – that’s it.”

I work on this myself, daily. I have to make astrology accessible, but I also like to talk about things people aren’t necessarily interested in. If I can’t find a way to reach others and sync up with them in some way, I’m going to be very lonely.

I also told him to work very hard on his writing.  He writes his stream of consciousness, they same way I do. It can be very hard for people to follow.

“A comedian is a communicator. He’s a writer.  You have this talent, but if you’re going to use it, directly or by incorporating into something else you want to do, it’s imperative that you connect with your audience. You can see there is a block there and if you decide you want to pursue this, you’ll have to figure out what that block is, and get rid of it.”

Could you do as better job of communicating? How hard do you try to connect with others?

19 thoughts on “Bridging The Communication Gap”

  1. Yes, I could do a better job of communicating although Pisces are good at relating to others feelings, they often say things that go over people’s heads, either because it’s so out there or the person didn’t expect it.

  2. Avatar
    PrincipeEscorpiao

    I prolly could. I try pretty hard sometimes but I have a deep attachment to my mental/verbal quirks and will often deliberately put them on display and get belligerent about them if challenged. Mars/Merc conjunct in Aquarius 4th house, opposite Leo Moon in the 11th and trine Pluto in the 1st widely conjunct Ascendant. A lot of times I make myself accessible to others through humor (Mars/Merc are also trine Jupiter in Libra in the 12th conjunct Ascendant) but Saturn is also conjunct Jupiter/Ascendant and I veer from serious to not often and quickly. *whew*

  3. I hear the words, but I don’t get the logic. Happens alot lately. I suppose transiting mercury in scorpio is a little emotionally intense. And I have to let that happen. Timing is everything right now for me in communication. Don’t need to be lightin anybody’s wick.

  4. Thanks, alicia. He was evaluating his own thoughts, intellect and talents at the time. It was a pretty amazing convo.
    So he sees he has this aptitude. I agree, it’s a gift, but it will come to nothing if he doesn’t work it.

    I really have to try a lot harder myself and I’m doing that now.

  5. Yeah. Ok, first of all I have Mercury square Saturn natally. Communicating is a necessity but it can be very hard. I seem to be great at facilitating others’ communication. My own, not so much (my Sun is conjunct my Mercury, and also squares Saturn).

    By transit, Neptune is transiting my 3rd house, and sextile my Mercury. I thought this would be great for artwork…not so far. In fact I have made very little artwork since I was in an exhibition last November.

    I don’t know how to bridge this gap. t.Pluto is conjunct my Moon and right now I am just trying to survive. I can barely haul my ass out of bed to bathe, let alone figure out how to talk to people about the nightmare going on in my mind.

  6. I think he’s lucky to have your explanation about working to make his genius understood.

    At school, they are practicing the 7habits and while there is some controversy over this, I do like the habits, it’s a starting point anyway. One of them is to ‘seek first to understand, then to be understood’ and another is to ‘synergize’, both I think apply here. If you don’t know where someone is coming from (in their ideas, communication, etc) how can you build a bridge to reach them? As well as how to sync up with them to accomplish anything?

    As for myself, these are things that I’ve always worked on (having a watery mercury, makes it hard for others to understand me)
    Angie

  7. I’m trying to find the way to reach others. In general I do it but there will always be a limit. I have Mercury in Aquarius trine Uranus in Scorpio and the frustration is that many of my ideas are too progressive or they come up early when the group is not ready.

    Common instance in my life: I’m in a meeting (school, professionals) and I share a strong view on something, looking ahead and seeing a likely outcome. No one seems to pay much notice and the discussion carries on. Then 15 minutes later, someone else says the same thing and everybody is like, ‘Yeah, that’s right!’

    So I think ahead. Often frustrating in group dynamics yet an advantage in my personal life…

    Anyhoo, still learning on communication skills.

  8. Actually, I don’t think I can do a better job of communicating!

    I’ve got Leo Mercury conjunct sun and Virgo Saturn (Merc-Saturn three ways, actually). I try really, really hard to communicate as efficiently and honestly as I can. Then it’s misunderstood, so I go to the longer, more convoluted version… and that’s not understood, either. Then I throw up my hands, bang my head on the wall, and wonder why I’m so effing broken. 😉 (See Also: Merc-Neptune x2. What I think is clear isn’t always so. *grins*)

    I’ll admit, though, I don’t try very hard to connect with others anymore. I’m tired, yo. *nods* Thankfully, I have enough Libra that I let them steer the conversation to what they want to talk about and just let them go on… and on… and on… so it at least appears I’m connected. *smiles and shrugs* Mentally, though, I’m in Borneo or sommat. Not the nicest thing I’ve ever done, nor the most honest, but it’s working out better than, “Is there a point? Then can we change the subject?” was. 😉

  9. I’ve thought a lot about comedy. I feel timing is crucial,, but there’s also a relationship between the comedian and the audience, and that has to be mutual. The audience may be receptive if guarded; waiting to be impressed; the comedian invites them to join in. I mean, I make jokes at work for instance, and they mostly fall flat. But I’m really dry, so dry I’m practically dust, and also the context is one where….well I’m not all of myself. So the complexity of the joke is like a closed room. I can’t bring myself to be in that relationship with the audience I’d need for them to feel included in the enterprise. And they make jokes and sometimes I register, but I may not laugh. It’s not that I don’t get it. It’s a disconnection really, from the situation. I have Merc conj SN and sq Asc.

    1. Little moment of clarity. My block is a default setting that I won’t be liked or understood, so I expect that and my interactions set that up to some extent. I’ve done a lot to winkle out that setting but it still pervades. Merc is 2 degrees off SN, which is 4 degrees off MC, which is 7 degrees off Nep. So I can’t strictly say Merc is conj Nep. But they are in a string holding hands and they effect each other.

  10. Elsa, could you tell me, please, how many degree should be considered for transit Pluto conjunct natal Mercury? I have this aspect and I hardly wait to end this chapter:)

    1. ela, the transit is more powerful coming in, then it is going out. There are also no hard lines and opinions differ on this.
      I would consider it strongly in effect, 4 degrees applying and fading significantly 2 degrees past the exact aspect, but other factors would modify this!

  11. I am often told by people that I articulate what they were unable to say. Sun Mercury uIanus together in Cancerian 9th house. Highly empathic! Need to express feelings.

    Sometimes, like others have said, I am way too new age or progressive or just way too intense (Scorpio Asc)

    So I alternately put people at ease or make them uncomfortable.

    Plus 9th house emphasis, sag moon and Jupiter on MC mean I love to expound and can be way too much (know it all)

    And Chiron in the 3rd house makes me very touchy about communication being heard etc. Tricky

    Knowing the astrology has really helped a lot.
    Elsa your son benefits a lot from your wisdom . You are helping him be more self aware which I wish I had when I was a teenager!

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