If we look at the Zodiac as an expression of individual growth and development, we go from Aries – the initial “I am,” the newborn psychically connected to the womb, conscious only of sensations, to Taurus – “I have needs,” the infancy in which we are completely dependent upon caregivers. In Gemini our minds begin to wake up. We experience separateness from mother, we begin to differentiate between self and other. We transition from the Oneness of infant consciousness into Twoness. Leaving the womb was our first stage of separation. In Gemini we step into Duality.
We learn to talk and express our thoughts. We begin to sort out the world into pairs of opposites. This feels good = pleasure. That feels bad = pain. We start to form opinions out of which we develop attitudes. Life becomes more black-and-white. We develop preferences and make judgments. As we evolve, our original wide-open consciousness contracts and focuses in the physical world. We discover others and have to learn how to get along with them. We learn which behaviors work and which don’t. We begin educating ourselves in how to exercise our will. We become social beings and want to communicate with others, express what we are learning.
Gemini is symbolized by The Twins. We can see two bright stars side by side, like two eyes gazing at us in the evening sky. The Greeks named them Castor and Pollux. These twins were born from Leda. You probably know the story of Leda and the Swan. Zeus was fond of wandering in the human realm looking for fair maidens. In order to seduce Leda he transformed himself into a beautiful swan. Leda opened her arms to him and he had his way with her.
But Zeus was not Leda’s only lover. King Tyndareus made his own donation to the lineage. Leda gave birth to two sets of twins. We all know about the male twins. Castor’s father was the King while Pollux was sired by the Lord of Olympus. Procreating was complicated and fascinating back in those days. Leda also birthed a set of female twins that somehow got left out of the equation during our patriarchal era. Helen was the daughter of Zeus while Clytemnestra was 100% human.
The brothers, purportedly, loved each other and when Castor was fatally wounded, immortal Pollux begged his father to let him die with his brother. Zeus set them side by side in the Heavens for all eternity. They remind us of our own dual nature – both human and divine.
The sisters were another story. They both feature heavily in the Iliad, Homer’s tale of the Trojan War. Helen was the most beautiful woman on Earth who, after her abduction, became the focus of bitter conflict. Her sister Clytemnestra had a darker side. When her husband Agamemnon returned from the war, she murdered him. Notice ladies, how the twin boys are heavenly, loving and devoted while the girls are either a victim or a killer.
I related the tale of Eris in an earlier post, last year when the Moon was Full in Gemini. In short the moral of the Eris myth is that we need to watch our triggers. Discord and potential disaster happen when an old issue gets triggered and we react. Eris points out our sensitive spots. Then it’s up to us to get clear about them rather than react defensively, giving in to our pride or resentment. Eris is a big player in our reality right now. For this whole year she is square Pluto. It is part of our destiny to address our propensity for discord. How do we do that? It begins at home, as always, with individual peace of mind. And that is the theme for the month of Gemini: Peace of Mind.
The New Moon occurs on Friday May 22nd at 2+ degrees of Gemini. In the USA chart it happens in the 6th house of daily life. Yet again we are being asked to focus on the details of our lives, to live in the moment, to be as present as possible, awake and aware of the many separate parts of ourselves. How are they getting along with one another? Are we having inner conflicts? Are we torn between two ideas, values, choices?
Duality is a fact. Without it we wouldn’t have matter. Polarity is also a fact. When Oneness split it didn’t just explode into billions of tiny pieces like a Big Bang. It separated into pairs of opposites that are codependent extensions of each other. They exist on a spectrum. What makes them challenging is our unwillingness to accept them both. We assign value to them on a good/bad scale and burden them with moral judgment.
The task of mature Gemini is to integrate the polarities within our nature and become comfortable with the tension of opposites. When we add the weight of judgment to polarities, we cut off the parts of ourselves that can’t withstand collective moral scrutiny. Being separated from parts of ourselves weakens us, turns us into victims, or apathetic sheep. We need the power of what we call the dark to be effective. That doesn’t mean that we have to express the dark side. We own it. We accept that we have the potential to add to the darkness of our world, but we don’t. We harness that power, the fierceness of Clytemnestra, and turn it into something beautiful.
To emphasize the Gemini twin theme for the month, the New Moon is in a Grand Trine with planets in the other two air signs and in each lies a pair of heavenly bodies. Juno, the asteroid goddess of marriage and partnerships, is conjunct Make Make, the creation god of the Rapa Nui, in Libra. The third pair consists of Saturn and Pallas Athena, asteroid of wisdom and justice. Responsibility is in the spotlight.
The New Moon is a seeding time and this trine of twin planets indicates themes that can develop over the next month. How are your partnerships? With yourself, with your family, with friends and business associates? How’s your relationship with Mother Earth? With Soul and Spirit? Can you find more creative ways to express your love? Can you put your sense of justice into action? Can you take on more personal responsibility for who you are moment to moment in your daily life?
At the New Moon, Venus is conjunct Mercury, an opportunity to bring mind into coherence with heart. Thinking and feeling, doing and being. Perhaps during our Taurus month we remembered the value of Being, of just pure being without having to do anything. It’s possible, with all this air energy, that our minds could turn into cyclones. This is when we stop. Take a few deep breaths – the emphasis is on Air. Breathe it in. Just sit. Listen to music, relax, stare at clouds, smell the flowers, feel the sun on our skin – the gentleness and beauty of life. When mind and heart are in harmony we come into peace. We can choose it. The world can swirl about us but we are quiet, at peace within.
Venus and Mercury are in a tight square to Neptune, so connection, imagination, dreaming, letting go, surrendering to the pleasure of the moment are also woven into the fabric of our consciousness. Neptune alerts us to the spiritual significance of this time.
To make the most of this month, pay attention, be present and meditate on stillness. Find that fulcrum upon which all opposites balance. Bring your head and heart into coherence. Allow that inner peace to nourish you. Developing this quality of consciousness over the summer will make all the difference when things heat up in the Fall.
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