Full Moon in Gemini: Game Changer

Tuesday, December 13, at 7pm EST, the Full Moon in Gemini arrives. This will be the third and final Supermoon, last of a trio that began in October, peaked in November, and concludes this month. Supermoons look bigger in the sky because the Moon is closer to Earth, pulling on us more than usual, creating stronger tides in all waters.

This Full Moon is in the sign of Gemini, mutable Air, ruled by Mercury. Mercury, or Hermes as he is perhaps more widely known, is a clever wordsmith, master of the double entendre. He is a sleight-of-hand magician, skilled in tricks of now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t. He is the patron of merchants and of thieves, invoked at crossroads where exchanges happen.

Mercury is the Trickster.

Full Moons illuminate. Each one shines a spotlight on its own areas of interest and expertise. I said the last New Moon was “Going to Extremes” and now we will see where some of those extremes are leading. You thought recent news stories were too out there to be believed? Well, try these new ones on for size. Every day’s reports seems to push us farther into the theater of the absurd.

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At this Full Moon, the Trickster is center stage, fully lit. Let’s dive into this complex and universal archetype to anticipate, as best we can, what we’ll be seeing–or at least where to look.

First, a note about astrology and about tricksters (and all other archetypes): Both astrology and archetypes explore and reflect patterns. They do not determine values. This important distinction is overlooked at our peril. If we look at the patterns expressed in astrology, or embodied in archetypes, and believe we can say with confidence how those patterns will show up in the world, we will learn, sooner or later, we are gravely mistaken.

This is especially true for Trickster energy, of course. For example, Mercury is typically depicted as male, as are many tricksters. Hermes, Loki, Coyote, Br’er Rabbit, Eshu, and Puck are all male. In astrology, however, Mercury is androgynous, taking on masculine or feminine characteristics depending on context. That ambivalence is the core of trickster energy: We can’t quite make out what we’re dealing with. It messes with our tidy categories. This Full Moon will be doing that.

The Sun in genial, optimistic, expansive–and inflated, bombastic, over-extended–Sagittarius opposes the Gemini Moon (thereby creating the Full Moon). An interesting, flexible pair, except for the fact that Saturn is conjunct the Sun and opposing the Moon. Saturn is the taskmaster, the authoritarian, the guy who excels at killing the buzz. Saturn plays the long game and points out the consequences of our actions. Will he hold dangerous excesses in check or just bring everybody down?

The importancs of Saturn at this Full Moon is highlighted by Mercury’s presence in Capricorn, Saturn’s home base. The Trickster is in a serious mood right now, preparing to turn retrograde. Our thoughts and communications focus on the hard work needed to reach our goals, the need for patience and determination, and an awareness of goals and outcomes.

A word about Mercury’s retrograde: We are already in the shadow of this retrograde period, which will happen mostly in Capricorn, although Mercury will dip back into late Sagittarius as it stations direct. This particular retrograde is likely to feel heavy, associated with dark secrets and power struggles, both internal and external.

Mercury goes retrograde early in the morning of December 19. (Yes, the day of the Electoral College vote in the US. You cannot make this stuff up.) At that time, Mercury will be sitting right next to Pluto, lord of the Shadow realms and wielder of tremendous power. Will the Electoral College vote be weird and tricksterish this year, displaying lots of Shadow and power plays? Of course it will, We already know that. Am I going to predict an outcome? Heck, no. But it’s going to be a wild ride.

Mercury turns direct on January 8, but does not leave its retrograde shadow until January 27. (After the scheduled inauguration. Duly noted.) During these weeks, we are invited to examine our own psyches, poking about in the darkness for things we might want to make friends with before they bite us. We will also want to engage in deep dialogues while avoiding power struggles. Use due diligence in all arrangements: Make that list and check it twice. Backing up all devices is an excellent idea, as is checking security and privacy settings on same.

Jupiter has his finger on the pulse of this Full Moon as well, as he sextiles Saturn and the Sun and trines the Moon, which generally are viewed as positive, flowing energies. Jupiter is in Libra, a sign in which his upbeat outlook seeks to sooth and harmonize. He might even soften Saturn, who sits in Jupiter’s home sign of Sagittarius. But we must keep both sides in view with this Gemini Moon, and so notice where Jupiter’s Shadow might express itself. This could happen with a breezy “Oh, it’ll all be fine” attitude, or an inflation that blows things into stratospheric proportions.

The importance of watching for Shadow is highlighted by Pluto, who has something on Jupiter’s pulse–it might be cool fingertips or might be the point of a knife. Pluto and Jupiter are squaring each other.

Mars is also in play, sitting at 25 Aquarius, where he sextiles the Sun and trines the Moon. He is a martial figure, ready to fight when necessary. In Aquarius, his weapons are words and ideas, and he will be coming from a position he views as reflecting high ideals. Again, looking at various possibilities, this could be real attempts at diplomacy, serious in-depth discussions, high level propaganda, or conspiracy theories gone wild.

Then we have Uranus, Ceres, and Eris still sitting together at 20, 21, and 22 Aries. These are the wild cards, the chaos carriers, the ones ready to take trickster energy to the max. They are trining the Sun and Saturn, sextiling the Moon, and opposing Jupiter. This is where we whistle Cole Porter’s Anything Goes while we head down the dark alley where we think we dropped our car keys. And wondering how we got here because this place doesn’t look familiar at all.

Are we supposed to toss our cards on the table, count our losses, and leave the game? We might be tempted to, but I believe this Full Moon will also show us that we can’t walk away. There’s too much at stake. There are also real opportunities here.

Chiron the wounded healer, at 20 Pisces, will square this Full Moon. He signifies the importance of individual choice. In this topsy-turvy world, our clearest and strongest choices are in how we react, how we engage, how we respond. Whatever happens, will we find ourselves triggered, pulled into our deepest places of wounding? Or will we find a way through that door into a new place of understanding and power?

We cannot underestimate the challenges. To breezily say, “oh, we all create our own reality,” is to dismiss the heavy weight of trauma, illness, poverty, discrimination, and pain. And yet, there are ways through the maze. There are supports, some outside and some within. There are ways we can help those overwhelmed by their burdens.

Gemini is the master/mistress of either/or and both/and. At this Full Moon, we will see lots of crazy stuff. We are invited to find our inner Trickster and touch the amazing possibilities hidden in plain sight. We’re asked to try again, knowing we might walk off that cliff, but also knowing it’s the only way to learn. It’s also the only way to laugh, and survive, and grow.