Full Moon in Gemini: Still Point

Saturday night brings the Full Moon in Gemini, sailing brightly through a velvet sky (somewhere at least, we may have clouds here). This Full Moon has a festive feel. Gemini and Sagittarius, where we find the Moon and Sun, are gregarious, friendly, and warm hearted.

The closest aspect to the Full Moon is a trine from Jupiter in late Aquarius, adding to the jovial feel. We might imagine Dickensian characters wandering the streets. I’ve always associated Jupiter with the Ghost of Christmas Present, a giant bedecked with holly and offering blessings of peace and good cheer to all he meets.

Christmas is only a week away. The calendar is packed with winter holidays old and new, celebrated at home, while traveling, under the forest canopy, and in other places as well.

There is another side to this Full Moon, though, one that is more serious, more aware of challenges, and ready to explore deeper ideas, feelings, and places.

Gemini and Sagittarius are active, moving, shifting–neither likes to stay still. Yet this Full Moon falls close to a time of endings. Sun and Moon are in the final decan of each sign, when the patterns begun at 0° come to completion.

In Sagittarius, our searching reaches an end. A decision must be made. An action taken.

In Gemini, the duality we’ve been playfully exploring will find some kind of unification. The polarity must be resolved.

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We know the mutual signs arrive at the end of each season to be followed by cardinal signs. Sometimes the full meaning of this might escape us. Consider that each cardinal sign begins at a turning point in the year. Aries and Libra mark the equinoxes. Cancer and Capricorn fall on each solstice.

The tarot cards associated with the third decan of all the mutual signs are the 10s. These are cards of completion. Endings. In the Air sign Gemini, we find the third decan marked with the 10 of Swords, the nadir, the ultimate betrayal.

Not one of the welcomed cards to see in a reading, the 10 of Swords does let us know we’ve hit bottom. Whatever is going on has reached its conclusion. There’s nowhere to go but up.

In a few days, the Sun enters Capricorn, marking the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. On this shortest day and longest night, we know winter is not over, yet believe in the returning of the light.

The Sun stands still at each solstice, for about three days. This is one of the still points we approach at the Full Moon.

This still point for the Sun is not related to zodiacal position but instead to declension, or celestial latitude. This is how far north and south of the equator the Sun appears to move. When the Sun reaches their farthest point from the equator, they pause before turning to move back the other way.

Feel the Sun dancing in place on December 21 and the days before and after. We will still be in the Full Moon phase when this happens.

Remember these solar positions are marked in ancient stone where light finds its way into a chamber, or shines through a hole or a narrow space only at this time of year.

In a very real sense, this Full Moon invites us to see where we are. Are we ready for the Solstice? How will we honor this turning of the year? Do we trust in the light’s return?

Another still point is upon us. Six hours after the Full Moon, Venus turns to begin her retrograde. She has been slowing more and more in recent weeks. At the Full Moon, she moves less than a minute a day, almost no movement at all.

The stillness of Venus is especially important for this retrograde because it begins within a degree of Pluto. This retrograde journey opens with a long visit to the most deeply transformative of planets.

The retrograde happens entirely within the sign of Capricorn. Sign of the Solstice. Sign the Sun enters in a few days, marking the official opening of winter. This Saturn-ruled sign is not well loved these days, being associated with the pandemic, restrictions, broken structures, and outworn images of power.

I believe one of Venus’ goals in this retrograde is the reclamation of Capricorn. The planet of values, having been infused with the alchemical energies of Pluto, can help us see more deeply into this cardinal Earth sign. It is, after all, one of the traditionally feminine signs. It’s time Capricorn had a makeover.

Mercury, ruler of Gemini, rules this Full Moon. They are also in Capricorn forming a tight square to Chiron the wounded healer in Aries.

Here we reach yet another still point. Twelve hours after the Full Moon, Chiron stations direct. This Mercury–Chiron square may offer practical insights into how to manage whatever healing journeys we’re on. What structures support us? Which ones are inhibiting our wellness? What changes can we make going forward?

Note that these still points are pauses only. We’re invited to slow down enough to notice what’s going on, secure in the knowledge that movement continues.

Think of the tide turning. The moment of stillness when the waves have climbed as far onto land as they will. In the right place, at the right time, there is a silence, like a held breath, before the water begins moving again, pulling out to sea.

Our bodies know these cycles too. The phrase ‘still point’ refers to a treatment technique in craniosacral therapy in which a moment of stillness in the craniosacral pulse through the body is sought, and found. This brings about deep relaxation. When the pulse begins again, it often comes back stronger and more regular, leading to feelings of balance and well being.

Look to your birth chart to see where these various still points lie. The axis of the Full Moon, the placement of Venus and Pluto, and the locations of Mercury and Chiron all reference parts of our lives which might be in need of a still point.

This holiday season can feel stressful. Busy. A time with too many demands on our time and energy and resources. Welcome any moments of stillness you feel with this Full Moon and in the days of the Full Moon phase. These moments offer insight and potentially a bit of a reset as we move into a new season, a Venus retrograde, and the end of this calendar year.

We can all use moments of stillness these days.

Image adapted from Özgür Akman
https://unsplash.com/photos/U7HX8DqG-h0

Spinner by Raamin ka
https://unsplash.com/photos/dwFOqsbUQcM

Cave by Bradley Dunn
https://unsplash.com/photos/rtOD6PdRAlU

Tide by Nattu Adnan
https://unsplash.com/photos/Ai2TRdvI6gM