Monday opens with a New Moon in Gemini. Clean, clear, curious, bright as a new penny, sharp as a tack, clever as a barrel of monkeys, this is the sign where we realize there are (at least) two sides to everything.
We’re in the realm of mutable Air. The singular, driving Fire of Aries suddenly splits. Aries knows what Aries wants, straight ahead. In Gemini, do we go this way? Or that way?
What do you want for lunch?
Who’s your best friend?
What’s your favorite color?
It depends. On the day of the week, the month, or what side of the bed we got up from this morning. Gemini lives in a world of possibilities.
This is not about being indecisive or slow. Gemini is quick and says What if? This is the sleight of hand magician, the con artist, the jokester. This is where improv thrives and yes/and is always the answer.
After so many lunations overwhelmed with strong aspects from challenging planets, this New Moon feels fresh because apart from the Sun–Moon conjunction, there are no significant aspects.
There’s a creative quintile to Neptune and semisquare to Eris, and sextiles separating from Mars and Jupiter, but that’s it. The twinned Sun and Moon are pretty much on their own.
So this New Moon will feel bright and fresh in a way we haven’t experienced in a while. We’re in the first decan of Gemini too, which is where we wake up to the realization that there are other perspectives.
Austin Coppock, in 36 Faces, names this decan The Apple of Eden, signifying the explosion of knowledge and duality of perspective that came from eating it. The story of Eden includes duplicity as well, plus the realization that things are not always what they seem.
The tarot card associated with this decan is the 8 of Swords, the image of a young woman, blindfolded, loosely bound, standing within a circle of swords. This feels wrong, somehow, since Gemini sees all the possibilities.
But seeing is not the same as having. In modern capitalism, we face choice overload. There are too many of everything, at varying prices and levels of availability, not to mention size, color, and style. We’re paralyzed or feel bored with it all.
Too much choice might seem like a nonissue when it comes to restaurant menus, or channels to watch, or which jeans to buy. It’s more problematic in choosing health care, or who to vote for, or what to believe about key issues of the day.
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We face today a series of daunting problems. Now perhaps the woman in the circle of swords is more understandable.
As we emerge from the last New Moon/ Full Moon eclipses, we’re looking for new answers to old issues. Those lunations, across the Taurus/ Scorpio axis, felt heavy indeed. The reverberations are not yet over.
So one way to engage with this New Moon is to go light. Not to ignore tragedy, injustice, and war, but to realize we need relaxation. We need times of feeling light-hearted. We need a bit of joy in just being alive.
That’s a fine way to celebrate this New Moon, even if the party won’t last.
Mercury, ruler of Gemini and this New Moon, is in weightier territory. Retrograde in late Taurus, they are still below the horizon, not visible in the night sky.
Mercury, leaving a trine with Pluto, moves toward the North Node. They are also conjunct the dreaded star Algol, which is itself a binary star. There is great power here that does not feel light at all. This Mercury must feel their way, using the whole body to perceive, absorb, and process.
Part of the duality of this New Moon is the contrast between the youthful prankster energy of Gemini and the ancient transformative energy of Pluto, Algol, and the North Node.
The trick (and Gemini is all about tricks) is to find balance.
Before reaching the North Node, Mercury will simultaneously sextile Neptune and square Saturn. Saturn is all about what is structural, pragmatic, and responsible. Neptune leans into what is creative, fluid, and spiritual.
How do we balance these qualities? Or the need to address vital world issues vs the desire to live well and enjoyably? Or … whatever presses for attention in each of our lives?
The downside of Gemini, and especially of this New Moon, is distractibility. It’s so easy to scroll through whatever media feed you prefer, or all of them in turn. It’s easy to get lost in mindless activities and put off anything troubling.
We sometimes fool ourselves. We avoid tough decisions, saying we don’t have information, we haven’t thought it through, we don’t know what the best course of action is, and anyway, it’s not our job.
The 8 of Swords reminds us not choosing is a choice. Life goes on. Events happen. Consequences ensue. Suddenly, we’re in a situation we really don’t like and still may say, hey, I didn’t choose it. But we did, but not choosing earlier.
The Gemini Sun and Moon separate from squares to Mars and Jupiter in Aries.
Mars, especially in Aries, has no problem making decisions. But Mars’ decisions are based on personal drives and desires. Mars can serve the needs of others, can be heroic, self sacrificing, but the choice comes from within.
Jupiter has a wider perspective but tends to believe they already know what the best choices are. Or at least, they know where to look. Jupiter loves acquiring more knowledge, better insights, and deeper understandings. They might put off the decision too long while they research.
Somewhere in all of this, we must find our way to the balance that works best for us. Action and relaxation. Intense focus and open-ended play. Having fun and slogging through the swamp of tough issues.
This is where connecting the Gemini New Moon to our birth charts gets interesting. Where does this New Moon fall? Which House? Close to which of your planets? How important is Mercury in your chart?
The House where the New Moon falls points to areas of life in which new ideas, and maybe too many new ideas, might emerge. If this is a Third House New Moon for you, then you might have more thoughts than you can put into words.
In the Seventh House, this New Moon might open doors to new friendships, or new ideas on how to enjoy the relationships you already have. In the Eleventh House, your media feeds might be buzzing with messages that spark new ideas.
Is your chart Saturnian? This this New Moon invites you to lighten up, freshen your perspectives, and try on other points of view.
Is your chart Mercurial? If so, this New Moon might feel too buzzy, too distracting. Where and how you get sidetracked can point you to where adjustments made in the coming waxing cycle can help you stick to your plans.
Wherever this New Moon falls for you, there will be choices. The worst one is to do nothing. So dive in, open up to possibilities, and choose something.
Images adapted from:
Andrew Palmer : https://unsplash.com/photos/nOOf3TPdDSg
Edge2Edge Media : https://unsplash.com/photos/uKlneQRwaxY
frank mckenna : https://unsplash.com/photos/8-rErfjcr1k