May 22nd ~ 29th

The mind is pure and luminous by nature. It is defiled
only by adventitious thoughts and emotions. ~ Buddha

On Friday, May 22nd, we welcome in the New Moon in Gemini. Gemini is usually a happy-go-lucky social sign filled with lightness and cheer. And that is certainly still true this year, as Gemini will still be Gemini. When we look at the New Moon in Gemini, we also want to look at Mercury, the ruling planet of Gemini. This year Mercury is strong in its own sign of Gemini, and all the more convivial due to its close proximity to retrograde Venus. However, Mercury (and Venus) are also square Neptune, and both are also suspiciously out-of-bounds. When planets are out-of-bounds the usual rules do not apply. And since both planets, Mercury and Venus, are exactly square Neptune, the New Moon in Gemini arrives amidst a chorus of confusion, deception, uncertainty and ambiguity. 

Conspiracy theories abound, suspicion is bred by uncertainty, while pestilence lurks in hidden corners and drafts. Neptune has domain over those things hidden, things we don’t want to see, or are not easily seen or sensed, things like: gases, liquids, poisons, disease, floods, tears and worry. It is Springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, and the rains have come, and then some. Flooding is also associated with Neptune. So are poisons and toxins. And as the dams collapsed in Michigan the flood waters cascaded below, inundating citizens and businesses alike, as well as a site that had been badly contaminated by toxic wastes from the industrial company, Dow Chemical. It is not yet known whether the flood waters could release any of the now-contained but contaminated toxic sediment back into the Saginaw River and Bay. It seems there are a lot of things we simply do not know. 

The New Moon is square Mars as tempers and impatience simmer beneath the surface ready to flare. But the New Moon is also trine pragmatic Saturn. So we strive to create some sort of plan even in this time of uncertainty, in hopes to return to some semblance of normalcy. We are on untrodden ground right now, and there is still so much we just don’t know about the prevailing virus, what it does, how we get it, how to cure it, how to contain it. Like a mist of unknowable outcomes, this Neptunian paradigm casts a shadow over the future. 

This is all going to be confounded by the Full Moon on June 5th-6th, which is also a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. There is this Feeling in the first week of June that hidden enemies are lying in wait if we move too precipitously and let down our boundaries and our guard too soon. The New Moon trine Saturn reminds us to take our time, be cautious, use common sense, be practical, and proceed one step at a time, one day at a time. We are being guided by our wise elders, and experts, but with Saturn retrograde, it is up to each of us to think and act responsibly this month. 

With Neptune so present throughout much of the next month, we are going to continue to live with uncertainty and ambiguous messages. But there is also another aspect to Neptune. And that has to do with being able to connect to the more sensitive, spiritual centers of our being. There are opportunities here to connect with our own spiritual and intuitive natures through: dreaming, inspiration, compassion, our imaginations, divination, prayer, meditation and spiritual retreats. Connecting to Neptune and our spiritual center in this way can be a profound experience. However Neptune tends to speak in whispers, symbols, feelings and dreams. And in order to hear the still small voice of Neptune, we need to be present and we need to be still. With Neptune so present in our lives right now, may we all have the privilege to stop to listen for this sacred voice speaking to us in the silence. 

If you wish to do intentions or make positive affirmations with the New Moon, try to do so within the New Moon phase, after the New Moon (May 22nd, 1:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time in New York City; and 5:39 PM Universal Greenwich Time), but before the Crescent Moon on May 26th. This is when the Moon is dark and pregnant with the potential for new beginnings. The sign Gemini is associated with: 

Communications: Using words and language to speak to connect, to make sense of our environment and each other; to learn, to connect with our siblings, our friends, our neighbors, our cousins. It is through the sign of Gemini and its mentor Mercury that we process information and have something to say about it.

Curiosity: Wanting to understand and engage the world; To learn about, gossip about, chat about, and even be distracted by. 

The Mind: What we fill our minds with: the superficial as well as the profound; the distracting as well as the ways that we improve and cultivate our minds. What holds our attention, whether that’s watching TV, social media, learning a new skill or increasing our knowledge. 

Time: and time management: schedules, appointments, our social calendars, train schedules and road maps are all found in Gemini. 

Movement: In Gemini we begin to tentatively emerge out into the world. It is associated with youth, when we venture out to school, make friends, meet others who share similar ideas. This mobility out into the world also extends out into the neighborhood to places that are easily accessible: by walking, bicycling, sightseeing, commuting, cars, and taking short road trips. 

Some things the New Moon in Gemini is good for: Catching up on the news; Calling neighbors, friends, classmates, siblings and cousins; listening to Grandpa’s latest jokes on the telephone; Find out what’s going on in the neighborhood; Finding ways to help and connect with others (in a safe way); Socializing while maintaining therapeutic healthy distances; Beginning a journal; writing that story; giving a video talk, listening to a new podcast; signing up for audio books or ordering new books on line; beginning a new study; learning something new; learning a new skill; fulfilling your curiosity about something; figuring out a puzzle; starting a new hobby; exploring your neighborhood and surroundings; managing your schedule; and looking for new and better ways to manage your time and improve your mind. 

For this week’s horoscopes, click below: 

HOROSCOPES

Art by by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky