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GEMINI NEW MOON

June 17, 2004
1:27 pm PDT
4:27 pm EDT

Sun and Moon joined at
26.57 Gemini

<< "The Fairy Ring" mandala by Novella Maia -- click on image for larger view

Sabian Symbol: "A young gypsy emerging from the woods gazes at far cities."

What does listening to the zodiac do for us at each moon cycle? It attunes us to the yet living quality of this ancient rhythm. It sharpens our senses to new ways to bring ourselves forth. It puts us on the alert -- as an animal living in the wild -- to something new in the air...

Gemini New Moon 'Scope
by Dana Gerhardt

Summer Solstice

The first day of the summer brings the longest day of the year; at noon the sun will reach its annual zenith. If winter’s absence of sunlight slows activity and contracts the spirit, in summer our spirits expand. All that is nurtured by the sun is energized. Feel the richness of everything around you coming to fullness. The June 20 solstice is a significant turning point in the wheel of the year. During recent weeks, the rising and setting sun has been sailing toward its northernmost limit on the horizon. At the solstice it slows to an imperceptible pace. That’s what "solstice" means—to stand still. It is a turning point because the sun turns here, turning away from its northern march to retrace its steps along the horizon line.

Marking this turning point was of high holy importance to many ancient cultures. The Mayans, the Incas, and the Druids erected markers or pillars to capture the solstice points, drawing a connection between architecture, time, and community that we might envy today. If you are lucky, perhaps there is a window in your house or office, a hole in a fence, or buildings in the distance, that on solstice day, frame the rising or setting sun. Where you see the sun, place an offering for what you want the summer months to ripen. When the sun enters Cancer at the solstice, it is time to commit to your most fruitful work of the year.

European summer solstice rituals centered on fertility rites for both crops and people. That’s why June is traditionally the wedding month! Feminine love magic is at its peak during the solstice season. An ancient ritual for discovering the livelihood of your future love was to break an egg in a bowl of water at high noon; in the suggestive shapes of the flowing whites of the egg, you’d see the profession of your amour. But nowadays, I think, you can ask the solstice eggs any question you want—as long as your heart holds the proper reverence.

If your life has felt a little strange lately—if it seems like someone has been rearranging your furniture without your permission—the Gemini New Moon suggests it’s time to be more supple and flexible. Accept the potent novelty of your current circumstances. Trying to hold onto "the way it used to be" could mean missing the gift in the way it is right now. Heed Gemini’s warning: Don’t get trapped in your own knowledge. Be willing to hear new stories. Be willing to write them too.

Gemini’s ruler Mercury is the guru this cycle. To emphasize this point, he appears closely conjunct the Sun and Moon in the New Moon chart. As the mythological Hermes, Mercury is a thief and a liar who mostly skims across the surface of things. But while flitting around a subject, he also discovers multiple points of view. He can circle around until he finds the story that saves him. Mercury can see far beyond the literal world, into new and useful realities. Looking at a tortoise shell once, for example, he suddenly saw the ingredients for making a lyre; after that, he invented a new melody, which had the power to appease an angry god. Humor is also one of Hermes’ gifts. Laughter breaks up a closed heart or mind. It provides an opening for new energy and spaciousness to come in. If you’re feeling stuck this cycle, don’t forget to laugh!

Keep your ears trained on your own thoughts. What inspiring or self-defeating mantras are running through your mind? This vigilance is important. In the New Moon chart, Sun Moon and Mercury are opposed by Pluto—which has the power to turn all words, all spells into boomerangs. What you put out will come back to you at lightening speed. In other words, watch out: your evil twin may be at the controls! A more positive use for Pluto is for transformation and deep understanding. A new understanding of an old or painful situation can be worth more than gold. That’s what this Gemini cycle can bring if you look for it. Be willing to trade your old stories for new ones. Keep yourself light as air. Rather than fighting the unpleasantness around you, ask: "What would it be like if this, and that, and this, were also true?"

Drop into our Mooncircle for June/July 2004:

New Moon Meditation, with Jean: Visitation from the Goddess.

"We have now entered an eight-year period between two transits of Venus, both in Gemini, after which there will not be another transit for over a century. We might think of this interval as a visitation from the goddess, a time when her nature and activity may be more visible than usual. Venus is always retrograde during her transits of the Sun, suggesting a movement toward the depths or a reflection on the ultimate meaning behind appearances. So the two transits, in 2004 and 2012, create a frame for reflection with and upon Venus...."
(New Moon Meditations)

Season Teachings, with Anna: Venus' Song.

"Now's the time to be singing about love. The exquisite patterns of Venus, that bright star-planet who has always sung of love, is showing us Her face now, filled, in awe, with natural beauty.... Her face is not just sweet this time, though. She's not just nice and pretty and yummy. This time Venus is singing in opposition to Pluto, Lord of Death and Transformation...."
Season Teachings

Join us for the Full Moon on July 2.

And you're always welcome to take up the Talking Chalice!

This page is yours. We love to hear from you! (Talking Circle)

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