The 2009 Gemini New Moon

May 24 09

3 Gemini 28

May 24, 2009

8:12 AM EDT / 5:12 AM PDT/ 12:12 PM GMT

This month’s Gemini New Moon brings our mental processes and communications into the alignment process that is currently happening with our hearts and wills. The planetary symbols of the heart and will (and of the feminine and masculine), Venus and Mars, merged last month, are traveling together and will merge again in June. Their union permeated last month’s Taurus New Moon, which was ruled by Venus. Now the Sun and the Moon are repeating this merging in Mercury’s domain of Gemini. The sequence drives the message home to our minds that our hearts are to be respected, honored and listened to.

A New Moon is always a time of beginnings or entering a new phase. Because the Moon’s ruler Mercury is retrograde, whatever we begin now will probably not proceed to fruition in the way we’re used to matters unfolding after a New Moon. The playing out may be slower. It may require putting existing business in order first, or going back over old territory to pick up helpful information, or doing research as a prerequisite. The playing out may be delayed. We could start something and have little indication that anything is developing until after Mercury turns direct – or possibly until he re-enters Gemini next month. The seeds of the New Moon that do show immediate progress could hit a noticeable growth spurt at those times.

This New Moon will stray from the norm for Gemini, too. Gemini is a sign of flexibility and swiftness in movement, thoughts and communications. Because it likes to flit from one place or piece of information to another, a New Moon in Gemini can whip up the chatter and get our minds running in many, many directions. Focused and intense it is not – at least, not normally. What makes this New Moon different is the adjustment aspect it is making to Pluto, which deepens, focuses and transforms everything it touches. Our minds will not be careening all over creation as usual with a Gemini Moon. We will be gathering and distributing information in a more compact space. Our mental processes are being sharpened and refined, and this New Moon ushers in a new phase in how they work.

This New Moon encourages taking control of our thoughts and making conscious choices about the ones we let in. Some of these choices will involve ingrained thought patterns. The South Node of the Moon, which represents programming and old behaviors we resort to when under stress, is in an opportunity aspect to the New Moon, and the two points are making an aspect called a Finger of God pointing at Pluto. Transformation and evolution in our thinking are the cosmic imperative. We can – and must – move beyond patterns of thinking that we picked up without realizing it, from concepts we came in with as part of our genetic heritage, to phrases that lodged in our minds while we were in pre-language state, to slogans and sayings we’ve picked up from years of commercial-enhanced, media-driven living. The media’s influence (and brainwashing, some would say) is part of the spin-off of the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron that is coinciding with this New Moon. The Finger of God aspect reminds us that we do not have to soak up whatever we encounter on TV, online and in ads and the movies. We do not have to be controlled by the messages we learned from the media, schools and relatives while we were growing up. We can choose to think for ourselves and to occupy our minds with subjects that have meaning to us. Individually and collectively, we are entering a new stage in how our minds work, what we think about and the forms and quality of communication we want to engage in. The North Node of the Moon repeats this message by making a harmonious aspect to the New Moon and a growth one to Pluto. Our thought processes are evolving. And at the center of our thought processes? Our hearts.

The Sabian Symbol for the Sun and Moon at 4 Gemini is
HOLLY AND MISTLETOE BRING CHRISTMAS SPIRIT TO A HOME.

Commentary: ‘Holly and Mistletoe Bring Christmas Spirit to a Home’ is a wonderfully warm and inviting image. The ancient Druids of Britain regarded ‘Mistletoe’ as sacred and believed it had both magical powers and medicinal properties. They referred to it as the “heal all,” although now we know the berries can be poisonous, so care needs to be taken with them. “Kissing beneath the Mistletoe” is a tradition that has developed over the years as we have built barriers to more spontaneous expressions of affection. It is almost as though the ‘Mistletoe’ and the ‘Spirit of Christmas’ have become an excuse for us to be able to show our feelings. We have developed these types of rituals to compensate for what has truly been lost. ‘Mistletoe’ was so sacred to the Druids that if two enemies met beneath a tree on which ‘Mistletoe’ was growing, they would lay down their weapons, exchange greetings and observe a 24-hour truce.

Oracle: ‘Christmas’ represents a time when we can reconnect with loved ones, family, or, in a larger sense, humanity, to discover the strengths and joys in the cultural and religious bonds that hold families and people together. However, we don’t have to wait until a special celebration, such as ‘Christmas’ to feel close to friends and family. The openness that the ‘Holly and Mistletoe’ represents should be carried in our hearts always and not restricted merely to a few days of the year. Realizing how important those near and dear to us really are we should put in the effort to reach out to others at any time. It is not just about acknowledging these bonds, but also affectionately embracing them. ‘Mistletoe’ is said to represent regeneration and the restoration of family life. Perhaps it is time to bring that ‘Spirit’ of peace and reconciliation into the home and the family right now, regardless of the time or the season.

Keywords: Social celebrations of the spirit. Returning to basic joys. Remembering past celebrations of family and social cohesion. Kissing under the mistletoe. Using simple gestures to remind us of larger realities. Warmth, joy and anticipation.

The Caution: The use of superficial tricks. Performances to achieve the appearance of happiness or familial ties. Neglecting family. Excluding others because of religious beliefs. Rituals that have no depth or true meaning. Loneliness. Not being in the spirit of things.

I saw mummy kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe last night. Song lyrics

The mistletoe hung in the castle hall, the holly-branch shone on the old oak wall. Thomas Haynes Bayly

The holly and the ivy Are plants that are well known. Of all that grow in the woods The holly bears the crown. Anon

Love is like the wild rose-briar; Friendship like the holly-tree. The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms, But which will bloom most constantly? Emily Bronte

A good conscience is a continual Christmas. Benjamin Franklin

Kathy’s astro-overview of 2009 is now available on CD or in an mp3 from FortunaWorks.com. To join her mailing list, e-mail kbiehl@fortunaworks.com.

© Kathy Biehl 2009. All Rights Reserved.