More Eclipse Madness and the Gemini 'Anything Else's

5.19.13


As we head into the third eclipse lunation in a row—a full-moon lunar eclipse in Sagittarius next Friday night (May 24)—we should be noticing a freeing-up of mental space, affording us the capacity to see past the blocks and/or slowdowns of prior weeks.

Gone is the disproportionate amassing of Taurus energy (a steady though slow-to-move influence), as first Venus (May 9), then Mercury (May 15) and now the Sun (May 20) all move into hyperactive, curiosity-seeking Gemini.

And along with their sign-shifts, all these personal planets have also completed their momentum-thwarting oppositions to Saturn in Scorpio… indicating we've already made it through the direct confrontation with whatever complicating factor has challenged our ability to stay the course with our latest intentions and/or new habits. We have seen the dreaded monster rearing its head, roaring its intimidating bluster at us. We know what it looks like, and thus can better recognize it when it's coming. Whether we've triumphantly neutralized its power over us or merely begun a longer process of becoming its friend, this personal demon can no longer hide so discreetly in our darker recesses. Awareness brings progress.

In the weeks ahead, the challenging input of Saturn gives way to the roomier vibe fostered by Jupiter, a planet that encourages outward extensions and explorations. Whereas restrictive Saturn forces us to responsibly face the limits in existent life-circumstances, expansive Jupiter opens our vision more broadly to possibilities we hadn't previously considered. Jupiter has been in Gemini since last June… and, as a result, each faster-moving planet that now moves through the twin-sign will soon form a conjunction to Jupiter, easing its expression and widening its range of potential moves. Having already hit walls, we are now ready to see what opportunities await beyond the walls (or at least in some alternate direction which circumvents them).

The Gemini team is led by Mercury, transmitter-and-translator of information and a very-happily-in-its-dignity dispositor of the other Gemini planets. Mercury in Gemini is the quickest thinker, a most inquisitive gatherer of interesting bits and bytes of data, and a master at communicating with any and every type of person imaginable. He is such an agile brainstormer, in fact, he sometimes shoots too many ideas out into the ethers in too speedy a swell… and comes off a tad manic or overwhelming with his endless supply of angles to consider, potentials to exploit, and people to involve in the process. Yet, his heightened mental-activity-levels ensure no 'dead-end' thinking can be indulged ('and have you looked at it this way? and have you asked So-and-So what she thinks?'), no desires are unilaterally ruled out, and nobody dares claim to be bored.

Mercury's trip through Gemini (which lasts through the end of May) is a godsend for boosting social networking, spreading the word, soliciting feedback, and speculatively scouting for alternatives.

Venus's concurrent presence in Gemini, meanwhile, aids the free-flow of Mercury's social efforts, making it that much likelier we will indeed click (however partially) with whomever is in front of us at any given moment—no matter who they are, what's going on with them, or how well they'd fit into the grander scheme of our lives on any lasting basis. Venus in Gemini knows that we need not be perfectly aligned or madly in love with somebody in order to appreciate them for the particular parts of personality-overlap we may share. She loves the variety, the stimulation, the provisionality. She'd rather leave her options open rather than commit too confidently. Who knows what else could be coming, just around the next bend?

Mercury and Venus spend this next week approaching a union, finally conjoining in Gemini on May 24, just hours before the lunar eclipse is exact. A Mercury-Venus conjunction brings a sweet-talking quality to our interactions, promoting interpersonal connection based on lively conversation and interest-swapping, increasing the likelihood our chit-chatting efforts will be favorably received. Maybe this is your ideal chance to introduce a new angle to an ongoing discussion, in a casually curious and breezy tone? (Venus remains in Gemini through June 2.)

The eclipsed Moon in Sagittarius only furthers our willingness to go for it, to push dialogues forward or pursue fledgling ideas that promise to provide us something new to experience. To my eye, this full-moon eclipse reeks of built-up impatience, coming just after the bottlenecking experience of multiple Taurean planets being opposed by Saturn… and seems to promote something of a hurrying toward whatever next provocative act will reaffirm our right to free motion (as productive response to, or reactionary rebellion against, recent complications).

In the midst of this Geminiian proliferation of fleetingly reflected-upon possibilities, the Sagittarian Moon almost doesn't care which is chosen—as long as something is, and the stalemate is broken (at least for the moment). Sagittarius is known for its haste, a trigger-finger readiness to dive into the viewpoint or venture that's most immediately interesting without necessarily considering all the circumstantial details in advance. The Sagittarian eclipse, therefore, propels us into the proverbial 'wide open field' of new experience, predicated upon an intolerance for our dicking around with indecision or inertia one minute longer.

Though Jupiter in Gemini (dispositor of the eclipsed Moon, as well as partner-by-conjunction to Mercury and Venus) can threaten to overwhelm our sense-making capabilities with too many 'anything else's to pick from, this eclipse's forward propulsion helps us choose a 'something'. Is it the right choice? Such a question may be unanswerable… beyond, that is, the level of, 'Well, it's gotten us going, so it's the right choice for right now.'

Clearly discerning the further consequences of any eclipse-triggered choice, however, does seem an impossible task, as seen in the eclipse-axis's dual squares to Neptune in Pisces… a signal that, though we almost surely won't understand the fuller purpose behind our impatient desire to pick something and run with it, we may have enough of a vague but unmistakable intuitive sense that this general direction is a good one. Neptune clouds the hyper-rational side of our perceptivity, but simultaneously enhances how receptive we are to the illogical spirit-whispers that beckon us. As agent of divine calling, Neptune in Pisces asks us to trust the mysterious-but-magically-meaningful signs ('this way! this way!') which underscore our supposedly hasty decisions.

Are we being hasty, or merely instinct-driven? Who's to say? At this point, it may not matter so much—as long as we're headed into motion, toward something interesting, exciting and/or growth-inspiring.