New Moon in Gemini

Gemini is continually connecting and flexibly flowing in motion not unlike the constantly circulating air we breathe. Like the whirling mind of the bard gushing verse or the whirling fingers of the artist at work and weaving, the whirlwind of thought alive in the sign of the Twins is ready to change directions or twist the plot whether you are or not. Yet there is an underrated depth to Gemini that can delve into the underlying meaning of multiple subjects in ways that synthesize deeper understanding and forge new links of meaning, an insatiable curiosity always ready to question what’s become too fixated and listen to what’s been ignored or denied. The wild winds of Gemini will be at full force during the New Moon on 6 June, with Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus joining the Sun and Moon in Gemini. The New Moon in Gemini will insist on embracing new creative directions and opportunities, providing a generative thrust of momentum that will jettison us from the astrological patterns that have dominated the first half of 2024 into the storylines that will develop during the rest of the year. The lunation not only demarcates a new lunar cycle, but new cycles of Venus and Jupiter as well.

The New Moon in Gemini is applying to a conjunction with Venus, only two days after Venus experienced her superior conjunction with the Sun on 4 June. Meanwhile Jupiter will be returning to visibility in the morning sky, initiating the morning star phase of the star of Zeus shining his light before dawn. With Venus less than a degree away when the Moon unites with the Sun, the forthcoming lunar cycle will shepherd us through a gestative period of coming into relationship with the meaning of the new Venus cycle. When Venus forms her superior conjunction with the Sun, she is as far from us as she can be within her orbit on the other side of the Sun. Unlike the intensely chthonic and purgative union of Venus and the Sun when Venus is retrograde, the superior conjunction of Venus is more celestial and distantly reflective in her purification process. Venus is very much in the underworld and undergoing a death and rebirth, however, and so while some of the associated feelings may be uncomfortable the ultimate message is one of renewal and regeneration. Due to Venus being reanimated by the creative vitality of the Sun, there are new impulses of Eros for all of us to discover within our relationships and creativity. It’s an extremely powerful lunation for coming into relationship with what needs to shift so that we can become more fully alive in our creative expression during the rest of the year.

While the extreme emphasis of planets in Gemini are likely to stimulate numerous potential directions to pursue all at once, especially considering the recent ingress of Jupiter into Gemini, the Gemini Moon will immediately form a sobering square aspect with Saturn in Pisces after separating from Venus. The tension between the Gemini New Moon and Saturn will be a reality check on any plans and desires that lack grounding or are too impractical, but the scythe of Saturn can be used productively by coming to terms with the potential pursuits that need to be prioritized. If you have been feeling like Jupiter in Gemini has already been giving you too many exciting ideas for the amount of time and space available, the scrutinizing gaze of Saturn can assist in discerning what can be realistically accomplished responsibly. The influx of planets in Gemini activating Saturn in Pisces can also open new perspectives and avenues of problem solving that the binding of Saturn had been blocking from awareness.

With Saturn and Neptune in Pisces less than twelve degrees away from another, the New Moon in Gemini will also activate the great dissolution and disillusionment that always occurs when Saturn and Neptune come to the end of a cycle. The abundance of planets in the quick thinking, connective, inspiring, and creatively stimulating sign of Gemini can assist with adapting, adjusting and mutating in order to more effectively navigate through the stormy seas and tidal forces of Saturn and Neptune in Pisces. Like the cunning and shape shifting guidance that Pallas Athena offered to Odysseus in helping him survive the Saturnine tests of Neptune, the potent force of multiple Gemini placements engaging Saturn and Neptune in Pisces can be exactly what we need to find novel solutions to dilemmas and more effective strategies that will take us where we need to go next. But it’s also important to keep in mind that coming to terms with the influence of Saturn and Neptune takes time and requires wrestling with the Protean shape shifting of ideals, illusions, beliefs, and visions. The best we can do is to hold the tension, allowing the process to have its process while we come into deeper awareness of the new understanding taking shape. As Richard Tarnas wrote in Cosmos and Psyche, although Saturn and Neptune periods can be the most spiritually and psychologically testing of times, they can also be times of forging greater faith and discovering how to face the difficulties of reality while remaining in alignment with your integrity and essential ideals so that you can participate in positively reshaping your part of the world.

The new cycle of Venus in Gemini forming a square aspect with Saturn in her exaltation of Pisces, with Saturn at the end of its cycle with Neptune, can ultimately open vast depths regarding your present relationships and creativity in relation to your personal story across time. Venus forms her superior conjunction in Gemini every eight years around the same time of year, with an additional inferior conjunction of Venus retrograde with the Sun occurring every eight years in between, so that every four years we have either a Venus retrograde or direct conjunction with the Sun in Gemini. It can be helpful to gain a bigger picture for present circumstances by considering what was happening at the previous solar conjunctions of Venus in Gemini. The previous superior conjunctions of Venus were on 6 June 2016 at 16°36’ Gemini, 9 June 2008 at 18°43’ Gemini, 11 June 2000 at 20°48’ Gemini, and 13 June 1992 at 22°53’ Gemini. The previous inferior conjunctions of Venus retrograde in Gemini were on 3 June 2020 at 13°35’ Gemini, 6 June 2012 at 15°45’ Gemini, 8 June 2004 at 17°54’ Gemini, 10 June 1996 at 20°03’ Gemini, and 13 June 1988 at 22°13’ Gemini.

Mercury in Gemini

Mercury in Gemini is lord of the New Moon and is separating from a conjunction with Jupiter in Gemini and a trine with Pluto in Aquarius. Mercury can express themselves directly in Gemini and can be a great ally in problem solving, communication, and reflection, but the Gemini New Moon also marks the entrance of Mercury into their invisible phase of being too close to the Sun to be visible. Thus the recent union of Mercury with Jupiter on June 4 was fascinating from a synodic cycle perspective, as Mercury was taking on an intensified presence due to moving from visibility into invisibility as it simultaneously received the uplifting and inspiring grace of Jupiter’s beneficence and tempering. Because Mercury will be moving through its invisible phase during the rest of its passage through its airy domicile of Gemini, the cunning craftiness of Mercury in Gemini will be especially effective behind the scenes such as through conducting thorough research. Yet since Mercury is in its domicile and triplicity of Gemini, it will still possess the kind of airy strength that will be a boon to writing, speaking, divination, mercantile activity, and anything else related to the many significations of Mercury.

During the waxing half of the forthcoming lunar cycle, Mercury will swiftly move through the sign of Gemini en route to forming a superior conjunction with the Sun on 14 June. Before Mercury’s superior conjunction, however, Mercury will form a square aspect with Saturn in Pisces on 12 June around the same time that Mars in Taurus will form a square aspect with Pluto in Aquarius on 11 June. While the clash between Mars and Pluto will exacerbate power conflicts in difficult ways for many, it also has the potential to be empowering in situations where you have the opportunity to courageously take your work and activity to another level of development. Since Mercury will square Saturn just before becoming purified and reseeded by its conjunction with the Sun, there may be some tricky issues to work through that become greatly clarified following the superior conjunction of Mercury on 14 June.

After becoming reanimated by the fiery generation of the Sun, Mercury will quickly move toward forming a conjunction with Venus at the first degree of Cancer on 17 June. Before Mercury and Venus unite, however, they will first form square aspects with Neptune in Pisces just before Venus enters Cancer on 16 June and Mercury enters Cancer on 17 June. Therefore, just like the Gemini New Moon will activate the balsamic phase of Saturn and Neptune, Venus and Mercury will also move through square aspects with Saturn and Neptune during the waxing phase of the lunar cycle. Their union at the first degree of Cancer will therefore be infused with the imaginal potency of Neptune, making it a powerful time for bringing the creative visions we have been working on into form. Since the Full Moon in Capricorn on June 21 will be taking place only one day after the Solstice, whatever intentions and new directions we set into motion with the New Moon in Gemini will culminate with the combined amplification of the Solstice and Full Moon occurring at the same time.

Jupiter in Gemini

Jupiter in Gemini will breathe new life into undertakings begun in correspondence with the new lunar cycle due to Jupiter simultaneously experiencing its heliacal rise as a morning star. Jupiter becoming visible in morning skies will infuse the generative and uplifting life force of Zeus into the world, bringing the meaning of Jupiter’s new cycle in Gemini into vivid realization. Jupiter entered Gemini on 25 May but was in its invisible phase of being too close to the Sun to be seen in the sky. Jupiter in Gemini is creatively and intellectually stimulating to a vigorously abundant degree, and so with Jupiter becoming visible in Gemini there will be numerous new ideas to track and develop. Jupiter in Gemini is in opposition to its fiery home in Sagittarius, meaning that instead of the predictably direct nature of Jupiter there is more of a wild, unorthodox expression of Jupiter in Gemini. However, all things being considered in essential dignity, Jupiter does possess air triplicity dignity and the first ten degrees of Gemini are also the face of Jupiter. In addition, Jupiter also rules the bounds of Gemini from six to twelve degrees – all in all, Jupiter actually possesses some solid dignity to provide an inspiring boost to endeavors in the month ahead. The trick will be coming to terms with the at times erratic and unfocused quality of Jupiter in Gemini that can have a propensity for taking on too much at once to handle.

Fittingly for Jupiter being in a double-bodied sign, the passage of Jupiter in Gemini will simultaneously connect us back to the seeds of present storylines in 2020 as well as bring foreshadowing insight into the shapes of storylines to come in the years ahead. Jupiter’s recent trine aspect with Pluto in Aquarius on 2 June had its roots in the three conjunctions formed by Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn in 2020. Most importantly, however, Jupiter’s ingress into Gemini means that it is heading toward forming three waxing square aspects with Saturn in the year ahead, with the first two occurring during 2024. Jupiter in Gemini will form a square aspect with Saturn in Pisces on 19 August and 24 December 2024, marking the first major critical phase of development in the Jupiter and Saturn cycle since their great conjunction in Aquarius at the end of 2020. Since the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 2020 initiated us into a new era of Jupiter and Saturn conjunctions in air signs that will last until the beginning of the 23rd century, it’s fitting that Jupiter is in the quintessentially airy sign of Gemini when they form their first waxing square aspects. The waxing square aspects between Jupiter and Saturn in 2024 and 2025 mark these years as major periods of growth, and if you are not already adjusting to massive changes in your life and burgeoning new developments, be prepared for more to come your way by the end of the year. Although much more will happen in the months ahead, the New Moon in Gemini will be our first glimpse into the potential meaning of the coming square between Jupiter and Saturn on personal levels.

In addition, the transit of Jupiter through Gemini in the year ahead will also be preparing the ground for the ingress of Uranus into Gemini in 2026. Jupiter will be in Gemini from May 25, 2024 until June 9, 2025, with Uranus entering Gemini a month later on July 7, 2025. Air eras of Jupiter and Saturn conjunction bring rapid change and radical reshaping, and so with the added influence of Uranus in Gemini and Pluto in Aquarius we can expect the waves of change to intensify even more dramatically at even greater speed in the years ahead. Jupiter in Gemini will be an important opportunity to adjust to the quickening pace of change and the ways that systemic structures will be warped and altered by the rapid advancement of new technologies. While the collective changes will tend to the overwhelming, on personal levels the meaning making available with Jupiter in Gemini can be abundant. It will be an ideal time to feed your curiosity, go on new adventures, delve into new topics or deepen your studies in crafts and practices you have already been developing. The possibilities with Jupiter in Gemini can seem endless, so it will also be important to step back at times from activity to ground and recenter, reflect upon and integrate whatever you have been learning to more fully digest it and be able to implement it more effectively.

If you would like to reflect upon previous times that Jupiter was in Gemini: 11 June 2012 – 25 June 2013, 30 June 2000 – 12 July 2001, 10 March – 30 July 1989, and 21 July 1988 – 30 November 1988. Interestingly in the context of the Saturn and Neptune cycle coming to an end now, the last time there were conjunctions of Saturn and Neptune in 1989 was during a previous transit of Jupiter in Gemini. Moreover, Jupiter was also in Gemini when Saturn and Neptune previously formed conjunctions in 1953 in Libra.

Gemini 2 Decan

The New Moon is in the second decan of Gemini associated with the Nine of Swords arcanum illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. The Nine of Swords involves an image of nightmarish worry and anguish under a cover of astrological symbols. In 36 Secrets, T. Susan Chang associated the agonized figure in the image with “the demons of writer’s block, self-criticism, and insecurity.” Chang also noted that the kind of fear associated with the 9 of Swords is often all in your head, advising to search for the roots of the associated pain within rather than outside. With warfare, genocide, and economic as well as environmental uncertainty provoking fear around the world, the kind of paralyzing fear depicted in the image has been a reality for many. The simultaneous purification and regeneration of both the Moon and Venus will bring opportunities to return to center and allow fears to pass over you so that you may regain your connection with the creative agency available to you. The second decan of Gemini is the face of Venus and Mars, indicating that the combination of courage and creativity is required to navigates its terrain.

The image for the Nine of Swords takes on new meaning when considering that Austin Coppock in his book on the decans 36 Faces ascribed the image of “The Hermaphrodite” to this face. Coppock described the second face of Gemini as being a place of mediating “continuing duality” in which “we must learn to reconcile angels and demons within a single soul.” The obsessive, negative thought cycles shown in the Nine of Swords through this lens reveals an “inability to reconcile dualities within oneself, within the world,” to Coppock, “the moments of despair” which can occur within the “irreconcilable places” found within this decan. Yet to Coppock there is a great gift to cultivate in the second face of Gemini in terms of recognizing how each side of dualities like love and war perpetually turn back into one another through the “arts of union and separation.” Coppock concluded that whoever “accepts these oscillations comes to understand the whole of interaction- they are unbothered by either, knowing the other waits in turn.”

Fittingly for a hermaphroditic decan, the second face of Gemini is ruled by both Mars and Venus with numerous ancient texts ascribing images of dualistic forms. The Hellenistic text 36 Airs attributed the ancient goddess Cybele to this face, whose creation story involves an original hermaphroditic form. The Liber Hermetis described a double faced man holding a bow and arrows, treading on rabbits with both feet. Ibn Ezra in The Beginning of Wisdom described another man holding a bow and arrow, but one whose head is bound in lead with an iron helmet featuring a silk crown, who is enjoying “ridicule and mockery” while walking around a garden playing music and picking flowers. While the Picatrix described an eagle-faced man also with bow and arrows, iron helmet, and silk crown, the Yavanajataka described a graceful black woman in bright garments who delights in the arts, singing and storytelling and who is pleased to be holding a lyre.

The storytelling and songs contained in the image from the Yavanajataka are mediums through which the complexity of the second face of Gemini can be expressed, as the artistic artifice of storytelling can create space for the tension between dualities to reveal insight and revelations. In Henrich Cornelius Agrippa’s The Celestial World, the capacity of the second face of Gemini for mediating dualities is shown through the form of a trickster figure: “In the second face [of Gemini] rises a man who holds in one hand a [shepherd’s] pipe and has the other curved and digging into the earth. [This image] signifies infamous and dishonest activities, such as jesters and tricksters, and signifies labors and laborious searches.”

The full potency of the second decan of Gemini will be activated due to it being the face of Venus and Venus not only occupying this decan but also having formed conjunctions with the Sun and the Gemini New Moon while in her own face. When swinging or oscillating between extremes, the solution can often be found through coming into deeper connection with the internal centering of one’s Guardian Daimon or Higher Self, and in giving ourselves the gift of self-love. Finding the center within around which the multiplicity of passing states of mind ceaselessly circulate can provide a lodestar of guidance not unlike the how the Pole Star and other circumpolar stars have always provided navigational guidance to sailors traversing treacherous seas. Within the simultaneous reseeding of new cycles of Venus and Luna, may you also experience the solace and grace of self-love, the recommitment to the ethic and practice of love, and the reanimation of the courage needed to express your creative Eros while contributing to the building of the world anew.

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Agrippa, Heinrich Cornelius. (2021). Three Occult Books of Philosophy. Translated by Eric Purdue. Inner Traditions.

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

Chang, T. Susan. (2021). 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. Anima Mundi Press.