A Break in the Clouds: Gemini New Moon 2020

Photo by Фтещт Нфтлщмнш / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

New Moon @ 02 degrees Gemini 04’

May 22, 2020

10:39 AM PST

1:39 PM EST

With the Gemini archetype dominating the astrological landscape, the pace of thoughts, ideas, or experiences can appear accelerated. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. Gemini emphasizes diversity applied to the variety of life's constructs and manifestations. In other words, Gemini's fate is encountering multiple ways of seeing or doing things that can lead to well-roundedness as much as confusion.

Strong Gemini individuals will deeply understand this. For those not natally attuned to the Gemini frequency, see the value in sometimes scattering your attention--a strategy that can help you see possibilities you'd miss with a myopic focus. Meandering your way through this New Moon is a good starting point, but that can be frustrating when wanting or needing to pursue a specific objective.

Keep in mind that Venus appears to be in retrograde through Gemini alongside this New Moon. Venus is conjoining the New Moon ruler, Mercury, too. Also, Venus/Mercury is square Neptune. On the surface, we can interpret this to suggest caution with information, data, and perceptions. Be hyper-aware of obfuscation as a natural synchronistic correlation. Use that awareness to take your time with this lunation in stepping out and gathering knowledge and experience.

A Gemini New Moon can relate to an impulsive desire to break out or attempt multi-tasking beyond what's healthy (or possible). Neptune's square can also correlate with an abundance of distraction or as feeling like mundane issues or concerns are increasingly dis-interesting. Neptune pressures us to open ourselves to new worlds, dreams, and fantasies, making it hard to attend to the fact-based reality we typically reside in.

Indeed, Mars' square to this New Moon can correlate with increased frustration over specific targets evading your grasp or focus. Impulsivity is also enhanced, but desirable objectives may seem ambiguous. What can you do with this subjugated energy and desire? New Moon's are natural moments to reset, refocus, and start on a new creative direction. Use this time mindfully to channel your mental and spiritual strength toward fleshing out this inundation of stimulation and possibilities. And transform uncertainty or fear into curiosity.

Relationships are likely to play a significant part in this New Moon, too. We tend to gather information or ideas from other humans, so that part is obvious. Yet, consider how Venus' retrograde suggests that heart perception is significant, such as news or information that changes how we feel about someone or something specific. The past (as in past relationships, connections, ideas, or experiences) might come into sharper focus here, seeking integration, closure, or future elaboration.

Beyond the overt idealism that Neptune brings to the surface, there is also the potential for mystical, visionary, and transpersonal experiences. There is equally the possibility to slow down the pace of events, thoughts, or activities, and find amid the flurry, a break in the clouds revealing brief moments of something ineffable. And there lies the difficulty in fully articulating whatever may be emerging for many of us. Being adaptable in the moment, in whatever way it shows up, is the key.

The Heart of Your Perceptions: Venus Retrograde 2020

View from Wilcox Viewpoint, Jasper National Park. Photo by Fresh.waffles / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Venus Retrograde in tropical Gemini

May 12 -June 24

Venus Stationary Retrograde @ 21 degrees Gemini 50’-May 12/13

Venus Stationary Direct @ 05 degrees Gemini 20’-June 24/25

Ambiguity, endless curiosity, or a tendency toward a short-lived attention span are strong qualities infused in the sign of Gemini. And any event here is destined to pull us in several directions. So what might we anticipate with Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, and rapport appearing to turn retrograde for her forty-day/night descent and rebirth in the sign of the twins?

The title of this article says a lot. Unusually, I thought of it before I started writing. What is the heart of your perceptions? It's an interesting question. Firstly, how are our perceptions made? That's also a complicated question. Let's start here. Much of our perceptions are culturally constructed and thus socially defined. Some of that definition may be permanent, but pieces can be deconstructed willingly or through shattering life experiences. Secondly, many of those perceptions are biological, and for a logical reason.

We might think that we're autonomous beings moving freely through space, and then after an intense, mind-altering experience, that belief is suddenly a comical passing thought. We are likely far more than our perceptions allow us to believe. Yet, perceptions are important, and they guide us through our waking life to make sense of the world and survive. Venus is ruled both by an air and earth sign, and yet it has a strong emotional dimension.

Part of Venus' function is the ability for heart perception, that which lies in the domain of Libra and Taurus. We can process information intellectually but also emotionally. What is happening when we fall in love or while we blissfully gaze over a field of wildflowers or into a waterfall? Those experiences are beyond rational and cognitive processing. Something deeper is going on. Maybe we're perceiving through the soul, and yes, we're also under the influence of biological programming.

Venusian experiences involve fate and a sense of being overpowered, not by something intrusive, but alluring and attractive. Sure, we can resist, but how we feel about it is not volitional. We can't choose nor control what captivates our heart, the things, people, or experiences that invoke beauty and infatuation. Can we fall in love with an idea, a worldview, or a voice? Can we find ourselves incessantly attracted to a mind that pulls us in and endlessly captivates our attention? Of course. Venus in Gemini is like that, and her retrograde here involves themes of a changing of heart concerning perceptual constructions.

And here are some Venus retrograde basics: When any planet appears to turn retrograde, it gets louder! During Venus retrograde, the heart volume gets turned up, and we can't avoid noticing it, but we can undoubtedly deny or repress it. Sometimes that's a helpful thing, especially when the object of desire or attraction might harm us in some way. There are many people, experiences, or substances we would be better off resisting. Only wisdom can guide us there.

Sometimes, the heart's message interferes with our programmed perceptions about how we have "beautifully" constructed our worldview (or the one constructed for us). The heart can get in the way of our plans, beliefs, and expectations. Sometimes, that too is a helpful thing to redirect our life path to be more aligned with the heart. When Venus is retrograde, the heart might emerge as a welcomed relief, an uncomfortable inconvenience, or something in between. In whatever form it shows up, it would be wise to pay attention and use the following several weeks (until roughly June 25) to let life change our way of perceiving and understanding.

Anticipate serendipitous soulful dialogue, the continuation of an unfinished conversation, or the emergence of an irresistible idea, thought, or perspective. Allow the fates to work their magic in the ensuing weeks to change your mind and potentially create a healthful flow between what you're feeling, saying, and thinking. Might the heart pit you between two equally desirous options or possibilities? How do you resolve that conflict? Do you pick one over the other, or find a middle way?

There is tension in this cycle, and the need to resolve dichotomies. Venus is square Neptune, another fate inducer, but extra transpersonal. The combination of Venus and Neptune is even more overpowering and also highly idealistic. The best Venus retrograde in Gemini advice? Slow down. Listen carefully, and don't act hastily. Allow your feelings and impressions to change you from the inside first. There is a tendency to sample a lot of options and to feel things out, but be careful.

There is some obfuscation potential with Neptune, the tendency to idealize and fantasize to the extreme. So, be wary of hastily pushing a relational narrative in either direction or emptying your bank account because of a sudden, glamorous vision. Some of these dreams and fantasies may be as fleeting as they are interesting. Yet, Neptune's positive path, it's "higher road," is an authentic, soulful dialogue, and real possibilities can emerge here. Reinvigorating our lives with dreams, imagination, and ideas is essential.

Yet, consider letting time mold and shape your impressions. Critical turning points and life changes often happen when her stations align with specific placements in the natal chart, but there is a descent with Venus that can take us on a journey to that mysterious heart center. What happens inwardly during Venus retrograde is just as significant as what happens outwardly. It begins in that inward place.

Some visions, dreams, and fantasies will not hold up. But consider how those surviving inspirations will infuse your perception with renewed hope and possibilities. The potential to fall more deeply in love with a perception exists, or a change of heart that can bring you closer to beauty, serenity, and transcendence. As the heart gets louder, we can feel overwhelmingly compelled by it, and that can have both positive and negative consequences.

However, I think that one of the greatest of skills is in learning to trust ourselves. When we perceive and understand from the heart, we often can't justify or articulate it with words. We just know. And that perception can be a blessing in a world filled with oppressive forces that seek to silence that ability to trust the inner self. Let the heart energy wash over you the next several weeks and flow with the changes that ensue. Consider how some of the most important things in your life began as a subtle change of heart and perception.

Eye of the Storm: Full Moon in Libra 2020

Hurricane Hunters / Public domain

Full Moon @ 18 degrees Libra 44’

April 7, 2020

7:35 PM Pacific Standard Time

10:35 PM Eastern Standard Time

April begins with a Full Moon in tropical Libra. Against the background of other dominating transits, and the correlative global pandemic, you might not have noticed the lunar light illuminating the night. Yet, find comfort in knowing that the Moon is still waxing and waning, culminating right on schedule. Feel yourself firmly planted on this Earth, always moving routinely on its path around the Sun. Not everything out there has fallen into chaos.

Libra's emphasis is the pursuit of relationship--both in the human dimension as well as in many others. Libra can relate to the creative process of merging disparate pieces into a thing of beauty, as well as the mind's pursuit of making sense of a confusing world. Libra's positive side is the achievement of an open heart and an open mind, the ability to hold and respect multiple points of view.

A negative side effect of this process is feeling overwhelmed, confused, or overloaded with cognitive dissonance as you hesitate to take a position. Some wisdom we can gain from Libra is that life is filled with ambiguity and paradox. We, as human beings, are inevitably paradoxical creatures. We can reject that and experience the subsequent stress, or make peace with the notion that we must sometimes allow life not to make sense, and that's okay.

Full Moon's are also about integrating two zodiacal signs. The Sun in Aries emphasizes the Arian pursuit of stress, challenge, and crises to gather strength and solidify courage. As this Full Moon gains momentum, it symbolizes a collective need to strike a balance between urgency and sanity, as well as self-focus and the needs of others. Where do you currently fall on those spectrums? This Full Moon beckons to us to open our hearts and minds and seek some balance.

The Full Moon's square to Pluto and Jupiter also symbolizes the challenge of finding peace while scary and unsettling things exist in the world. Consider for the moment, that not all of the data is available (Mercury conjunct Neptune), so when given a choice between panic or serenity, this Libra Full Moon encourages the latter. Of course, also imbedded in this Libran lunation is a collective surge in cooperation and compromise.

At the heart of Libra lies the necessity to accommodate others for the sake of diplomacy and compassion. Lastly, Venus, the ruler of this Full Moon, has recently moved into Gemini where it will transit for four months due to its retrograde. Indeed, Venus will spend some extra time somewhere in our lives, and for all of us, it will help us learn and communicate more effectively from the heart.

From now on, trust your instincts and follow your curiosity where it leads you—question those seemingly unquestionable truths and beliefs. Dare to indulge your desire for the unexpected. We will all have much to ponder and consider over the next several months. Don't give in to boredom. Realize there is so much you don't know and be humble enough to admit it.