Mercury in Gemini: Do I Think? What Do I Think?

 The busy milling crowds at Tokyo's Comic Market

are a good parallel to the Mercury in Gemini theme of

many people, much to do, time flying by, busy thoughts

and feeling 'crowded' by situations in the moment or

the repercussions of choices already made.

  (photo credit Lerk, August 2007)

That Mercury enters Gemini a couple of days after a 0 Gemini solar eclipse and not much more before Jupiter enters Gemini sounds either mind boggling or like the dawning of some revelation - all topped with a healthy dose of frenetic mental exercising. Like as not there’s a ton of things going on everywhere (i.e., not just with you) and a lot of brain elves are sweating bullet points as they race hither-thither and jump hurdles in the mazes of our minds.

The non-mercurial Mercury fact here is just this: Mercury moves from Taurus into Gemini on May 24^th at 11:13 a.m. (UT/+0). And Jupiter enters Gemini on June 11^th.

With the Gemini solar eclipse, chances are something thought-provoking or idea(l)-challenging is already going on. How serious that something is depends on whether the solar eclipse has ‘hit’ your natal chart with any acuity...
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(for eclipse information,

see the post preceding this one)

…but given that Mercury rules Gemini (and Virgo - a whole other issue) the timing would seem to be a rather big thing. Not that Mercury is ever that far away from the Sun; due to celestial mechanics Mercury is always within sixty degrees (two signs) of the Sun’s zodiacal position. Still, this particular sequence - in great measure because we’re talking an eclipse on one end and Jupiter on the other - that marks a moment in time.

A shift for all of us and our very world.

In simple terms, Mercury’s exiting earthy Taurus and entering airy Gemini is likely to feel like a ‘lightening’ of the load. Or like brakes being taken off.

 

 A truck drives Colorado's Loveland Pass during winter...

the classic situation where it's bad to lose

control - or your ability to apply the brakes!

 (photo credit Magnus Mansky, October 2006)

Then again, maybe you needed those brakes to stay in place or to slow forward process for your own good? Maybe you’re trying to stop some runaway train? That would fit with the nature of a solar eclipse, eclipses being a marker for huge life changes -especially if they hit your natal Sun, Moon, Saturn, Lunar Nodes or Ascendant. Ultimately eclipse changes generally function for the better but the raw, unbridled feeling of being swept along by some event which has come upon you can leave us feeling raw and rather helpless. Not to mention hapless!

Given that Venus (ruler of Taurus) is currently in retrograde, projects may be stalled, you may be feeling unloved or under-appreciated (whether true or not, you may be feeling that way) and general grumpiness - even your own - is getting on many a nerve. Yes, including yours. And because Venus has gone retrograde in Mercury-ruled Gemini, now that Mercury is entering Gemini that’s the very picture of a mind in spin…having things on your mind…feeling dissatisfied…confronting minor irritations and situational provocations.

With the Sun conjunct the South Node as Mercury enters Gemini, these latter days of May are prime territory for projection. Why? Psychologically, it’s a lot easier to blame others than confront ourselves. Astrologically, Jupiter is finishing its transit of Taurus. As Mercury moves into Gemini, Jupiter is rolling over Algol. And not to put too fine a point on it but, Algol has earned its quarrelsome, snarky reputation.

Things can go well now if you own your own feelings - both in the moment and those which have put you in a bind if you’re in one. Given Algol, that’s a pretty big ‘IF.’ Still, it’s a key which will open many a positive door - especially in the next month or so.

As for Mercury’s Gemini ingress, Mercury is entering Gemini with the Sun and 3 Gemini, the South Node at 5 Gemini, Circe at 4 Gemini and Tantalus at 1 Gemini. Obviously we’d just like life to just get out of our way, let us do our thing and never mind the responsibilities.

Tantalus at 1 Gemini is an indication of being ‘tantalized.’ It may be we’re absorbed in our own thoughts, it may be that we’re envious of someone else, it may be that we’re simply bored silly by some routine. 

There’s a clear opportunity to invest ourselves in something new and useful signaled here, and those who extend their borders constructively with an eye to building for down the line have only to mind their p’s and q’s regarding where their interests compromise the rights, well-being or efforts of someone else. Tantalus is notorious as a signal that our lack of regard for others will (not may - WILL) come back to haunt us!

 

 How ghostly images do return to float through our mind...!

('Time to let go!' by Fish Gravy/June 2008)

The Sun at 3 Gemini has all of Gemini’s dualities and plural considerations built in. Whatever we are confronting, it’s many-faceted and complicated. This says that those who don’t deal well with the organizing of details and priorities will have a harder time than those who may sigh heavily when confronted with them, but who handle them well.

South Node at 5 Gemini favors communication, but also points to elevated levels of mentally driven nervousness and anxiety. Some will babble, some will evade, some will chit chat until your ears fall off - and plenty of people will take all sorts of time to say nothing. The positive use of this combination is to confront the ‘many choices’ now in the offing and to sort through them (maybe in conversation with your Self?) and figuring out what needs to be done in the days or weeks ahead. Taking the time to set things up so that they WILL BE easy as you move along is the high road here. 

But that will take some thinking about what you’re thinking about.

Mercury being in its own sign of mentality is akin to a ‘closed mental loop.’ We aren’t likely to be in the ‘listening mode’ at the moment and many will be disinclined to deal with input or critiques until the end of May rolls around. Some will want to just ‘get away from it all.’ And this can work well providing you’re not planning on lounging and relaxing. A hiking vacation might work. Or using your free time to work in the garden or catch up with projects around the house.

The one caveat here is to watch what you’re doing. Whether driving or using tools, problems result from lack of focus. Some will abandon all else and focus totally under this influence, some will get distracted and end up compromising their own best interests.

Lastly we have Circle at 4 Gemini, a combination which points either to increasing awareness and deft insights or the being (or having been) ‘lured’ into something which compromises us now through appealing (or having appealed) to our most base, intrinsic natures. 

 

Representing all we would like to succumb to

and that which we find ourselves enchanted by

to the point of being 'reduced' to someone...

or even something less than we might

be otherwise: Circe.  

Circe Invidiosa by John William Waterhouse (1892) 

 /

The sum of all is a quartet of attitudes. On one hand we have the people who will arrive at this Gemini Mercury ingress with a ‘what the hey…’ laissez faire attitude. Group two will be deeply involved in something they want to get done. A third group will want to know how they got into this pickle. And group four is just bored.
 

Three overarching issues need considering as you set forth on your Mercury-in-Gemini path - a swift sort of romp which lasts only until June 7^th.

One: Venus is in retrograde. So don’t splurge where you can’t afford to, whether that means time-wise, monetarily, or in terms of your emotions. Don’t bet the farm and maybe this isn’t the moment to shave your head and get scalp tattoos.

Under Venus retrograde we get some pretty odd bugs under our bonnets…it’s as if the one side of Venus retrograde is not feeling appreciated enough (no one does under this influence) with the other being the very real possibility that your not feeling fully validated by others may translate into a sort of lack of tether… as if you don’t have to care what others think. This can lead to doing odd things you live to regret once Venus comes out of retrograde (on June 27^th).

Two: Jupiter is about to enter Gemini. We are moving from a year all about how we feel about ourselves into a year all about choosing what to do with our time and abilities.

Oh yes…did I mention that Mercury is known for being a bit of a ‘trickster’? Yes…so this can lead to us trying to fool others now. Then again, maybe we’re fooling ourselves?

Three: Saturn is retrograding back through the latter degrees of Libra. This means our greater concerns are who we are being in the world (and how the world is reacting to who we’re being) and relationships - in general. Saturn will go direct on June 25^th in opposition to Eris, so the question is will you innovate or will you deal with disruption being thrust upon you? In the end the result will be the same: this is a time for learning better about who we are and who we need to be in this world. No one is exempt from the lesson - the Free Will part is whether you choose to respond to life’s prompting now or not.

Mercury’s transit of Gemini is going to be incredibly quick. It enters Gemini on May 24^th and moves on into Cancer on June 7^th.

In the interim, tongues will wag, thoughts will whirl and we will or won’t harness our mental abilities. The five days between May 29 and June 2^nd (midday, UT/+0 time) will have Mercury moving through Gemini’s second and most emotional decanate, indicating evocative, provocative, even confrontational times. The old slogan ‘make love, not war’ seems apt here as this is a prime time for human drama positive and negative. With Mars in Virgo and Venus retrograde, responsibilities feel weighty and it pays to watch what we say. Even the well-meaning critique can hurt; everyone seems hyper-aware and yet…strangely …also very preoccupied.

Then we come to the final third of Mercury’s Gemini transit. Mercury enters Gemini’s third and most worldly decan on June 3^rd, signaling an uptick in the amount of input coming in and the chances that we need to respond to same in order to stay on course...

...which is exactly when Jupiter reaches 29 degrees of Taurus. This doesn’t actually happen until the morning of June 7^th (UT/+0) but when it happens, Mercury will be at 29 degrees of Gemini.

 

Rembrant's 1659 image, 'Jupiter and Antiope' reminds

us that there is a knowing beyond what we conceive

of today...and a knowingness which, though it lies

 beyond our ability to fully understand, it's so valuable

that we are - or probably should be motivated to

attempt to learn it for the betterment of our Self and life.

That is what we call a semi-sextile. The thirty-degree semi-sextile aspect tends to indicate ego-bruises. It doesn’t have to be intentional - it just happens. Add in the ongoing splendor of Venus retrograde and you may say ‘I like chocolate ice cream,’ the person next to you may say ‘I like pistachio ice cream’ and you’ll feel insulted, invalidated or otherwise critiqued.

When we look at these kinds of aspects, the applying planet is the one which moves the fastest - which in this case is definitely Mercury. So it’s a mental or informational ‘thing’ which creates the issue. It’s the ‘medium,’ the means, the method by which things happen. Think conversation, news, driving in your car, walking along the street, text of any sort, mail, opinions, notices (etc.)...

The other side of the rule here is that the symbolism connected with the planet-most-outer (in this case Jupiter, since Mercury is closer to the Sun than Jupiter is) is in many ways the object of the transit. So considering that Jupiter is all about knowledge and whether we ‘know’ ourselves and our capacities (or realize what we’re capable of), the real point of getting offended about the ice cream flavor is to realize it’s nothing to get bugged about.

So what if someone likes pistachio and you like chocolate? Differences of opinion or perspective are not negatives. In fact, sometimes someone will bring up something you can (Jupiter) learn from. Maybe you’ve never tasted pistachio ice cream. So maybe you avail yourself of the opportunity now and find you love it. 

Maybe yes, maybe no - the point is, life is about learning.

However! With all this loveliness now espoused, lore tells us that 29 Taurus - as a degree - is one which tends to reveal our vulnerabilities (most of all to us) and we don’t tend like that feeling of vulnerability. Those who know the least, are most insecure, or who would rather never take charge of their own life are the most likely to resort to snarky superiority and even bullying at this time.

And with Jupiter as the engine here? That can be a lot of bad behavior.

Part one: the activity only lasts a day - though the wounds may run deep and take much time to comprehend, and even longer to heal. Part two: if you sense someone getting defensive, or recognize defensive-aggressiveness coming to the fore, don’t try to ‘explain’ someone’s problems to them. They don’t want to hear it - particularly now. They feel vulnerable. Your trying to ‘fix’ that will only make it worse.

So what to do? You may be able to get to the heart of the issue. MAYBE. But what may be better for you to open up about your own vulnerabilities. Don’t talk about them, talk about how insecure you feel. Or how you wish you knew how to do better.

Sometimes knowing someone else is struggling is what we need the most. Mercury in Gemini can be ‘thinking my thoughts’ for a constructive purpose. But then again, it can feel very isolating.

We need to know we’re not alone. That counts now…and it will count even more as Mercury moves on into watery Cancer and Jupiter launches into a year of residence in Gemini - it’s sign of detriment.

More on that later. Right now, it’s enough to invest ourselves in our mind and humanity.

0 Gemini Solar Eclipse of May 20, 2012

A (recolorized) photo of the Sun with giant 'tsunamis'
of solar turbulence surging across its face
(photo credit: NASA-JPL, August 1 2010 )

Since every sign of the zodiac has thirty degrees (numbered as 0 through 29), any anything astrological positioned at 0 degrees says you’re just starting out. It’s new.

In the case of the solar eclipse taking place at 11:46 p.m. (UT/+0 time) on May 20th, that zero degree event is a solar eclipse, and it's taking place at 0 Gemini.

Since Gemini is a sign about our mentality and the thought we do (or don't) put into communicating or keeping organized or making our choices - or even prioritization (which is choosing which idea comes first), this is a time when new thoughts, ideas and paths come about - especially in areas of life where what (or how) we've been living has been...well...‘eclipsed.’

Think about it...the Moon moves across the face of the Sun, blocking out a vital, rather 'central' point in our life.

Sun equals life, right? Sun light is where all the energy to grow things on this planet and therefore have a life comes from?

Then we have the Gemini part of this equation. Gemini – the twins – are individually named Castor and Pollux (with Pollux sometimes called Polydeuces) for the stars of the same name. There are several variations on their story, but probably the most famous version involves mom (Leda) conceiving one of the twins (Castor) with her mortal husband with immortal Zeus fathering the other - Pollux.

Talk about your sibling rivalry, right?

Myth-wise, that difference makes Pollux an immortal and Castor mortal, which isn't the only difference between them. Castor excels in strength and physical feats where Pollux is the 'mindful' one. Pollux is studious, analytical and thinks things through. So Castor aims for what he wants and simply goes after them while Pollux makes a plan, builds alliances which will benefit and support his plan, then starts in on achieving his aims.

 .

 'Leda' by Gustave Moreau

 (c 1865-1875, oil on canvas)

Then we come to the plot twist: Castor's death. And (surprise!) so great is Pollux’ grief, so steadfast is his love for his brother Castor that Pollux goes to Zeus and asks if there is any way he can share his immortality with his brother.

Zeus (a trouble-maker but a softie) grants that gift. And what does he do? He makes Castor and Pollux into the joint constellation we now know as Gemini.

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  Constellation Gemini

Thus Gemini the zodiac sign embodies 'the idea of the thing' and the dichotomies which pit our mortal wants (sort of the 'mortals just want to have fun' thing) against our ability to choose, plan and then go for the goal.

Depending on our nature (read: where Gemini is in our chart, where Mercury as ruler is in our chart and what sorts of planets, asteroids and such reside in Gemini in our chart)...we have a better or harder time sorting through this Castor-Pollux question. Basically it comes down to whether we tend to be more earthly or more intellectual. Is it better to go for what we want? Or better to gather up all the resources we might need.

This Castor / Pollux difference is exactly why so many Gemini people think they’re ‘supposed’ to be into everything. That's not Gemini - that's Castor. What they're saying is that they revel in experiencing, that they don't want to have to make a choice and think it through first.

Does that work? For some - or maybe better put, in some things. Ultimately the bigger the 'thing' (and the more important to us in the long run) the more important it is to think it through. Ideally we hone our ability with our Castor 'toughing it through' Gemini factor and we refine how we do it with the Pollux part.

It's that 'balance' thing. In Gemini choosing to figure out what part of your native attribute you should apply first is half the battle. Keeping both in balance is the process which from there produces results or gets you all screwed up, distracted and otherwise stalled in your tracks.

Oh yes...one other Castor-Pollux note: the mythic twins are also often thought of as ‘looking to the past’ versus ‘building for the future.’

And thus we come to why this Gemini solar eclipse is challenging many of us precisely in areas where things have been as they have been.

As said, where the sign of Gemini falls in your natal chart (by house) counts. But if you really want to know what the 'subject' is, get hold of your current solar chart and combine the house meanings.

(If your birthday is in June or July, get the 2011 and 2012 solar charts.)

No matter what that says,Gemini always carries with it a mental or thought-oriented mental cast. Castor is about the native ability (aptitude, maybe)...but we're not talking brawn here. We're talking mental strength...call it determination. Thus a Gemini solar eclipse is going to affect old ways of thinking and require new ways of thinking. Some old choice may get 'eclipsed' and require that you make a new choice.

Because Gemini is about thought, communication and the mental state, a lot of us tend to think we can ignore Gemini eclipses. To this I'd say ‘think again.’

It doesn't work. And you can only make your life worse by not acknowledging that the old won't work any more. 

As for 0 Gemini, this is a degree which has a reputation for recklessness and negativity which grows into useful and positive form. Similarly, there’s a vanity and concern with ‘social appearances’ (which may or may not be the same thing as reputation) associated with this degree. Will the solar eclipse ‘wipe out’ your having been/thought of at this level? Or is your thinking in such a manner threatening to wipe out something you want to build?

With the Sabian Symbol for 0 Gemini being about a ‘glass-bottomed boat,’ we should probably toss in two other ideas, too. One would involve the possibility of the solar eclipse ‘capsizing’ you and exposing you to an ‘ocean of water.’ Considering that water is the element of emotions, don’t be surprised if this is an emotional time. You may have been wanting to ‘stay dry’ and not experience your emotions (or emotional situations) and now something comes along and you find yourself immersed.

But remember – this is about ideas and emotionality. (The emotion part comes courtesy of the Moon.) So how does that work? Generally the eclipse symbolizes life immersing us in some 'theme' which provokes internal emotionalism - and probably a swirl of conflicted thoughts. Willing to change or not willing to change, we're being forced to realize something.

Particularly if the idea of emotionality is something you have problems with, expect it to surface now. If this eclipse (at 0 Gemini) aspects your chart with any acuity, this surfacing could be like having the Loch Ness Monster rise up before you. Then again, it may just be a whale – an implicit threat, but not a malicious one.

Yet it’s all you. This isn’t anything anyone is ‘doing’ to you, this is life wanting you to feel. If you’re someone prone to emotional avoidance, this solar eclipse at 0 Gemini may be the trigger which breaks through that wall and gets you out of denial.

Currently, the fixed stars named after the Gemini twins are positioned at 20 Cancer (Castor) and 23 Cancer (Pollux). Considering the myth, it’s interesting that Castor has a reputation for ‘success coming easily’ while Pollux is ‘the struggle to understand or achieve clarity.’ And yet…if something goes wrong now, you may be asking yourself how everything which was going so well went bad. Both of these stars are associated with worldly occupations which require communication, and like all solar eclipses, much is likely to depend on how you come into this period.

There’s a definite ‘change of focus’ associated with solar eclipses which we tend to experience as some ‘ordinary’ (accepted, status quo) thing in life ('life' being the Sun) being ‘blacked out’ by an emotional or emotion-provoking circumstance or situation (the Moon).

With eclipses, usually this leaves us looking at an awe-inspiring sight: the Sun’s corona.

 .

  The Sun's Corona as photographed

 by Rogibert (September 2006)

Those filaments represent our most 'brilliant' thoughts, those ‘burning’ ideas which in being unique to us, are also very essentially part of who we are. Solar eclipses aren’t about ‘destruction’ though they have long been associated with the rise and fall of kings and civilizations! But no, they're not about destruction.

So what are they? They're more like...distillation. When eclipses 'hit' our life, we get brought back to basics. We're forced to recognize who we are (not who we might want to be, who someone else says we should be or what society or cultural heritages says we should be).

All that other stuff is nice. But when we go astray from who we're really born to be...along comes a solar eclipse (no, not a spider) and we get a course correction.

Solar eclipses do away (or cause us to do away with) things which are ‘good enough’ (maybe), but not really representative of who we actually are. It's that Purpose thing...and if we remember correctly, Purpose is the astrological province of fixed star Alhena, and Alhena is the 'foot' of one of the Gemini twins.

Thus Gemini is all about the mentality (it is an air sign!) which is or builds the foundation upon which we stand. As a star of Purpose, Alhena describes the purpose for which we stand...and why we stand (rise above crawling upon the face of this Earth) to begin with.

Alhena being the foot of Pollux (the eternal Gemini twin) this is about who we eternally are...our Self. And when we truly live in that Self, then we are able to 'put our best foot forward' and get somewhere.

So! If you’re someone who keeps temporizing and compromising yourself, you’ll find that solar eclipses tend to be times when all your excuses get peeled away (ouch!). Yes, you'll have an opportunity to do what you really need to do in order to fulfill your karmic (or spiritual, if you prefer) purpose...but if you don't do it willingly, then the process might (might?) hurt a bit.

(Okay, more than a bit.)

Yet this eclipse is different than the 'usual eclipse' we tend to think of when the word 'eclipse' floats across our brain. How so, you ask? Well, this May’s eclipse isn’t a total eclipse (above). It’s an annular eclipse.

The mechanics here are all about where the Moon is (with regards to Earth). If the Moon is close to Earth at the time of the eclipse, it’s ‘big enough’ (in the sky, from our perspective) to cover the disc of the Sun. That’s when we get a total eclipse. When as part of its natural orbit the Moon is farther from Earth at the time of an eclipse, it doesn’t (from our perspective) quite cover the face of the Sun.

And when this happens, we get an annular eclipse.

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 Annular Eclipse by Sancho Panza (October 2005)

So this isn’t something being totally eliminated from life, this 0 Gemini eclipse is about having the ‘heart of it’ eliminated, leaving you to focus on that which is workable.

This makes May’s solar eclipse about choosing to focus on the options and what does work as a basis for moving forward.

In other words, it’s signaling a shift of focus and a need to turn away from (or let go of) certain ideas or methods you’ve had. It’s about getting past the recklessness or vanity or whatever it is you’ve been substituting for what is…evidently…truer to you and truer to your purpose. 

Remember…Castor and Pollux are both you. They’re the different ‘sides’ of your mentality. With Mercury – ruler of Gemini – pictured in the eclipse chart at 22 Taurus and exactly conjunct Sedna, the emphasis is on development of your skills, on doing the job right because that is it’s own reward – a decidedly Pollux quality.

This conjunction, as a matter of fact, has a decidedly Castor/Pollux tug-of-war.

On the Mercury side there’s 22 Taurus as doing the job well done as its own reward which in keeping with Pollux earns respect and the support of others and (eventually), all the South Node goodies you could want. (Eclipses always involve the lunar nodes – can’t have an eclipse without them!) But in keeping with Pollux, there will probably have to be some short term sacrifices made.

And that’s not going to hit your happy spot. Sedna often describes the idea of ‘deferred gratification.’ Are you being confronted with the need to be less comfortable, either in what you have or for what you do – even in going outside your ‘comfort zone’ in what you need to do to move forward? Certainly many societal factors speak of this – tough economies, a lot of personal and national debt (economic problems).

With Jupiter at 24 Taurus, the issue of growth or ‘the ability to expand’ is certainly on the table, however that applies in your personal life. Fixed star Algol conjunct Charybdis at 26 Taurus with Tantalus at 28 Taurus tells us that those who respond to situations which have risen of late with a willingness to keep trying (while making intelligent adjustments) will eventually win.

 .

 

  Planet Jupiter as photographed by NASA's 

(photo credit: NASA-JPL)

Yet let’s be real: Sedna can represent immaturity and being downright spoiled (physically, financially or emotionally). Algol has a well deserved snarky reputation for reactive vitriol - the taking out on others  things they aren't responsible for.

And Tantalus? Tantalus is one of the great Greek images of “sin.” Tantalus is all about a carnivorous sort of jealousy which drives us to do things we know we shouldn't do - which makes (unfortunate) sense when applied to the idea of a solar eclipse which focuses on our mentality, ideas and communications. This is just the kind of eclipse which can signal your losing sight of the bounds of propriety.

The plus side of Algol/Charybdis asks that we keep trying and NOT create more havoc. Add in Jupiter and we're asked to respond with consideration and after considering what's at hand. Are we willing to learn differently? Or are we going to pigheadedly cling to what we want simply because we (Sedna) want it, even though we really should "grow up" and let go of expectations which in light of reality simply don't work.

Solar eclipses can obviously be about something in the present. But generally they are linked - at some level - to something we've already done. Or committed to. Whatever it is, we're well dug in with regards to doing it. But then along something comes...

How about an interesting example of how solar eclipses work? Here's one...U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner (born September 4, 1964 - Brooklyn, New York). Congressman Weiner was accused of infidelity. He resisted and denied...then gave up protesting. Yes, he had been involved in an affair.

He left office.

This whole fracas took place within a couple of days of a solar eclipse atop fixed star Aldebaran. Aldebaran stands for integrity...and the Congressman's compromised integrity was exactly what was shown up by the eclipse.

How did it aspect his chart? Congressman Weiner's Sun is at 11 Virgo. Pluto, Uranus and Mercury are also involved, but the basic structure here is the Sun, which is natally in opposition to "sacred service" Vesta (our oaths and promises) with the solar eclipse half way between them.

This points out something else very essential. The solar eclipse which occurs in square to some planet or point in your chart comes sort of our of 'left field' and blatantly challenges you. The eclipse which is in conjunction or opposition is about your life, your health, your profession. In other words, the squares are likely to involve others, the conjunction and/or opposition are more likely to center on basic questions like 'now what am I going to do with my life?'

The squares to Gemini are Pisces and Virgo. Gemini's opposition sign is Sagittarius. But since this eclipse occurs at 0 Gemini, there's some lapse-over. So here's a list of points you should look for in your natal chart:

• 25 Taurus to 5 Gemini (conjunction)
• 25 Scorpio to 5 Sagittarius (opposition)
• 25 Aquarius to 5 Pisces (approaching square)
• 25 Leo to 5 Virgo (departing square)

The difference between the squares is exactly as they sound - the approaching square is something new or someone 'coming at you' and the departing square is something which is 'over' or impossible to continue.

And yes, you may have points in any or all of these positions. The effect would be read by the nature of the symbol...but truly? If your chart is being 'hit' by a solar eclipse with any acuity, by the time you're reading this blog you're already up to your whatsis in the swamp with alligators eying you while mumbling something about lunch.

Just to be thorough here, a few more degrees to check out in your natal chart:

• 28 Libra to 2 Scorpio (departing inconjunct)
• 28 Sagittarius to 2 Capricorn (approaching inconjunct)

Either way, points in these zodiacal zones denote changes which you are needing to deal with (willingly or unwillingly). The departing inconjunct speaks to responsibilities being left with you or being heaped on you by someone or because someone has left. The approaching inconjunct is pressure being applied to you - which probably brings out whatever lies beneath the surface.

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 Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012

(Aries Wheel - Locaiton not Specific)

The Nodes of the Moon here are at 5 Gemini and Sagittarius. Since an eclipse occurs when a New or Full Moon occurs within fifteen degrees of either Node, to have this eclipse occur within five degrees means the ‘nodal factor’ – our relationship to others and our society or place in the world – is very close to the ‘cause’ of the problem. It will be easy to blame, less easy to see within and sort through our thoughts.

And yet, to do what we need to do, that’s where we need to go. The North Node (the ‘need to do/should do’ end of the nodal axis) is pictured in this chart at 5 Sagittarius, conjunct Juno at 29 Scorpio.

 .

 Detail of eclipse chart showing the North Node

at 5 Sagittarius and Juno at 29 Scorpio

 

Twenty-nine degrees of any sign is known as the ‘critical degree.’ There’s an intensity to this degree which, considering we’re talking about Scorpio, can be desirous, vindictive or determined. Scorpio’s ‘high side’ is finding a solution which works all around and which is ethical (though not always pleasant) and Scorpio’s low side is the classic ‘screw them, I want what I want’ sort of thing.

Juno is self determination – often self discipline. So this combination of North Node and Juno can either be what you should just go for the ‘screw them’ answer (which only leaves the question of who the ‘them’ is that you’re so willing to screw) or a self discipline which – as seen with other parts of this eclipse configuration, will earn us ‘Pollux points’ and respect and support.

This all amounts to a very a classic question. The times are changing. Do we know how to build (or rebuild) for the future?

 ,

Jupiter enters Taurus

 Iris and Jupiter by Michel Corneille the Younger (1701)

Let’s review…there’s just been a solar eclipse and Neptune has gone retrograde mere celestial minutes ago in its home sign of Pisces, where by lessons in excitation and disappointment we are slowly taught the difference between fantasy and reality and the difference between when we can allow ourselves to relinquish ourselves to flights of fancy and when it’s vitally important to put our emotional ego in check and box up the expectation quotient.

The solar eclipse is taking down walls – maybe with or without our awareness. Things are changing. And with Mercury having just moved into Gemini, our minds (and maybe our lives) are all in a whirl.

And now...as Polyhymnia enters Leo and asteroid House moves into Gemini, Jupiter is entering Taurus.

Taurus is an earth sign. It’s about the having – or wanting to have. We think of it in terms of nice things and good food and money in the bank, but those are pretty much the symptoms. The thing which underlies all that is whatever it is which allows us to feel safe and secure – and how we feel about ourselves for having done or not done what it takes to gain that security.

Where Aries is about ‘doing’ the ‘self-development’ thing, Taurus is about ‘developing’ the Self. And with Jupiter entering Taurus, there’s work to be done, things to be expanded on and – in general – more which needs to be done, whether to support and maintain where we’ve gotten to or to get where we want to go.

As Jupiter enters Taurus, the ruler of said sign (Venus) is sitting at 23 Taurus with Dwarf Planet Sedna one tick behind at 22 Taurus with Mnemosyne also at 22 and Byblis at 21.

 Jupiter enters Taurus - June 4, 2011

Aries Wheel chart (Location Not Specific)

Venus is the precept of making things ‘real’ in our lives. It’s all about that moment when ‘cause’ becomes ‘effect.’ The actor finishes the scene and…will the audience applaud? Boo? Sulk in silence? Get up and leave?

We want to think Venus is beauty. That’s what we’ve associated with her namesake goddess, Aphrodite. But Venus is rather more to the point the quality and nature of what we do or put out there which gets the result/response we so do or don’t want.

Okay…so Venus here we have Venus sitting with Sedna. And Sedna is about a whole sort of learning-and-maturation process…the going from being the ‘I want it my way!’ immature person who demands everything of others to the owner-of-Self adult who in owning themselves has to deal with the isolation which inherently comes as part of individuation and individuality. With the power of the adult comes the responsibility of being the adult, one might say.

LINK to Full Article on Sedna

Sedna/Venus is the unification of great extremes: Venus represents the very personal and Sedna ultimately represents what we are capable of giving to others.

So taking this back to Jupiter…is this a picture of our expanding on an opportunity to take our personal (Venusian) abilities and of that make something which is for, or which appeals to others (Sedna) so that we end up expanding our (Taurus) resources and sense of self empowerment, self respect and satisfaction?

That seems rather likely. The Mnemosyne part of this would seem to be (since it’s fused with Sedna) reflecting (Mnemosyne) on what it is we know so far in life, what we’ve heard or learned or whatever else… and from that developing our ‘better way’ of presenting ourselves or our…whatever.

And that Mnemosyne along with Polyhymnia are active on this date? - a muse - is active on this date? They're both muses - and both (come to think about it!) about musing. Mnemosyne represents how reflecting on what we have learned and already experienced provides us with a basis for what we do 'in the now' and Polyhymnia in Leo is the heart and soul of thinking through what we bring into being now so as to make it worthy in the eyes of others and worth our time and effort.

But then there is that Byblis part...oh what a genuine fly in what is already some rather sticky ointment!

Known as a point which embodies the attempt to justify that we actually know is not okay, Byblis’ involvement here (hopefully) is our leaving behind, our expanding beyond that which we would like to think is okay or is going to work…

In other words, our getting real.

And that’s an idea(l) which fits more than very well with Neptune having just gone into retrograde. When a planet is direct, outside circumstances beckon, teach and provide. While Neptune is in retrograde (which would be until early December, 2011) we will be asked and challenged to deal with our internal realities. The object is to stop fantasizing…or at least know the difference between dreams and factual reality and when which is applicable.

So…how long with Jupiter be in the sign of Taurus? Until June 11, 2012.

  Jupiter's last moments in Taurus (June 2012)

Aries Wheel - Location Not Specific

At the point when Jupiter exits Taurus, a couple of things seem of note.

First: Venus (ruler of Taurus) is at this moment conjunct Circe and Tantalus. Circe represents being under such a spell that you are rendered virtually animalistic. And Tantalus? Obviously related to the word ‘tantalizing,’ Tantalus is the choice to do something good with one’s ability to Tantalize, or something which is really truly vile. The choice with Tantalus is always ours and always rooted in our mentality – which fits with Gemini.

Considering that Gemini is the sign Jupiter will be in next and that Jupiter in Gemini often shows up our mistakes, mental vulnerabilities and various forms of attentive/sloppy, selfish-selfless, productive-unproductive self/other balances…

…That pretty much describes where we’re going.

Taking this one step farther (which is a lot of how astrological analysis is done), the Venus-Circe-Tantalus grouping in Gemini points to Mercury. And at this moment Mercury is EXACTLY in opposition to Pluto/Facies in Capricorn.

Pluto/Facies is a rather volatile mix with Pluto being the emotional experience which results from choices and Facies being the heart and soul of those who play the ‘victim/aggressor’ card.

LINK to April Blog on Pluto/Facies

Mercury in opposition here, especially with Mirzam and the high focus of asteroid Lust just behind and Amphitrite one degree ahead speaks to the ability to do something great. But considering that Mirzam represents great promise which may or may not materialize…and how Amphitrite speaks to the need to let go of the old and adopt a whole new way of life pretty much on faith…

Again this pattern asks whether we will move on or not.

We’ll take one more step into this analysis. With Pluto and Facies in Capricorn that picks up the other entirely exact opposition in this chart, which is  Saturn at 22 Libra facing off against Dwarf Planet Eris (Discord) at 22 Aries conjunct Kassandra, she who is always true and never believed.

LINK to Full Article on ERIS

Eris/Kassandra in the ‘I Am/I Do/I Conceive of Myself As’ sign of Aries here pictures our willingness to stand up for something. Probably ourselves! With Saturn (retrograde) at 22 Libra, the real question is have we done the work? Have we been honest with ourselves and others? 

At its best, this is a revolutionary energetic which can right great wrongs, heal big wounds and totally change your life in ways you (Kassandra) would never believe. You may have to endure things which you couldn’t have imagined going through (Eris/Kassandra). And you certaily are going to have to deal with others (Saturn at 22 Libra).

That’s maybe the last thing to note about this Jupiter ingress. Every image we’ve talked about with the exception of Mercury, Pluto and Facies (and Jupiter, at least when starting into Taurus!) has been in a 3rd decanate degree – otherwise known as a degree between 20 and 29 of some sign.

So it’s only the Jupiter at 0 Taurus and Mercury-Pluto/Facies part of this which is in our hands. Asteroid House entering thought-oriented Gemini begins a process which ends with Mercury standing in Cancer one short degree away from where next month's solar eclipse is going to take place. It all says so much about this next year being on when we are going to be faced with having to respond and deal with life. And yet, while doing that, there are those among us who will also stake their claim and use these days going forward to build anew and in doing so, move their life into it's next and every more interesting and personally expressive phase.

Will that be you?

In the truly wonderful if sometimes perplexing work Through the Looking-Glass, author Lewis Carroll wrote a scene where Alice comes upon the Red Queen (I think they’re at the end of a wood). The Red Queen is running, running, running as fast as she can – and yet she’s staying in one place.

When Alice asks her what she’s doing, the Red Queen replies that we have to run as fast as we can to just stay in place. To get anywhere else, one must run twice that fast. 

It sounds impossible. And yet, when we come to an astrological moment like this one, we realize that we do have a choice. Some of us will be driven by necessity. Some of us will be motivated by desire. Or a sense of purpose.

Whatever you do going forward, just remember: the more your world is part of the world around you, the better your chances are to balance yourself against that world and end up fitting in, being welcomed and being supported in the growing and capitalizing on your individuality. 

Which in the end, we call personal success.