Tomorrow morning, a bit after dawn in my time zone, the New Moon in Gemini arrives along with an annular solar eclipse.
We’re really already in this energy, and have been since the Full Moon and lunar eclipse in Sagittarius two weeks ago. Still, we can expect an intensification as the New Moon becomes exact.
The energy is bright, buzzy, and could feel like information overload. So if you haven’t already, it’s time to think about what you need (and what you need to avoid) during the next few days.
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An important note: This New Moon is not a good time for setting intentions or doing any ritual work intended to bring about a particular outcome. Eclipses are not stable enough for that. Not recommended.
At the same time, this particular New Moon eclipse will be loaded with information. The opportunity here is to be flexible, curious, and open minded. In other words, to be like Gemini.
Let’s look at the patterns of this New Moon eclipse.
The Sun and Moon will be at 19 Gemini. Mercury, only hours away from their cazimi with the Sun, is conjunct the New Moon at 20 Gemini. The Sun, Moon, and Mercury are conjunct the North Node at 10 Gemini.
Here’s the first interesting thing: The New Moon straddles the boundary between the second and third decans of Gemini. Since the Sun and Moon will meet at 19°47’ we could round up, say it’s really 20, and avoid the issue. But that would be throwing away data and we simply don’t do that with Gemini.
The second decan of Gemini intensifies the innate duality of this sign to the point of contradiction. The third decan insists on some form of reconciliation or at least, a choice.
Imagine Mercury in Gemini as a juggler. Not hard to do as this image is often used for Gemini. And not hard to imagine when life has been tossing more stuff at us and watching to see how much we can keep in the air. We start with two and think, ok, got it. Then three is a bit tricky, but ok. Four, and then five, and then six, and then no. No more juggling. But everything is important and too many simply cannot be let go.
What can we do?
It’s relevant that the North Node can get greedy. This is a place where we tend to want more. So, even if we can’t manage all the things, we might find it difficult to give any of them up. Even if we’re in a state of overwhelm, we might feel like we should be able to handle it, or maybe we could if only we had the help we need, or it’s unfair we can’t have what we want.
One way to manage this is simple to step away during the eclipse and the days around it. You’ve probably already heard advice to stay off social media. There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s an excellent strategy any time the torrent of information is just too much. There’s very little we truly need to know right now in order to live our lives. This is not avoidance, certainly not during an eclipse. It’s self care.
But if that’s all we do during this eclipse, I think we’ll miss an opportunity.
Please do manage your exposure to media and to people during this time, finding levels that work for you. Within this space you create, be Gemini. Keep your attention open. Widen your gaze to take in peripheral things you usually ignore or simply miss. Be curious and interested without feeling a need to understand it all. Get engaged to the extent you feel drawn to.
Then notice what shows up. Watch catches your attention? How do you react to it? What pulls you close? What do you back away from? And especially, what surprises you? Does something show up you never expected? Or maybe it’s your reaction that surprises you. Something you’re usually bored with now feels compelling. Something that felt overwhelming is now maybe manageable if approached in a gentler way.
Also notice where information comes from. Do your sources feel reliable and valid? Are you perhaps relying on friends or websites or blogs whose foundations you’re not sure of? Are you evaluating what comes in? Or accepting it all? How do you know what’s true? What’s useful? What can help?
Tomorrow’s eclipse is part of the solar Saros series 147. In Bernadette Brady’s classification system, this is S.S. 5 North. The first eclipse in this series occurred on October 12, 1624, at 19 Libra conjunct Neptune. Brady calls this Saros family “very unusual” and says the eclipses here have a “psychic or unconscious flavor.” She suggests we watch for “hunches, visions, and prophetic dreams.”
We can also look back to our own history to see how other eclipse in this Saros family have affected us. This too offers clues to what this Gemini New Moon eclipse might bring.
Previous eclipse in this series include:
May 31, 2003, 12:20 am EDT at 9 Gemini
May 19, 1985, 5:41 pm EDT at 28 Taurus
May 9, 1967, 10:55 am EDT at 18 Taurus
April 28, 1949, 3:02 am EDT at 7 Taurus
Of course you will want to check where this eclipse New Moon falls in your birth chart. If there are strong, direct aspects to your chart, then you’re likely to feel its energies in your life. If not, then you may feel more like you’re watching the news: It’s important and interesting but might not change your life right now.
These next two weeks as we journey from the New to the Full Moon are filled with important events. So even without the effects of an eclipse, we’re in an active, intense time.
About 15 hours after the New Moon, Mercury conjoins the Sun. This moment within Mercury’s current inward, retrograde journey is one of illumination. Thinking of this as a phase in the hero cycle, we’d say Mercury gains a boon, a reward of some kind, a gift.
Then Mars leaves Cancer and enters Leo on June 11. This is a direct, energized, creative and passionate Mars. He’ll feel stronger and more active, but will also be tangling with Uranus and Saturn.
These two have their own story to tell, as they reach the second in a series of three exact squares this year. The irresistibility of change meets the immovability of tradition yet again. Mars in Leo will be keeping the fire lit under this challenge.
June 20, we reach the Summer Solstice as the Sun enters Cancer. The same day, Jupiter turned retrograde in early Pisces. The Sun–Jupiter trine will keep our emotions in the forefront as well, though likely in positive, more than difficult ways. Our feelings, after all, are what keep life rich, varied, and valuable.
Mercury turns direct on June 22, bringing a few weeks of communications glitches, travel delays, and misunderstandings to a close.
We’re going to be busy. We’ll need our wits about us. This eclipse is a great time to pull back while keeping our eyes and ears and minds open.
Let yourself be surprised.
The astrological charts are my own. The images in this post include the title,
adapted from the light source by Marek Piwnicki,
and the following images:
juggling by Yi Liu,
data by Markus Spiske, and
finger and screen by Alejandro Luengo