Hello everyone!
Hope your last week of Taurus Season, splitting apart and holding together, treated you well and you were able to gather your disparate desires and ideas to see how you want to contribute to the world!
This week we take those vibes and enter a whole new seasonal frequency, with the sun entering Gemini and the Gate of the Now, and the moon shining full in Sagittarius, in the Gate of Power.
As I do for each Zodiacal season, I made an Instagram Post briefly outlining the 6 Human Design Gates of Gemini Season, so you can have an idea of the micro-seasons within the season ahead.
And here is your guided meditation for Gemini Season that I referenced at the end of the audio, if you’d like to drop in for 5 minutes:
Listen to the Gemini Guided Meditation Here
Thanks, as always, for your likes, comments, and shares!
xo
Alison
This week’s highlights:
Monday, May 20: the Sun enters Gemini, the sign of the twins
Thursday, May 23: Full Moon in Sagittarius alongside a beautiful Jupiter/Venus conjunction in Taurus
Saturday, May 25: Jupiter moves from Taurus into Gemini for the next year
Human Design/I’Ching:
All week (until Saturday), the sun is transiting through Gate 20: The Gate of the Now
This week’s themes:
The Power of Now
Expansion of beauty and what you value
The beginning of a year of childlike curiosity
Won’t you be my neighbor?
Contemplation and Meditation on the Moment
Our Place in the Wheel of the Year
Medicine Wheel Direction: Early South (Fire, Youth)
Wuxing Cycle Element: Fire
Pagan Season: Beltane
Zodiac Season: Gemini (May 20-June 20)
Moon Phase: Full Moon in Sagittarius (Gate 34, the Gate of Power)
I Ching Hexagram/Human Design Gate: 20 (May 21-26)
20 = Wind over Earth (“Contemplation”) or The Gate of THE NOW
Gemini Season Begins
Each month, I write an overview and record a guided meditation for the Zodic season ahead for the collaborative Astrology-zine Astrum Opus. As we start this week diving into Gemini season, here are a few of my reflections from that article.
I hope Taurus season brought a good dose of grounding, centering, and pleasure after the wild ride of Aries season. We now enter the breezy airs of Gemini season, where the sun will dance with the bees and butterflies from May 20 until the Summer Solstice on June 20. After the energetic innocence and rapid growth of the Ram, followed by the sensual explorations and introspective determination of the stable Bull, we arrive at a time of year when the Twins have much to talk about, cross-pollinating their independent worlds to create a spirited new dynamic.
Gemini season is a time of new beginnings, exploration, and communication, and it’s made even more expansive by the transit of Jupiter into Gemini on May 25 , quite a change after a whole year blowing up the house of your chart that contains Taurus.
When I think of Gemini season, all I can see in my mind’s eye are bees, sphinx moths, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The abundant first flush of Taurus season’s flowers is already beginning to fade, and the pollinators are swarming around my garden, eager to drink their sweet nectar.
This buzzing cacophony is a perfect scene to ring in the season of the Twins, the chatty, social, Mercurial sign that takes us from spring into summer. We have spent long enough soaking up the heat of the earth- it’s now time to listen to the folky words of the freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, whose Sun, Venus, and Mercury are all in Gemini: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind… the answer is blowin’ in the wind.”
In medical astrology, the double-bodied sign of Gemini is associated with many of the body parts that come in twos, of course! The shoulders, arms, and hands are ruled by Gemini, which align with the parts of the body used for expressive nonverbal communication. Think big bear hugs and constant multi-tasking, too, for this friendly, busy zodiac sign.
As an air sign, Gemini is associated with the lungs (another twin part of the body), as well as the bronchial tubes, capillaries, and respiratory system. This connection can be seen in the way people with strong Gemini placements are often described as being robust in their communication, intellectual pursuits, and social interaction. These traits can be linked to our respiratory system’s role in exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide through breathing, bringing the outer world to the inner and back again.
Gemini is ruled by the god and planet Mercury, aka Hermes, in the Greek Pantheon. Known as the messenger of the gods, Mercury was responsible for conveying divine dispatches between Mount Olympus and the Underworld. Communication, commerce, trade, and exchange are beautiful analogies to the actions of the human respiratory system. Mercury is often shown with wings on his feet and head, which is evocative of the season’s pollinating birds, bees, and butterflies, as well!
Looking at the wheel of the Zodiac as a corollary for the human life cycle, Gemini is related to childhood and early adolescence. This is the season in our lives when we are consumed with a never-ending supply of questions and curiosities for our caregivers, as well as learning the ins and outs of social interactions with our classmates and peers.
After crawling on the earth and learning from our senses in the phase of Taurean toddlerhood, the Gemini phase of life erupts in a whirlwind of words, emotions, and relationships. Geminis, like school-aged children and young adolescents, are driven by a need for social interactions, conversation, and new contexts. They have an insatiable, Mercurial desire to connect the dots between their home lives and the larger world around them. Again, this reminds us of the respiratory inhale and exhale, bringing our inner worlds and outer worlds together through the airways.
Gemini is the natural ruler of the third house, and the archetype of the Twins is most concerned with the qualities of this home: the first ring of society out from the self, such as siblings, neighbors, and communication with those who are in local proximity. Gemini season is a good time to look at planets and points in your third house and consider how your chats with neighbors help you learn about both yourself and the world beyond your home base.
Gemini Sun Opposite Sagittarius Full Moon
Every Gemini season inlcudes a full moon in the opposite side of the sky, Sagittarius. This year’s Sag full moon is happening just a few days after the sun moves into the sign of the twins. Every full moon highlights the polarities of the opposite signs, but each polarity is encompassed within a unifying theme.
The unifying theme for the axis of Gemini and Sagittarius the centaur-archer is knowledge & communication. This full moon is a culmination point of all of our collective learnings over the past month, and the light of the sun is shining on our embodied, inner knowing.
The moon in Sagittarius represents knowledge and communication expressed through long voyages to far-off lands, gurus, doctrines, philosophy, formal education, and spirituality. By contrast, the sun in Gemini represents knowledge and communication expressed through chatting and exchanging ideas with those close to you- siblings, neighbors, the marketplace, local community.
The conscious sun in the sign of local knowledge is shining her light on the subconscious moon in the sign of universal knowledge. The full moon acts as a mirror, and during Gemini season la luna is an embodied reflection of the idea that there is unifying, universal truth within each of our location-based, personal truths. The Sagittarius full moon shines with the brilliance of interconnected, universal knowledge that has been distilled, like a fine wine, through space and time.
The archetype of Sagittarius has a shadow of being dogmatic and righteous because they are often prone to think that, in their questing, they have found the ultimate truth. But as long as they stay off their high horse, shy away from ultimatums, and recognize, like Gemini, that there is always another opinion out there, their deep synthesis of varying personal beliefs can be truly enlightening. The exceptional beauty of Sagittarius is the bravery of the archer to transcend their immediate surroundings and synthesize information from the past and the present, the east and the west, the mind and the body. There is deep curiosity in both Gemini and Sagittarius, different ways of knowing from opposite sides of the ecliptic.
People are not stupid. They believe things for reasons. The last way for skeptics to get the attention of bright, curious, intelligent people is to belittle or condescend or to show arrogance toward their beliefs.
-Carl Sagan
The rulers of the Gemini/Sagittarius full moon axis: Mercury and Jupiter, and the Jupiter/Venus conjunction
Gemini is ruled by Mercury (Hermes in Greek mythology), the swift messenger between worlds, god of commerce, trade, transportation, and tricksters. A guardian of the crossroads between the underworld and above, Mercury controlled the movement of words, goods, ideas, and people, and linked the divine and the mundane. Thus, Gemini season is all about the linking of ideas, movement, and socializing.
Sagittarius, on the other hand, is ruled by Jupiter (Zeus in Greek mythology) the great father of the sky, commander of lightning and thunder, overseer from the backs of eagles. Jupiter also happens to be Mercury’s father. (Mercury’s mother is the earth and fertility goddess Maia, for whom the month of May is named). Jupiter does not travel between worlds, but rather sees from above, bringing light and controlling the weather.
Jupiter, as the ruler of this Sagittarius full moon, is currently finishing up his time in Taurus and will be moving into Gemini on Saturday, where he’ll stay for the next year, until June 2025. Before he makes his move to the sign of the twins, however, Jupe will conjunct Venus, making this full moon extra luxurious. In Taurus, Jupiter expands and gives benevolence to themes of stability, earthiness, and sensuality. Next to Venus, who is the ruler of Taurus, Jupiter expands that grounded, sensual feeling, giving us permission to find luck and abundance in the nourishment of our senses.
Sagittarius is ruled by the lower half of the body, including the hips, thighs, legs, lower back, pelvis, liver, pituitary gland, and sciatic nerve, so take some time to ground down into your legs and the earth on Thursday as you bear witness to your inner Jupiterian truths. This lunation is a great opportunity to tap into that universal truth within yourself within Gemini season, which as a season can feel more Mercurial, buzzy, heady, and flighty.
Take some time to listen to your inner knowing as something that has been distilled and synthesized over your own life and the life of your ancestors. Full moons are times of release, so on the day of the full moon, release the need to add anymore information, data, or other opinions to what’s already inside you.
The Gate of the Now: Contemplation, Meditation & Viewing
Right on theme with this full Sag moon and Gemini season’s axis of knowledge is this week’s Human Design Gate. For the entire week, the sun is transiting Gate 20, which is known as the Gate of the Now in Human Design, and “Contemplation” in the I’Ching.
The Trigrams that make up Hexagram 20 are Wind and Earth, in the configuration wind over earth. This hexagram represents a period of being internally receptive like the earth, and external forces that are light and easy yet persistent and unwavering, like the wind. When the wind blows over the earth it goes far and wide, and the grass bends to its power.
Known as Kuan in Chinese, a slight variation of tonal stress gives the Chinese name for this hexagram a double meaning. It means both contemplating and also being seen, in the sense of being an example to others. The wise king watches the wind breeze above the earth, moving quickly and seeing all perspectives.
Viewing, then, is another name for this hexagram. We rise up from the earth alone and watch the skies, the air of Gemini Season, the big picture, and let everything come into view. Watch for signs, patterns, details, and landmarks in your surroundings. Examine, contemplate, and find the deeper meaning in all of the things that are blowing in the wind. In meditation, the whole world that is real and true in the current moment comes into view.
In Human Design, Gate 20 is the Gate of the Now. People with Gate 20 activated in their chart often have a strong connection to the present moment and are able to live in the “now.” They are naturally present and aware, and are able to respond to situations as they arise.
On the opposite side of the wheel from Gate 20, the Gate of the Now, where the full moon in Sagittarius will sit this week, is Gate 34, the Gate of Power, Force, or Sovereignty. In the Human Design Bodygraph, Gate 34 and the Gate 20 come together to form Channel 34-20 Charisma. This week’s opposition between consciously living in the moment of the now is being reflected back by the moon in the gate of power and force, indicating a full moon of initiatory action. On the same day as Venus meets up with Jupiter, I’d say that there are definite themes of motivation within the meditation and contemplation. This quality of being in the present moment combined with power and sovereign force can be highly energetic and action oriented.
Human Design expert Christie Inge calls Gate 20 the “Voice of Alchemy”, the energy to be present and speak truth in the now. The founders of Unlock Your Design, who run an awesome human design and astrology project called the 64 doors, call Gate 20 “The Tranquil”, one is absorbed in the present moment where he trusts the Divine Order of everything. In the reality of the present, everything that isn’t relevant in the moment disappears.
Like the mutable air sign of Gemini, the Gate of Contemplation and the power of Now gain their wisdom from not getting stuck in one way of being, allowing a wide variety of perspectives and voices in. They don’t go out chasing the moment, they simply stop, take deep breaths, and allow the moment to come to them.
I read the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle back in high school, and still remember how much it influenced my views and my relationship with time at that point in my life. In it, Tolle argues that the present moment is the only moment that truly exists, and that living in it is the key to happiness and fulfillment.
I kinda hated the book later on because a guy I dated in my mid 20s was always carrying it around and quoting it. I thought he was always trying to stop us from talking about bigger picture stuff, but looking back, maybe he had a point.
More recently- last year- I did an 8 month program to become certified in facilitating trauma-informed breathwork practices. A part of the course curriculum was to read and follow the prompts in the book by Michael Brown called the Presence Process.
The Presence Process follows the same principles of Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now but this is a simple, direct, how-to manual to finish your emotional past so that you can stop reacting to it and live in the present moment. The Presence Process guides us to use a 15-minute breath practice everyday. and also involves a combination of meditation, journaling, and self-reflection to access and release subconscious emotions.
Doing this simple breath practice for 15 minutes every day for 8 months definitely changed my life for the better, and I definitely recommend Michael Brown’s book to ground into the present moment, especially as we enter the upcoming month- and year- of buzzy Gemini energy that can make us feel more distracted and flighty!
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
-Rumi
Thanks for your Presence!
All the love this week, my friends! As always, your likes and subscribes mean so much to me, as do your comments and feedback about how this week’s energies are showing up for you. You can find me on Instagram at cyclesoftimepodcast, and we also have a Cycles of Time Facebook group for community discussion about the weeks energies too- just search Cycles of Time on Facebook.
If you’re listening and would like to receive this as a transcript plus audio every Monday in your inbox, you can subscribe for free at astrosomatics.substack.com.
Today I’m going to leave you with a 5 minute guided meditation for Gemini Season, that was also published on the Astrum Opus Zine.
Listen to the Gemini Guided Meditation Here
Have a beautifully present week ahead, and I’ll see you next Monday,
xo
Alison
(Main illustration is by M. Fatchurofi)
Your Weekly Forecast for May 20-27: Gemini Season, The Full Moon in Sagittarius, and the Power of Now